MOZAMBIQUE– Mozambique is strengthening its anti-money laundering (AML) oversight of casinos and other non-financial sectors as authorities seek to address vulnerabilities that could be exploited by criminal networks and safeguard the country’s progress following its removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in October 2025.
The sectors identified as particularly vulnerable to financial crime include casinos, real estate, motor vehicle trading, precious stones and metals, as well as professional services provided by lawyers, auditors and accountants.
Mozambique’s Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary, Albertina Fruquia, highlighted the need for stronger supervision of these businesses during the opening of a week-long regional workshop on risk-based supervision of designated non-financial activities and professions in Maputo.
According to Lusa, Fruquia described these sectors as increasingly important to the country’s financial crime prevention strategy, noting that casinos, real estate businesses, precious stones and metals traders, and legal and professional service providers require closer oversight.
The workshop brought together regulators and supervisors from 22 countries across Southern and Eastern Africa, with support from the FATF and the World Bank. It is designed to strengthen participants’ ability to identify higher-risk sectors, services, products, customers and entities, enabling authorities to direct supervisory resources towards areas of greatest concern.
Alberto Cangela Júnior, Director of Central Services for Studies and Cooperation at Mozambique’s Financial Intelligence Office (GIFiM), said the country was moving away from random supervisory inspections towards a risk-based model that prioritises entities with greater exposure to money laundering.
He explained that the new approach would involve conducting risk assessments to identify businesses requiring closer monitoring.
To address these weaknesses, the agency recommended closer monitoring of transactions, stronger supervisory measures and improved information-sharing among relevant authorities.
