Luanda, June 24, 2026 (Lusa) — Angola remains on the Financial Action Task Force grey list with five critical issues still to be resolved, despite the progress made, an official from the Financial Intelligence Unit said on Wednesday, emphasising that this is a long-term strategy.
The issue was addressed today in Luanda by Jocelino Malulo, an adviser to the Directorate-General of the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), at an event on the role of the media in the national system for preventing and combating money laundering, terrorist financing and the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, organised by the agency.
According to Mr Malulo, of the shortcomings identified in the mutual evaluation report adopted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in 2023, Angola has been “gradually” addressing some, but still has outstanding issues in strategic areas.
In a report published on 19 June, the FATF acknowledged that Angola has taken steps to strengthen its regime for combating money laundering and terrorist financing since the high-level political commitment made in October 2024, notably by deepening its understanding of the risks in this area.
The body identified, however, five areas in which the country must continue to work within the framework of the agreed action plan: improving risk-based supervision of non-bank financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions; ensuring that authorities have adequate, rigorous and timely access to information on beneficial owners; increasing investigations and criminal prosecutions for money laundering; the capacity to identify, investigate and prosecute terrorist financing; and the effective and immediate implementation of targeted financial sanctions, according to the document available on the FATF website.
The head of the UIF noted that Angola has already partially addressed shortcomings relating to the investigation and criminalisation of money laundering, for example through a series of legislative amendments, such as Law No. 11/24, which revised the framework law on preventing and combating money laundering and terrorist financing Jocelino Malulo emphasised that the Angolan government’s strategy is not merely aimed at meeting the requirements for removal from the grey list, but at ensuring long-term compliance.
“We are making far-reaching regulatory, legislative and structural changes to ensure there is no relapse,” he said, adding that investments in staff training and technological infrastructure are also underway.
He declined to give a specific timeframe for removal from the list, stating that this decision rests with the FATF once it deems that Angola meets the required conditions.
The FATF is the intergovernmental body responsible for setting international standards to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and it periodically assesses countries’ level of compliance with these standards.
The grey list comprises countries that are subject to enhanced monitoring, following the identification of strategic deficiencies, which they have committed to rectifying.
Angola has been under enhanced monitoring by the FATF since 2023, a status which, according to Jocelino Malulo, does not entail the application of counter-measures – as applied in very high-risk jurisdictions – but does increase the scrutiny to which the country is subject by institutions and other partners wishing to establish financial relations with Angola.
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