What is the Grey List and Black List of the Financial Action Task Force?
Pakistan has been included in the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) was established in July 1989 by a Group of Seven (G-7) countries in a Summit held in Paris. The initial motive of FATF was to examine and develop measures to combat money laundering.
In October 2001, the FATF expanded its wings to incorporate efforts to combat terror financing, money laundering, and human trafficking.
Functions of the FATF are;
1. The FATF is an independent inter-governmental body that develops and promotes policies to protect the global financial system so that it could bot be used by the terrorists and other anti-social elements.
However, the FATF is not in a position to give any advice regarding the credentials or work of associations.
2. Now the FATF has started dealing with Virtual currency.
3. The FATF is an international policy-making body. It does not have any role in law enforcement matters, investigations or prosecution.
Name of World Bank funded Projects in India
What are the Black List and Grey List of the FATF?
FATF has 2 types of lists;
1. Black List
2. Grey List
1. Meaning of Black List: Only those countries are included in this list that FATF considers as uncooperative tax havens for terror funding. These countries are known as Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs). In other words; countries that are supporting terror funding and money laundering activities are placed in the Blacklist.
The FATF blacklist or OECD blacklist has been issued by the Financial Action Task Force since 2000 and lists countries which it judges to be non-cooperative in the global fight against money laundering and terror funding.
The FATF updates the blacklist regularly, adding or deleting entries.
(This map shows the countries included in the Greylist)
2. Meaning of Grey List: Those countries which are not considered as the safe heaven for supporting terror funding and money laundering; included in this list. The inclusion in this list is not as severe as blacklisted.
Now Grey list is a warning given to the country that it might come in Black list (Just like a yellow card in a football match). If a country is unable to curb mushrooming of terror funding and money laundering; it is shifted from grey list to black list by the FATF.
When a country comes in the Grey list, it faces many problems like;
1. Economic sanctions from international institutions (IMF, World Bank, ADB etc.) and countries
2. The problem in getting loans from international institutions (IMF, World Bank, ADB etc.) and countries
3. Overall Reduction in its international trade
4. International boycott
Pakistan was included in the grey list for the first time in 2012 and remained in it till 2015. On 29 June, 2018 FATF Grey listed Pakistan for the second time. The process began in February 2018 when FATF approved the nomination of Pakistan for monitoring under its International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) commonly known as the 'Grey list'.
India ,USA and UK want that Pakistan should be included in the black list of FATF while China and Turkey are opposing this move.
Currently, Pakistan is in Grey list of FATF. Due to increasing pressure; Pakistan is striving to comply all the 27 FATF Targets. But as on October 2019; it could manage to comply with just 5 targets out of 27. But Pakistan again saved by its all-weather friend China, currently in the FATF chair.
Now the FATF has given another 4 months' time to Pakistan (February 2020) to comply with all the 27 FATF targets otherwise it would be blacklisted.
So this was the crux of information on the black and grey list of the FATF. I hope that in the coming years the leadership of Pakistan will try hard to check terror activities from its soil and co-operate with India is ensuring peace and prosperity in the Asian continent.
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