Money Laundering in Moldova: Progress Made, But Further Action Required

The Republic of Moldova has taken significant steps to strengthen its fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, but still faces several challenges, according to a recent report by MONEYVAL.

Progress and Challenges

While Moldova has made progress in addressing some shortcomings, it needs to do more to meet international standards. The country’s efforts to improve its legal framework and institutional capacity to combat money laundering and terrorist financing are highlighted in MONEYVAL’s follow-up report.

Key Areas of Concern

Moldova still lags behind in implementing measures to regulate virtual assets and service providers, a key area of concern. Additionally, the country has failed to address most technical compliance deficiencies within the expected timeframe, prompting MONEYVAL to urge authorities to take further action by June 2025.

Compliance Status

The report notes that Moldova’s anti-money laundering system is currently rated as:

• Largely compliant in nine areas
• Partially compliant in six areas
• Fully compliant in only one area

Moldova remains on enhanced follow-up status, with MONEYVAL requiring the country to report back within a year.

Assessment and Recommendations

The Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL) assesses Moldova’s compliance with 40 FATF recommendations. Of these, none are deemed non-compliant.

About MONEYVAL

MONEYVAL is responsible for evaluating the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing systems of 33 states and territories.