The Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) assesses its members’ anti‑money laundering (AML), counter‑terrorism financing (CFT) and counter‑proliferation financing (CPF) systems through a peer‑review process known as mutual evaluations (MEs). These evaluations examine both compliance with the international standards (the FATF Recommendations) and the effectiveness of measures in preventing and responding to ML/TF/PF risks.
Mutual evaluations are conducted in rounds. The Global 5th Round began in 2024, with APG‑only evaluations commencing in 2026. APG members who are also FATF members are assessed under FATF’s procedures, with the APG adopting their reports.
Mutual Evaluations and Follow‑Up
APG mutual evaluations are prepared by expert assessors from APG members and observers. Reports provide detailed analysis of a jurisdiction’s AML/CFT/CPF system, assess effectiveness, and set out recommendations.
A mutual evaluation includes two components:
1. Technical Compliance – A desk‑based review of laws, regulations, institutional frameworks and compliance with the 40 FATF Recommendations.
2. Effectiveness – An assessment of how effectively a jurisdiction implements the requirements of the 11 Immediate Outcomes set out in the FATF Methodology.
All APG reports undergo a global quality and consistency review to ensure alignment with assessments across the global FATF and FSRB network.
Follow‑Up
After a Mutual Evaluation Report (MER) is adopted, jurisdictions enter follow‑up. This ongoing process monitors progress in addressing deficiencies and may involve technical compliance and effectiveness updates. Follow‑up continues until the jurisdiction exits under the procedures for the relevant round. For APG-only members, follow-up for the Global 4th Round is conducted under the APG Global 4th Round Transitional Follow-Up Procedures. Follow-up for APG-only members under the global 5th Round will commence in 2030.
For joint FATF/APG members, follow‑up is conducted under FATF processes.