OUTCOMES OF THE 44TH EAG PLENARY MEETING

General information about the EAG Plenary Meeting

From May 19 to 23, 2026, Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) hosted meetings of the Working Groups and the 44th Plenary Session of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism (EAG), attended by representatives of all Member States, the FATF Secretariat and FATF-style regional body (ESAAMLG), as well as the EAG Observers and invited delegations of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mongolia, Republic of Serbia, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, ADB, Afreximbank, BCBOP, CIS ATC, EDB, EEC, EFSD,CHFIU, CIS Executive Committee, IMF, NDB, OSCE, UNOCT, World Bank, Republic of Azerbaijan, CIS CCPG, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Plenary meeting was led by EAG Chair Mr. Yury Chikhanchin (Russian Federation) and EAG Vice-Chair Mr. Dzmitry Zakharov (Republic of Belarus).

Mr. Babaniyaz Yalakov, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, made a welcoming address on behalf of Turkmenistan.

Key issues and the most important decisions of the Plenary Meeting

The Plenary Meeting approved the follow-up reports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Being under regular monitoring, the Republic of Kazakhstan submitted its first follow-up report and requested a re-rating under Recommendations 6 and 7 (Targeted financial sanctions related to terrorism, terrorist financing and proliferation financing), 24 (Transparency and beneficial ownership of legal persons), 26 and 28 (Regulation and supervision of financial institutions and DNFBPs). Turkmenistan submitted its third follow-up report under enhanced monitoring with re-rating under Recommendations 12 (Politically exposed persons), 26 and 28 (Regulation and supervision of financial institutions and DNFBPs). These reports will be published on the EAG website after undergoing a quality and compliance review with the reports of the FATF Global Network.

In its turn, the Republic of Uzbekistan submitted its second follow-up report without a re-rating. In order to address the deficiencies in the national AML/CFT/CPF system identified by the results of the previous round of mutual evaluations, Uzbekistan took measures in 2023-2026 to address technical compliance shortcomings with Recommendations 1-4, 8, 15, 17, 18, 26 and 35, as well as to improve effectiveness on Immediate Outcomes 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7.

In preparation for the 3rd round of EAG mutual evaluations, Member States are taking steps to improve their national AML/CFT/CPF systems. The delegations’ reports on the measures taken to prepare for the new round of mutual evaluations and aimed at implementing the revised FATF Standards, which have become a tradition, represent one of the key elements of the exchange of experience and best practices among EAG Member States.

During the intersessional period, the EAG conducted training events, including jointly with the ATC, the Council of Heads of Financial Intelligence Units of the CIS Member States (CHFIU) and the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Center (CARICC) with the support of the International Training and Methodology Center for Financial Monitoring (ITMCFM), the Department for Combating Economic Crimes under the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Law Enforcement Academy of the Republic of Uzbekistan. This helped strengthen the human resource capacity of the competent authorities and increased the number of assessors for the third round of EAG mutual evaluations. The Secretariat plans additional measures to increase the number of trained experts, aimed at ensuring the further development of national AML/CFT/CPF staff.

The Plenary Meeting approved proposals for further steps by Member States to implement the international AML/CFT/CPF standards in terms of extended confiscation. Discussion of this issue is motivated by the fact that the new provisions of the international standards oblige countries to take measures to implement extended confiscation within the framework of their existing fundamental national legal norms. The degree of implementation of the new provisions of the standards will be assessed during the 3rd round of EAG mutual evaluations.

A crucial component of the timely detection of and response to emerging ML/TF/PF threats, vulnerabilities and risks (and countering them according to their level of threat) is the timely assessment of ML/TF/PF risks at the national and supranational (for the region of the EAG Member States) levels. A supranational risk assessment enables hereinafter a comprehensive joint response by jurisdictions and the adoption of measures to mitigate risks. The 2024–2028 EAG Strategy and the priorities of the Russian Chairmanship call for the conduct of the next ML/TF risk assessment in the region of the EAG Member States. The Eurasian Group already has a methodology in place for conducting such an assessment. The existing methodology will be adapted to the needs of the current round based on proposals from the Member States. Delegations approved the implementation of a supranational risk assessment for the period 2026-2027, with the final report expected to be approved in November 2027 during the 47th Plenary meeting.

In fulfilling the priorities of the Russian Chairmanship, the Plenary approved the Information Bulletin on the Activities of Terrorist Groups in the Eurasian Region. The current version includes information and materials obtained through cooperation with MENAFATF member states. In particular, the document presents a comparative overview of TF methods in the EAG regions, as well as in the Middle East and North Africa. Common elements in the sources and channels of financing include cash transactions as the dominant method of storing and moving funds; the use of informal systems and virtual assets for cross-border transfers; and the use of messaging apps to coordinate activities and post payment details.

An important component of responding to current challenges and threats is improving methods for combating crimes involving the use of new technologies and developing coordinated approaches to the digital transformation of national AML/CFT systems. In this regard, the Plenary Session approved the launch of a new typological project titled “Use of Artificial Intelligence Technologies and its Derivatives as a Tool for Terrorist Financing, as well as Methods of Using AI Technologies in the Activities of Competent Authorities in the Field of Combating Terrorist Financing” (co-leaders: the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, CIS ATC, United Arab Emirates). As part of the research, it is planned to develop a catalog of typical schemes and indicators of suspicious activity, identify best practices for the use of artificial intelligence in the field of countering the financing of terrorism, and develop proposals for mitigating the risks in question and integrating new technologies into the activities of competent authorities.

