FATF 40 Recommendations
The FATF 40 Recommendations (last comprehensive revision February 2012 with subsequent targeted updates - R.15 Virtual Assets / VASPs 2018-2024, R.24 + R.25 Beneficial Ownership 2022-2024, R.8 Non-Profit Organisations 2016+2023, R.5 Terrorist Financing 2024) are the international standards on combating money laundering + terrorist financing + proliferation financing. The Recommendations are adopted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and applied across 200+ jurisdictions through the FATF Global Network including the FATF-Style Regional Bodies (FSRBs): APG (Asia/Pacific), CFATF (Caribbean), EAG (Eurasian), ESAAMLG (Eastern + Southern Africa), GAFILAT (Latin America), GIABA (West Africa), GABAC (Central Africa), MENAFATF (Middle East + North Africa), MONEYVAL (Council of Europe). Mutual Evaluation cycles (currently the 5th round) assess country compliance through (a) Technical Compliance ratings (C / LC / PC / NC) against the 40 Recommendations + (b) Effectiveness ratings against the 11 Immediate Outcomes. Implementation is supplemented by Best Practices Papers + Methodology + Guidance documents on specific topics (Virtual Assets / VASPs, Beneficial Ownership, NPO sector, Politically Exposed Persons, Risk-Based Approach for various sectors). Non-compliance can lead to inclusion on the FATF Public Statement / 'Grey List' (jurisdictions under increased monitoring) or 'Black List' (High-Risk Jurisdictions Subject to a Call for Action) with severe market-access + correspondent-banking consequences. The 40 Recommendations are the foundational instrument for the EU AMLD6 + AMLD7 (Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 + Directive (EU) 2024/1640) + US Bank Secrecy Act / FinCEN Customer Due Diligence Rule + UK MLR 2017 + global AML/CFT laws.
FATF 40 Recommendations is a compliance framework from Global (FATF members, FATF-style regional body members; more than 200 jurisdictions committed) with 7 domains and 40 controls that map to 5 other frameworks. The largest domains are D. Preventive measures (R.9 to R.23) – FATF 40 Recommendations (15 controls), F. Powers and responsibilities of competent authorities and other institutional measures (R.26 to R.35) – FATF 40 Recommendations (10 controls), G. International cooperation (R.36 to R.40) – FATF 40 Recommendations (5 controls). Every control below carries what it requires and what an assessor expects to see.
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Framework Domains (7)
A. AML/CFT policies and coordination (R.1 to R.2) – FATF 40 Recommendations
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.1 | R.1 Assessing risks and applying a risk-based approach |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.2 | R.2 National cooperation and coordination |
B. Money laundering and confiscation (R.3 to R.4) – FATF 40 Recommendations
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.3 | R.3 Money laundering offence |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.4 | R.4 Confiscation and provisional measures |
C. Terrorist financing and financing of proliferation (R.5 to R.8) – FATF 40 Recommendations
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.5 | R.5 Terrorist financing offence |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.6 | R.6 Targeted financial sanctions related to terrorism and terrorist financing |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.7 | R.7 Targeted financial sanctions related to proliferation |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.8 | R.8 Non-profit organisations |
D. Preventive measures (R.9 to R.23) – FATF 40 Recommendations
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.10 | R.10 Customer due diligence |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.11 | R.11 Record-keeping |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.12 | R.12 Politically exposed persons |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.13 | R.13 Correspondent banking |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.14 | R.14 Money or value transfer services |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.15 | R.15 New technologies |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.16 | R.16 Payment transparency |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.17 | R.17 Reliance on third parties |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.18 | R.18 Internal controls and foreign branches and subsidiaries |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.19 | R.19 Higher-risk countries |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.20 | R.20 Reporting of suspicious transactions |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.21 | R.21 Tipping-off and confidentiality |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.22 | R.22 DNFBPs: customer due diligence |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.23 | R.23 DNFBPs: other measures |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.9 | R.9 Financial institution secrecy laws |
E. Transparency and beneficial ownership of legal persons and arrangements (R.24 to R.25) – FATF 40 Recommendations
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.24 | R.24 Transparency and beneficial ownership of legal persons |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.25 | R.25 Transparency and beneficial ownership of legal arrangements |
F. Powers and responsibilities of competent authorities and other institutional measures (R.26 to R.35) – FATF 40 Recommendations
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.26 | R.26 Regulation and supervision of financial institutions |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.27 | R.27 Powers of supervisors |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.28 | R.28 Regulation and supervision of DNFBPs |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.29 | R.29 Financial intelligence units |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.30 | R.30 Responsibilities of law enforcement and investigative authorities |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.31 | R.31 Powers of law enforcement and investigative authorities |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.32 | R.32 Cash couriers |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.33 | R.33 Statistics |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.34 | R.34 Guidance and feedback |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.35 | R.35 Sanctions |
G. International cooperation (R.36 to R.40) – FATF 40 Recommendations
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.36 | R.36 International instruments |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.37 | R.37 Mutual legal assistance |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.38 | R.38 Mutual legal assistance: freezing and confiscation |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.39 | R.39 Extradition |
| fatf-40-recommendations::R.40 | R.40 Other forms of international cooperation |
Your Compliance Coverage
If you comply with FATF 40 Recommendations, you already cover:
Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision (2024)
5%
3 controls mapped
Compare →UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs)
2%
1 controls mapped
Compare →GDPR
2%
1 controls mapped
Compare →+ 2 more: Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Standard (2023) (2%), GLI-33 - Gaming Laboratories International Event Wagering Systems (2%)
See all 5 mapped frameworks ↓Maps to 5 other frameworks
Coverage is not the same as your position
This page shows what FATF 40 Recommendations overlaps with in general. Where your organisation actually stands, against the standard you are going for and the certifications you already hold, is a different question. Same graph and the same recorded refutations, scoped to you rather than to a pair.
The Compliance Position Diagnostic, $5,000 fixed, ten business daysWhat is FATF 40 Recommendations and who does it apply to?
FATF 40 Recommendations is a compliance framework from Global (FATF members, FATF-style regional body members; more than 200 jurisdictions committed) with 7 domains and 40 controls. The FATF 40 Recommendations (last comprehensive revision February 2012 with subsequent targeted updates - R.15 Virtual Assets / VASPs 2018-2024, R.24 + R.25 Beneficial Ownership 2022-2024, R.8 Non-Profit Organisations 2016+2023, R.5 Terrorist Financing 2024) are the international standards on combating money laundering + terrorist financing + proliferation financing. The Recommendations are adopted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and applied across 200+ jurisdictions through the FATF Global Network including the FATF-Style Regional Bodies (FSRBs): APG (Asia/Pacific), CFATF (Caribbean), EAG (Eurasian), ESAAMLG (Eastern + Southern Africa), GAFILAT (Latin America), GIABA (West Africa), GABAC (Central Africa), MENAFATF (Middle East + North Africa), MONEYVAL (Council of Europe). Mutual Evaluation cycles (currently the 5th round) assess country compliance through (a) Technical Compliance ratings (C / LC / PC / NC) against the 40 Recommendations + (b) Effectiveness ratings against the 11 Immediate Outcomes. Implementation is supplemented by Best Practices Papers + Methodology + Guidance documents on specific topics (Virtual Assets / VASPs, Beneficial Ownership, NPO sector, Politically Exposed Persons, Risk-Based Approach for various sectors). Non-compliance can lead to inclusion on the FATF Public Statement / 'Grey List' (jurisdictions under increased monitoring) or 'Black List' (High-Risk Jurisdictions Subject to a Call for Action) with severe market-access + correspondent-banking consequences. The 40 Recommendations are the foundational instrument for the EU AMLD6 + AMLD7 (Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 + Directive (EU) 2024/1640) + US Bank Secrecy Act / FinCEN Customer Due Diligence Rule + UK MLR 2017 + global AML/CFT laws. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
What does FATF 40 Recommendations actually require?
FATF 40 Recommendations has 40 controls organised across 7 domains. The largest domains are D. Preventive measures (R.9 to R.23) – FATF 40 Recommendations (15 controls), F. Powers and responsibilities of competent authorities and other institutional measures (R.26 to R.35) – FATF 40 Recommendations (10 controls), G. International cooperation (R.36 to R.40) – FATF 40 Recommendations (5 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.
If I already comply with another framework, how much of FATF 40 Recommendations do I already cover?
FATF 40 Recommendations maps to 5 other compliance frameworks. The top mapping partners are Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision (2024) (5% coverage), UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) (2% coverage), GDPR (2% coverage). Use our comparison tool to explore control-level mappings between frameworks.
How do I implement FATF 40 Recommendations?
Start your FATF 40 Recommendations compliance journey by running a self-assessment on our platform to identify your current compliance posture. Our AI advisory can answer specific questions about FATF 40 Recommendations requirements, and cross-framework mapping helps you leverage existing controls from other frameworks you may already comply with. Create a free account to access all 40 controls and track your progress.
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