The government aims to ensure the sustainability of the financial prevention system and prevent the country from being placed back on the international “grey list.” To this end, it is “consolidating reforms and strengthening the fight against financial crime” in Mozambique.
In this regard, the Strategy for the Sustainability of the National System for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (2026–30), which aims to “ensure the sustainability of technical compliance and effectiveness in accordance with the international regulatory standards established by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), in order to protect the integrity and stability of the national financial system.”
As cited by Lusa, the document frames the decision within the phase following Mozambique’s removal from the list of countries under enhanced monitoring, emphasizing that “exit from the gray list does not mark the end of the process, but rather the beginning of a new phase,” which requires ongoing action and institutional consolidation.
Among the five pillars of the new five-year Strategy is the strengthening of inter-institutional coordination and international cooperation, while maintaining mechanisms established during the FATF evaluation process. Another central pillar focuses on the supervision and oversight of regulated entities through a risk-based approach.
The Strategy outlines measures to “ensure the effective implementation of established policies and practices,” including ongoing training, strengthening the technical and technological capacity of supervisory authorities, and conducting inspections that are proportionate to the level of risk identified.
Economic transparency is another priority, with a focus on identifying beneficial owners. The document highlights the need to “strengthen transparency measures applicable to natural persons, legal entities, and unincorporated entities” in order to mitigate risks associated with economic operations and financial transactions.
It also calls for strengthening the analysis, investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of crimes related to money laundering, terrorist financing, and weapons proliferation, as well as asset recovery.
The Strategy advocates “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.
In March, the Ministry of Finance stated that Mozambique will have to begin demonstrating, by September 2027, the steps taken following its removal from the international “grey list” for money laundering, adding that the new national sustainability strategy is currently underway.
“We must take action, because if we look at the statistics from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), 40% of the countries that are removed from the ‘grey list’ are immediately placed back on it. That is why we are focused on creating a sustainable system, with strong, resilient structures and skilled, well-trained personnel,” noted Luís Cezerilo, deputy director-general of the Financial Intelligence Unit of Mozambique (GIFiM).
Mozambique was placed on the FATF’s “grey list” on October 22, 2022, for failing to address deficiencies in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. However, on October 24, 2025, the Group’s plenary session in Paris, France, announced the country’s removal from the list three years after its inclusion.
