Algeria: ICITAP-Driven Anti-Money Laundering Reforms Drive Algeria FATF Grey List Removal, Strengthening Financial Crime Enforcement

On June 19, ICITAP reported a major milestone in its efforts to strengthen Algeria’s capacity to combat money laundering and terrorist financing when the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) unanimously voted to remove Algeria from its grey list, marking the successful culmination of a multi-year reform process supported by ICITAP. Beginning in 2024, ICITAP was tasked with assisting the Government of Algeria in addressing critical deficiencies identified by the Financial Action Task Force and providing targeted technical assistance to support removal from enhanced monitoring. Through a comprehensive anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism training, mentoring, and institutional development program, ICITAP worked closely with six Algerian agencies responsible for prevention, regulation, investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of financial crimes. ICITAP’s assistance directly addressed longstanding gaps in interagency coordination, information sharing, parallel financial investigations, and the investigation of increasingly complex money laundering and cryptocurrency-related cases. As a result, Algerian counterparts significantly improved cross-agency collaboration, expanded the use of regulatory and financial intelligence in criminal investigations, and developed a growing cadre of trained investigators, regulators, prosecutors, and investigative judges capable of identifying and disrupting illicit financial networks. ICITAP also helped institutionalize anti-money laundering, open-source intelligence, cryptocurrency tracking, and forensic accounting methodologies within national training academies and routine investigative practices, creating sustainable improvements across Algeria’s financial crime framework. Strengthening Algeria’s ability to detect, investigate, and prosecute illicit finance advances U.S. national security interests by disrupting transnational criminal and terrorist financing networks, enhancing regional stability, and protecting American citizens, businesses, and interests abroad. ICITAP’s continued engagement will focus on sustaining these reforms and preventing future deficiencies. This work received critical implementation support from the U.S. Embassy in Algiers and was funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT).