Benin adopts anti-money laundering strategy for 2026-2030

Benin adopted its national strategy against money laundering, terrorist financing and the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, covering 2026-2030, at a Council of Ministers meeting on 4 November. The government intends to strengthen prevention and supervision, as well as the effectiveness of financial intelligence and enforcement.

This roadmap in particular targets risks linked to virtual assets, FinTechs and the informal economy. It also provides for greater transparency on beneficial owners and the oversight of certain companies and non-financial professions. Its implementation is to rely on a budgeted action plan and institutional monitoring.

A diagnosis already shared with economic stakeholders

The adoption follows the release, on 10 September in Cotonou, of the results of the updated national risk assessment. The CENTIF explains that the exercise was meant to help stakeholders turn the diagnosis into priority actions, tailored to the risks of each sector.

At this presentation, reported by La Nation, banks, microfinance institutions, insurers and professions such as notaries, lawyers and real estate agents had been asked to update their risk mapping. Improving procedures and the quality of suspicious transaction reports was already among the expectations voiced.

Reports to be better converted into judicial results

The CENTIF's 2025 activity report shows why the challenge goes beyond drafting new texts. It describes, in particular, fictitious commercial transactions carried out on electronic payment terminals, followed by rapid withdrawals or the dispersal of funds. These mechanisms can make it harder to trace the money.

The unit also points to suspicious transaction reports that are insufficiently substantiated, a backlog of cases to process, and difficulties in turning intelligence into judicial results. It recommends greater coordination with investigators and magistrates, as well as better feedback on the cases referred.

These findings explain the priority given to investigations, prosecutions and confiscations in the new strategy. They make it possible to distinguish between the adoption of the framework and the operational results still to be achieved. The CENTIF places its outlook within the preparation of Benin's mutual evaluation scheduled for 2028.