Estonia has improved its national efforts towards implementing targeted financial sanctions related to terrorism and terrorist financing, concludes MONEYVAL in a follow-up report released today. In the meantime, further steps are needed for the full or large compliance with the recommendations which Estonian authorities requested for a review.
Estonia has enlarged the scope of assets subject to freezing as part of targeted financial sanctions related to terrorism and terrorist financing (Recommendation 6). As a result, the country has been re-rated from “partly compliant” to “largely compliant” with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendation 6.
Estonia has also improved the sanctioning regime for non-compliance with the national legislation implementing targeted financial sanctions related to proliferation (Recommendation 7). Estonian authorities have also adopted guidelines and provided feedback which will assist virtual asset service providers in applying measures to combat money laundering and terrorism financing (Recommendation 15). However, MONEYVAL finds that the progress made was not sufficient to grant an upgrade and FATF Recommendations 7 and 15 remain rated Partially Compliant.
Overall, out of the 40 recommendations, Estonia is currently rated as:
• Compliant (C) - on seven recommendations;
• Largely Compliant (LC) - on nineteen recommendations;
• Partially Compliant (PC) - on fourteen recommendations.
None of the FATF recommendations are assessed as non-compliant (NC).
Estonia remains under MONEYVAL’s enhanced follow-up process. The country is expected to report back on its further progress in strengthening anti-money laundering and combatting terrorism financing measures in December 2025.
* * *
The Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL) is a monitoring body of the Council of Europe entrusted with the task of assessing compliance with the principal international standards to counter money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as the effectiveness of their implementation. MONEYVAL evaluates 33 states and territories and makes recommendations to national authorities in respect of necessary improvements to their anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing systems and to counter proliferation financing.
