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Türkiye faces no risk of being placed back on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek says, pointing to progress in the ongoing fifth round of evaluations.
Responding to a parliamentary inquiry, Simsek stated that the country’s current level of compliance leaves "no reason" for renewed listing, adding that authorities assess the risk as non-existent, business-focused ekonomim.com reported.
Türkiye was added to the FATF grey list in October 2021, and later completed an action plan set by the global watchdog, securing its removal in June 2024. Simsek explained that the country now meets nearly all FATF technical standards and continues to implement them consistently, while also working to improve effectiveness in practice.
Efforts to strengthen enforcement are being carried out under a national strategy covering the 2021–2025 period, which focuses on improving investigations, financial intelligence use, and coordination among institutions.
The program aims to ensure that proceeds of crime are effectively confiscated and that legal and administrative processes function more efficiently, Simsek highlighted. Authorities are also preparing an updated strategy for 2026–2030.
Simsek said structural measures are being introduced to expand the administrative and technical capacity of Türkiye’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), the country’s main financial intelligence unit responsible for monitoring suspicious transactions and combating money laundering and terrorism financing.
Recent regulatory steps, including measures targeting crypto asset service providers, have strengthened the legal framework. Oversight activities have also increased, with more compliance checks carried out by MASAK.
These steps are part of a broader push to improve coordination across institutions and reinforce Türkiye’s alignment with international standards on combating financial crime, Simsek concluded.
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