APG Delegation Briefs Sri Lanka on March 2026 AML/CFT Mutual Evaluation
Summary
The Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), a FATF regional body, conducted a high-level delegation visit to Sri Lanka in March 2025 to assist with preparation for Sri Lanka's 3rd Mutual Evaluation (ME) on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), scheduled to commence in March 2026. The delegation met with the Central Bank Governor (Chairman of the National Coordinating Committee on AML/CFT), Cabinet Ministers, and senior officials to discuss progress, challenges, and strategic priorities. The FIU serves as the national focal point for AML/CFT efforts involving 24 public stakeholders, financial institutions, and designated non-financial businesses and professions.
“Sri Lanka's 3rd ME is scheduled to commence in March 2026.”
Financial institutions and DNFBPs operating in Sri Lanka should review their AML/CFT compliance programs against FATF's 40 Recommendations, as Sri Lanka's March 2026 Mutual Evaluation will assess both technical compliance and effectiveness. Firms that have not recently updated customer due diligence procedures, suspicious transaction reporting, or internal policies should treat the 2026 evaluation as a trigger for a compliance review.
What changed
The APG, acting as a FATF-style regional body, undertook a preparatory mission to Sri Lanka to assess readiness for the upcoming March 2026 Mutual Evaluation of Sri Lanka's AML/CFT framework. The delegation — comprising the APG Co-Chair from Japan's Ministry of Finance, the Acting Deputy Executive Secretary of the APG Secretariat, and Japan's Director for Countering Illicit Financial Flows — engaged Sri Lanka's Central Bank Governor, Cabinet Ministers, and senior officials. The FIU serves as the central coordinating focal point, liaising with 24 public stakeholders across financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions.
Sri Lanka-based financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs) should treat the March 2026 evaluation date as a firm external deadline. The APG mission signals that Sri Lanka's AML/CFT regime will be formally assessed against FATF's 40 Recommendations and effectiveness across 11 Immediate Outcomes. Regulated entities should ensure their internal AML/CFT policies, record-keeping, and reporting mechanisms are current and align with international standards ahead of the evaluation.
Archived snapshot
Apr 20, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering High-Level Visit to Sri Lanka Mutual Evaluation Preparation Briefing
A high-level delegation from the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) visited Sri Lanka during March 2025, to provide critical insights and support for the upcoming Mutual Evaluation (ME) on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) framework of Sri Lanka, scheduled to commence in March 2026. The delegation engaged with local authorities to discuss Sri Lanka's preparedness for this important evaluation. The international delegation comprised:
Mr. Mitsutoshi Kajikawa - APG Co-Chair, Deputy Vice Minister of Finance for
International Affairs, Japan's Ministry of Finance 2. Ms. Mitali Tyagi - Acting Deputy Executive Secretary, APG SecretariatMr. Takahiro Yamasaki - Director, Office for Countering Illicit Financial Flows,
International Bureau, Ministry of Finance, Japan The APG is one of the regional bodies under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to ensure that member jurisdictions implement international standards to combat money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing related to weapons of mass destruction. All the countries are required to comply with FATF's 40 Recommendations and demonstrate their effectiveness across 11 Immediate Outcomes, thereby enhancing global efforts to mitigate financial crimes and strengthen financial integrity. Accordingly, Sri Lanka's 3rd ME is scheduled to commence in March 2026. Currently, 24 public stakeholders, financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions are
involved in the country's AML/CFT efforts, with the Financial Intelligence Unit playing a central role as the focal point. During the visit, the APG high-level delegation met with the Governor of the Central Bank, who serves as the Chairman of the National Coordinating Committee on AML/CFT, to discuss Sri
Lanka's progress, challenges, and strategic priorities ahead of the evaluation. The delegation also held meetings with other relevant parties including a few Cabinet Ministers and high-level officials, to further guide and strengthen the country's AML/CFT efforts in preparation for the upcoming evaluation.
Financial Intelligence Unit 4 April 2025
Related changes
Get daily alerts for Sri Lanka Financial Intelligence Unit
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from FIU SL.
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when Sri Lanka Financial Intelligence Unit publishes new changes.
Subscribed!
Optional. Filters your digest to exactly the updates that matter to you.