Independent ML/TF risk country rankings

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17 August 2020

The Basel AML Index is an independent research-based ranking of the risk of money laundering and terrorism financing (ML/TF) of countries around the world. It covers 141 countries and calculates a risk score based on data from publicly available resources for each country.

The Index released in July 2020, shows that many countries’ financial systems remain exposed to ML/TF and related crimes. It uses a 0 - 10 system where 10 indicates the highest risk level. This year, the Index reveals that the average risk score across 141 countries is 5.22, compared to 5.39 in 2019. New Zealand is ranked number 135 out of 141 countries with a risk score of 3.24.

What this means for reporting entities

If you are a reporting entity, one of your obligations is to undertake a risk assessment to identify your ML/TF risks. Your risk assessment must have regard to the countries you deal with. The Basel AML Index is one resource that may be useful when doing this. For more information on this, please read our Risk Assessment Guideline (PDF, 138KB) and Countries Assessment Guideline (PDF, 153KB).

View the Basel AML Index 2020 report.