President steps in to steer key money laundering evaluation to avoid grey-list risks

High-level presidential review signals political ownership of AML/CFT process Failure risks renewed FATF grey listing, with implications for investment and cross-border transactions Govt. orders legal, staffing and administrative bottlenecks to be cleared ahead of review Special Task Force report due within two weeks

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PRESIDENT Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday convened a high-level meeting to review Sri Lanka's preparedness for its Third Mutual Evaluation on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), signalling direct presidential oversight of a process critical to safeguarding the country's standing in the global financial system, according to the President's Media Division.

The meeting comes as Sri Lanka prepares to demonstrate technical compliance with the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) 40 recommendations and their effective implementation across 11 immediate outcomes. Failure to meet these standards could expose the country to heightened international scrutiny, including the risk of being placed back on the FATF "grey list", a designation that could deter foreign investment and disrupt international financial transactions.