MYANMAR: Hong Kong Regulator Warns Myanmar Faces Tougher FATF Measures Without Reform Progress

Posted by Asia Views | Jul 17, 2026 | 0 |

Mizzima-July 16

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) on 14 July issued a circular reminding financial institutions that Myanmar remains subject to enhanced due diligence under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), warning that the global watchdog could consider stronger countermeasures if the country fails to make further progress by October 2026. The circular, issued to licensed corporations, SFC-licensed virtual asset service providers and associated entities, summarized the outcomes of the FATF Plenary held from 17 to 19 June and highlighted the watchdog’s latest statements on high-risk jurisdictions. The FATF said Myanmar has made only limited progress in addressing strategic deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) regime over recent years. The country has remained subject to enhanced due diligence since October 2022, requiring financial institutions worldwide to apply additional scrutiny to transactions and business relationships linked to Myanmar.

According to the SFC, the FATF will consider imposing countermeasures if Myanmar fails to make further progress by October 2026. Countermeasures could lead to stricter restrictions on financial relationships with Myanmar, although the country is not currently subject to the same level of measures applied to North Korea and Iran. The circular reminded financial institutions and virtual asset service providers to continue applying enhanced due diligence measures proportionate to the risks arising from Myanmar. It also urged businesses to pay particular attention to transactions involving jurisdictions identified by the FATF as presenting higher money laundering and terrorist financing risks. Countries placed under enhanced due diligence often face increased compliance checks, making some cross-border financial transactions slower, more costly or subject to additional scrutiny. Myanmar has remained on the FATF’s enhanced due diligence list since October 2022 after the watchdog concluded that the country had failed to complete agreed reforms to strengthen its anti-money laundering framework. The FATF will review Myanmar’s progress again before deciding whether additional measures are warranted. Read more at: https://eng.mizzima.com/2026/07/16/36413

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

MYANMAR: Hong Kong Regulator Warns Myanmar Faces Tougher FATF Measures Without Reform Progress

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