The anti-money laundering strategy aims to prevent mozambique’s return to the international grey list

The new strategy to combat money laundering in Mozambique through 2030 aims to guarantee the sustainability of the financial prevention system and avoid re-inclusion on the international grey list, consolidating reforms and strengthening the fight against financial crime. The Sustainability Strategy for the National System to Prevent and Combat Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and the Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (2026–2030), recently approved by the Government and consulted today by Lusa, intends to “ensure sustainability of technical compliance and effectiveness with international normative standards established by the FATF [Financial Action Task Force (FATF)], in order to protect the integrity and stability of the national financial system.” The document frames the decision in the phase following Mozambique’s removal from the list of countries under increased monitoring, underlining that “Mozambique’s exit from the grey list does not mark the end of the process,” but “rather the beginning of a new phase,” which requires continuous actions and institutional consolidation. Mozambique will have to begin demonstrating, in September 2027, the steps taken after exiting the international money laundering grey list, Mozambican authorities warned in March, thereby justifying the new national sustainability strategy.

“We have to work and work and work so that, in fact, our system is fortified. And through this, ensure that the country does not return to the grey list,” said Luís Cezerilo, from the Ministry of Finance, at a press conference in Maputo. Mozambique left the FATF grey list on October 24 last year, after three years, with the national coordinator of the executive committee for the coordination of policies to prevent and combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction also warning of current responsibility.

“If you look at FATF statistics, 40% of countries that leave the grey list return immediately. They return. We are not worried about the return, just as we were not worried in the past about the removal.

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We are concerned with creating a sustainable system, strong structures, resilient, with trained human resources, with well-educated human resources,” he noted. Among the five pillars of the new five-year Strategy is the strengthening of inter-institutional coordination and international cooperation, with the maintenance of mechanisms created during the FATF evaluation process. Another central axis focuses on the supervision and oversight of reporting entities, through a risk-based approach.

The Strategy points to measures to “ensure the effective application of instituted policies and practices,” including continuous training, strengthening the technical and technological capacity of supervisory authorities, and the use of inspections proportional to the identified level of risk. Economic transparency constitutes another priority, with a focus on the identification of beneficial owners. The document points to the need to “strengthen transparency measures applicable to individuals, legal entities, and entities without legal personality,” in order to mitigate risks associated with economic operations and financial transactions.

It provides for the strengthening of the analysis, investigation, prosecution, and judgment of crimes of money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing, as well as asset recovery. The fight against terrorist financing is taken as an autonomous objective, with the implementation of a comprehensive national strategy. The Strategy advocates for “ensuring the effective implementation of a comprehensive national strategy to combat terrorist financing, in accordance with international standards,” including targeted financial sanctions and periodic risk assessments.

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