The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has decided on June 19, 2026 to keep Lebanon under the list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring, alternatively known as the grey list. It is worth noting, in this context, that the FATF placed Lebanon on the list in October 2024 and commented back then that Lebanon has committed to work on bolstering the effectiveness of its Anti-money laundering (AML)/ Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) regime notwithstanding the prevailing challenging social, economic and security situation. The FATF commented that Lebanon should keep working on implementing the action plan it set to address its strategic deficiencies by:

1)    Conducting assessments of specific terrorist financing and money laundering risks while ensuring that policies and measures are taken to mitigate these risks

2)    Improving mechanisms to ensure the prompt and effective execution of requests for mutual legal assistance, extradition and asset recovery

3)    Enhancing the risk understanding for Designated Non-Financial Business and Professions (DNFBPs) and implementing effective sanctions for any breaches of AML/CFT obligations 

4)    Ensuring beneficial ownership information is up-to-date and that there are adequate sanctions and risk-mitigation policies in place

5)    Enhancing authorities’ use of products of the Financial Intelligence Unit

6)    Showing a sustained increase in money-laundering related investigations, prosecutions and court rulings

7)    Ameliorating its approach to asset recovery and identifying & seizing illicit cross-border movements of currency and precious metals and stones

8)    Pursuing terrorism financing investigations and sharing information with foreign partners related to these investigations

9)    Improving the prompt implementation of financial sanctions, particularly at DNFBPs and some non-banking financial institutions

10) Enhancing the monitoring of high-risk Non Profit Organizations