On the participation of the EAG in the work of the 41st Plenary Meeting of the MENAFATF

On November 13, 2025, the 40st plenary week of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) concluded in Manama (Kingdom of Bahrain).

The plenary session was chaired by Ms. Samya Abou Sharif, President of the MENAFATF, member of the National Committee for Combating Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing, and Chief of the Anti-Money laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing Unit of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The plenary meeting was attended by the heads of delegations of the MENAFATF member countries, experts on combating ML/TF/CFT, as well as observers and representatives of interested international organizations.

In the Plenary several follow-up reports of the Group member countries were adopted. The outcomes of the high-level meeting of the Governors of Arab Central Banks and Monetary Authorities have been discussed. The Meeting also reviewed and discussed studies conducted by the MENAFATF and presented Member Countries’ experiences, including the challenges they face in implementing Targeted Financial Sanctions, mechanisms for addressing emerging crimes and cybercrimes, and the latest patterns of ML and TF.

From 2026, the presidency of MENAFATF will be assumed by the United Arab Emirates, and the representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain will become the vice-president of the Group. The priorities of the joint presidency of the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain for 2026 and 2027 have been approved, which are consistent with the priorities of the Russian Chairmanship in the Eurasian Group for 2026–2027, in particular regarding the preparation and conduct of the third round of mutual evaluations.

The EAG Secretariat, in collaboration with the delegation of the Russian Federation, briefed the Plenary about the upcoming events on the margins of the 43rd EAG Plenary Meeting – the Law Enforcement Conference and the Seminar of Supervisory Authorities. The Secretariat expressed its gratitude to MENAFATF for its participation in joint initiatives and events with the EAG, noting in particular the Forum of Supervisory Authorities held in May this year in Moscow, the participation of the Group's member countries in the project to prepare a Bulletin on the activities of terrorist organisations in the Eurasian region, and in the IV contest for the best financial analysis, in which the representative of Arab Republic of Egypt won first place.

EAG Secretariat