The European Union has officially removed Nigeria from its list of high-risk jurisdictions for money laundering and terrorism financing, a decision expected to ease cross-border transactions and improve investor confidence.
The update was published on the European Commission’s website and follows Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force greylist in 2025, following a series of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing reforms.
Under the new decision, enhanced due diligence requirements applied to transactions involving Nigeria will be lifted from January 29, 2026, subject to procedural approval by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
Explaining the move, the European Commission said that the update reflects decisions taken by the FATF at its June and October 2025 plenaries, where several countries were removed from the list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring.
“The EU has added new third-country jurisdictions to the list (Bolivia and the British Virgin Islands) and delisted a number of others (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania),” report said on Friday quoted the Commission as saying.
It noted that entities covered by the EU’s anti-money laundering framework are required to apply enhanced vigilance when dealing with countries on the high-risk list, adding that Nigeria’s removal means such heightened scrutiny will no longer apply to Nigerian-related transactions within the bloc once the regulation takes effect.
Reacting to the development, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, described the decision as a major boost for the country.
In a post on X on Thursday, she said, “Big win for Nigeria! Removed from the EU’s financial ‘high-risk’.” She added, “Congrats to President @officialABAT on this achievement. As Minister of State for Finance, I’m proud of this boost to trade and investor confidence.”
Also commenting on it, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun, said that Nigeria’s exit from the European Union’s high-risk third-country list is a major boost for investor confidence.
Speaking in Lagos on Thursday in an event Edun said: “Exiting the EU high-risk list is a landmark achievement for Nigeria. It sends a clear signal to investors that Nigeria is serious about maintaining a stable, credible, and transparent business environment.”
Nigeria’s exit from the EU high-risk list is expected to have significant economic and financial implications. Countries classified as high-risk often face higher transaction costs, delayed payments, tighter correspondent banking relationships, and reduced foreign investment.
With the lifting of enhanced due diligence requirements, Nigerian banks, exporters, fintechs, and other businesses transacting with European partners are expected to face fewer compliance hurdles, a development that could improve trade flows, ease remittances, and support capital inflows.
The decision also reinforces Nigeria’s credibility as it seeks to reform its financial system and curb illicit financial flows, at a time when the government is pushing to attract foreign investment and deepen integration into global financial markets.
Nigeria was removed from the FATF greylist in October last year after implementing reforms to strengthen its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework.
APA