FATF

Mexico is preparing for the fifth round of evaluations by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the international money-laundering watchdog. Commentary in Mexican outlet Nexos frames the process as a game of 'snakes and ladders', reflecting uncertainty over how the country will be rated on anti-corruption and financial-crime compliance, and what the outcome could mean for Mexico's financial standing.

Safwat Raslan, representing Syria at the Financial Action Task Force meeting in Paris, said the country is developing a transparent financial system ahead of a scheduled review in mid-2027. The statement signals Syria's effort to move out of financial isolation and meet international anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist financing standards as it seeks reintegration into the global economy.

Mexico's Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) says the FATF (GAFI) evaluation of the country's money laundering prevention system is in its final stage. The unit has been central to a reported financial crackdown on the Sinaloa Cartel's network, with US Ambassador Ronald Johnson describing it as a hard blow to the cartel's criminal and political financing. Meanwhile, President Sheinbaum clarified that the UIF detected anomalies but no criminal links in a case drawing scrutiny.

An analysis published by the Observer Research Foundation examines how the Financial Action Task Force is confronting the overlap between drug trafficking and terrorism financing in South Asia, drawing lessons from Pakistan's experience under FATF scrutiny. It argues Pakistan's grey-listing shaped regional counter-terror financing efforts, with wider implications for how the FATF approaches narcoterrorism across South Asia.