Côte d'Ivoire: Report on Observance of Standards and Codes—FATF Recommendations for Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism

Côte d’Ivoire has achieved progress in countering money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF) since the 2012 mutual evaluation, particularly with the adoption of the Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Law in 2016, the drafting of a national risk assessment (NRA) and a national strategy, as well as awareness-raising among various actors regarding AML/CFT issues. The effects of this endeavor have begun to materialize, notably with the new impetus provided to judicial investigations and proceedings related to financial crime. As long as they are sustained, strengthened, and based on a deeper understanding of risks, these reforms should bear more fruit in the coming years. Nevertheless, certain structural elements, such as the prevalence of cash and magnitude of the informal sector to the country’s economy, the cross-border nature of offenses, as well as corruption, continue to challenge the effectiveness of the AML/CFT regime.