On the outcomes of the Joint International Forum of Regulatory Authorities and the Private Sector

On 22-24 April 2026, Saint Petersburg city, Russian Federation, hosted the Joint International Forum for Supervisory Authorities and Private Sector (JIFSA), which has become a traditional platform for EAG Member States to discuss risks, supervisory strategies and approaches to the application of preventive measures in the AML/CFT/CFP.

The event was organised under the auspices of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG), the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF), the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG), Inter Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) and the Central African Anti-Money Laundering Group (GABAC) with organisational support from the Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Russian Federation (Rosfinmonitoring) and the International Training and Methodological Centre for Financial Monitoring (ITMCFM).

Over 200 delegates from 30 Members of the FATF Global Network participated in the Forum. JIFSA participants exchanged views on the role of supervisory authorities in the changing risk landscape, the evolution of risk-based supervisory tools, crypto-compliance and digital banking, the place of platform solutions in the AML framework, and approaches to fostering conscious compliance in the private sector.

The opening of the Forum and its Plenary Session were attended by EAG Chairman Mr. Yuri Chikhanchin, EAG Executive Secretary Mr. Sergey Teterukov, MENAFATF Executive Secretary Mr. Suliman Aljabrin, ESAAMLG Executive Secretary Ms. Fikile Zitha, GABAC Permanent Secretary Mr. André Kanga, and GIABA Secretariat Director of Policy and Research Mr. Jeffrey Isima.

There was keen interest in the discussion of the experiences of supervisory authorities from countries that had undergone mutual evaluation in the new round regarding preparations for such an evaluation. Representatives of the supervisory authorities of Serbia, Malaysia and Singapore shared their approaches to filling in the questionnaires, providing statistics and case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of their systems.

Representatives of banking supervisory authorities held the round table on the JIFSA sidelines, where participants discussed prospects for improving the exchange of supervisory information at both national and international levels. The round table participants endorsed a proposal to continue such discussions on the EAG margins in the future.

To conclude the Forum, participants discussed at the closing Plenary Session issues relating to broadening the scope of joint projects within the FATF and FATF-style regional bodies, the direction of further development of supervisory activities in the context of the AML/CFT/CFP Standards, as well as prospects for enhancing the effectiveness of exchanging supervisory information at the international level.

The Forum for supervisory authorities and private sector will continue its work on the margins of the EAG next year.

EAG Secretariat