The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) adopted Mexico's mutual evaluation report during its plenary in Paris, which concluded on October 30, 2026, and will publish the results in December. The decision, reported by Bloomberg Línea, determines whether the country remains under ordinary follow-up or moves to a stricter monitoring regime.
The FATF is the intergovernmental body that sets global standards against money laundering and terrorist financing. Its grey list gathers jurisdictions under intensified monitoring, not sanctions: El CEO reports 18 countries and territories on that list, among them Venezuela, Vietnam and Lebanon. Mexico is not there; it has been under enhanced follow-up since its 2018 evaluation. For the Mexican community in North America, the practical point is the cost of doing business: banks and companies that make transfers, trade or investment with Mexican counterparties face longer reviews when the country appears on that list.
Mexico's fifth evaluation round began in 2025 and evaluators visited the country in March 2026, Bloomberg Línea details. More than 200 jurisdictions and observers took part in the plenary, and evaluated countries receive a three-year action plan. The process weighs outcomes, not just laws: Ramón Cabrera León, a partner at Spetsen, explained to El CEO that the FATF reviews sentences, convictions, seized assets and asset forfeiture. Bulgaria, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Monaco were removed from the list at that same meeting. The body also calls for more collaboration between government and the private sector, with technology to detect alerts and illicit flows, according to Paulina Verástegui Lira, an IDB consultant cited by El CEO.
The FATF president, Giles Thomson, said the road does not end there for Mexico and the United States, and that both countries will be placed in one of the body's follow-up processes. Finance Secretary Édgar Amador said the evaluation result is expected in December. The publication will include ratings for technical compliance and effectiveness, and from there the next review cycle will be defined.
This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.
