EU to remove South Africa from high‑risk list
South Africa will be removed from the European Union’s list of high‑risk third‑country jurisdictions, with the decision published on 9 January and taking effect on 29 January 2026. The move follows South Africa’s delisting from the FATF greylist and the UK’s high‑risk list on 13 October 2025, and extends to five other African countries – Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania – after they strengthened their AML/CFT regimes.
Removal from the EU list lifts mandatory enhanced due diligence requirements on EU financial institutions for South Africa‑related transactions, potentially reducing friction in cross‑border payments, trade and investment that support travel and tourism. National Treasury noted that individual institutions may keep stricter policies and that further improvements continue ahead of South Africa’s next FATF evaluation, with a final report due in October 2027.