FATF Recommendations on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation is issued by Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and applies most commonly in Global. This page covers who typically pursues it, what drives the decision, and when it's worth the investment.
Who FATF Applies To
FATF is most relevant to:
- Enterprise
- Smb
Industries That Pursue FATF
Teams working in the following sectors regularly engage with FATF:
- Finance
- Real Estate
- Legal
- Gaming
Common Drivers
Organizations typically pursue FATF for one or more of:
- Customer or enterprise procurement: prospects or existing customers require it as part of security review and vendor onboarding.
- Regulatory obligation: FATF audits are formally required and gated by regulators or auditors.
- Risk reduction: the control framework surfaces real gaps — access management, change control, incident response — that would eventually bite without structure.
- Market signal: many buyers now treat the framework as a trust shortcut; achieving it accelerates sales cycles.
Where It Applies
FATF is recognised in Global. If you sell outside those regions, confirm whether buyers will accept FATF or whether a locally-recognised alternative is required.
Alternatives and Adjacent Frameworks
If FATFisn't the right fit, buyers in the same space typically also accept:
Decision Checklist
- Is a customer or regulator asking for it in writing?
- Will the audit output be used repeatedly across prospects, or just once?
- Do you have the budget and six-month calendar required to see the process through?
- Could an adjacent framework (AML/BSA or GLBA) satisfy the same ask more cheaply?
For a full step-by-step walkthrough, see the FATF certification process page. For cost breakdowns, see the cheapest path to FATF.