Turkey faces no risk of being put back on the Financial Action Task Force’s “grey list,” Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek said, noting that the country’s level of compliance with global anti money laundering and counterterrorism financing standards leaves “no reason” for renewed listing.
Şimşek made the remarks in a written reply to a parliamentary question from Republican People’s Party lawmaker Fethi Açıkel, saying the FATF’s fifth round evaluation of Turkey is still underway but that the country’s current level of compliance means it is not at risk of being returned to the list, which FATF formally calls “jurisdictions under increased monitoring.”
Turkey was added to the FATF grey list in October 2021 over weaknesses in its system for combating money laundering and terrorist financing, then removed from the list in June 2024 after FATF said Ankara had completed its action plan.
In his reply Şimşek said Turkey has brought its system into line with nearly all FATF standards and has applied those standards in a steady and effective way, while efforts to improve enforcement are continuing.
He said the government had prepared a 2021 to 2025 strategy document aimed at improving the effectiveness of anti money laundering, counterterrorism financing and asset confiscation practices in Turkey. The plan, he said, was designed to improve the handling of judicial and administrative processes, strengthen the use of financial intelligence and better coordinate measures aimed at depriving criminals of illicit proceeds.
Şimşek also said work is underway to update the strategy for the 2026 to 2030 period.
He said authorities are taking steps to strengthen the administrative and technical capacity of Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and pointed to tighter regulations, including measures targeting crypto asset service providers as well as an expansion in the scope and number of compliance inspections carried out by the agency.
The FATF, an intergovernmental body that sets global standards on fighting money laundering and terrorist financing, is carrying out Turkey’s fifth-round mutual evaluation under its updated methodology, which looks not only at whether laws are in place but also at how effectively they are enforced in practice. Turkey’s current evaluation cycle includes a possible plenary discussion in June.
Şimşek’s remarks came after former MASAK head Osman Dereli also said this week that Turkey was unlikely to face renewed grey list placement, citing what he described as positive impressions from an onsite visit by FATF evaluators in November 2025.