Economic and Demographic Biases in FATF Mutual Evaluation Results

National anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) jurisdictional assessments are prominent in the international AML/CFT movement. These assessments are a material element in determining the extent to which any nation and its financial system can participate in the global payments system, and the terms and conditions upon which that participation will be conducted. At the extreme, badly rated countries not only lose access to the international financial system, but find it difficult to import essential food, medicines, and other supplies, even if they possess the funds to pay for them.