The Plenary Meeting approved the 2027 EAG Budget and the contributions of the Member States.

Other issues

The Plenary granted the EAG Observer status to the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development. Expanding the number of Observers is intended to facilitate the Eurasian Group’s cooperation with these organizations and jurisdictions to leverage shared experience, knowledge, and resources, and to develop mechanisms for collaboration to address common challenges. These challenges include strengthening national AML/CFT/CPF systems and protecting the financial systems and economies of the Member States from ML/TF/PF threats.          

The International Association of Training and Methodological Centers of the EAG Member States (the IATMC), whose members include training organizations from the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, presented a report on the first results of its activities in 2025. Among the main outcomes of the IATMC’s work were the harmonization of conceptual approaches to creating a unified competency framework for specialized expert instructors for the training of reporting entities, as well as the identification of key aspects of the functioning of the international certification system for AML/CFT expert instructors.

In the context of implementing the priorities of the Russian Presidency, the ITMCFM presented projects aimed at preparing for the 3^rd round of the EAG mutual evaluations, developing coordinated approaches to educational activities in the Eurasian region and identifying indicators and patterns of financial behavior of “money mules”. The Plenary Meeting highlighted the role of the ITMCFM as a leading donor and provider in the implementation of the technical assistance project plans for the EAG Member States.

As part of measures to assist the Islamic Republic of Iran in addressing deficiencies in its national AML/CFT/CPF system, the Plenary reviewed the progress of the Plan for providing technical assistance to the country by the EAG Member States. Two EAG Member States (the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan) have already provided technical assistance to Iran by sharing their AML/CFT/CPF legislation with Iranian partners.

The Plenary Meeting positively assessed the outcomes of the V^th Forum of Parliamentarians of the EAG Member States. Participants of the Forum agreed that the effective identification and suppression of cyber-enabled fraud and other crimes committed using new technologies are impossible without the active utilisation of the full range of AML/CTF/CPF tools in combination with the consistent improvement of the legislative framework based on Global AML standards. The Declaration of the Outcomes of the V^th Forum of Parliamentarians confirms the firm intention of its participants to further strengthen cooperation at the international level to join efforts in combating cross-border crimes committed using new technologies.

On the margins of the Plenary Meeting, as part of the region's preparations for the third round of mutual evaluations, the EAG and UNOCT jointly held workshop “Practical Approaches to Implementing the Updated FATF Recommendation 8”. At the workshop, experts from the EAG Secretariat, UNOCT, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan presented practical examples, and lessons learned, and best practices regarding the implementation of the revised Recommendation 8. Presentations should enable EAG Member States and other stakeholders to better understand the core of the updated requirements of Recommendation 8, and the limits of its applicability, and the specifics of its assessment, as well as to examine approaches to regulating the non-profit sector in the context of mitigating terrorist financing risks. Delegations positively assessed the outcomes of the workshop.

The EAG also approved the outcomes of the Joint International Forum for Supervisory Authorities and Private Sector on A Reasonable Balance and Trust-Based Dialogue. Representatives from 30 Member States of five FATF-style regional bodies took part in the Forum. The Forum’s key outcomes included coordinated development of new solutions to mitigate common risks and threats, as well as the exchange of experiences regarding cooperation between the supervisory authorities and the private sector, which act as allies in the fight against shadow and criminal schemes through preventive measures. The Forum was held by the EAG in cooperation with MENAFATF, ESAAMLG, GABAC and GIABA on April 22–24, 2026, in St. Petersburg, the Russian Federation.

In addition, as part of implementing FATF priorities to strengthen the capacity of the international AML/CTF/CPF system, the delegations recognized the success of the second Global Network Secretariats’ Retreat, held on April 27-29, 2026, in Samarkand, the Republic of Uzbekistan. The event facilitated dialogue and cooperation between Secretariats of the FATF and FSRBs. Participants exchanged best practices for addressing unique challenges in supporting the Member States during the upcoming round of mutual evaluations. The EAG Member States and FSRBs representatives expressed their gratitude to the Republic of Uzbekistan for the high-quality organization of the off-site meeting and the warm hospitality.

The Plenary Meeting approved the establishment of a Contact Group to develop the ‘Profile of a Financial Intelligence Unit Specialist’.

The Eurasian Group places particular emphasis on publicizing the organization’s activities and fostering engagement with the media on relevant topics. The Association of Press Services of the Competent Authorities of the EAG Member States presented a report on its work. In 2025, the Association’s activities focused on the following key areas: posting news on the EAG website, preparing joint informational materials, engaging with the media and the expert community, and organizing a Journalist contest in the EAG Member States for the best story on the topic of financial security.

The Plenary Meeting heard reports on projects and initiatives aimed at developing the International Financial Security Movement, including the 6^th International Financial Security Olympiad, the final of which will take place in Krasnoyarsk from September 27 to October 2. Delegations expressed their commitment and support for the International Financial Security Movement and for projects and events for its further development.

Traditionally, special attention was given to the interventions from Observers, as well as invited countries and organizations (FATF, Afreximbank, BCBOP, CHFIU, CIS ATC, EEC, EFSD, ESAAMLG, Federal Republic of Nigeria, IMF, Islamic Republic of Iran, Mongolia, NDB, OSCE, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Serbia, United Arab Emirates). Delegations expressed their deep gratitude for sharing experience and hope for continued cooperation.

The delegations also expressed their gratitude to Turkmenistan for its hospitality and the high level of organization of the events of the 44^th EAG Plenary Meeting.

The Republic of Tajikistan will host the 45^th EAG Plenary Meeting in November 2026