Turkey's vulnerability to illicit financiers has grown over the past year, in part due to its deepening economic relationship with Iran and turmoil along its southern border, say policy advocates.
The world's premier financial crime watchdog declined Friday to suspend Turkey's membership and disclosed how its assessors will begin evaluating jurisdictions on the efficacy with which they fight illicit finance.
Global banks with business in Turkey are anticipating the outcome of an intergovernmental organization's plenary meeting this month that could see the country suspended from the group or removed from a blacklist.
The Turkish government's longstanding relationship with Hamas has stalled the country's passage of counterterrorist financing measures and threatened its involvement with an influential intergovernmental group, analysts say.
The Financial Action Task Force threatened Friday to suspend Turkey's membership if the country fails to pass counterterrorist financing laws ahead of a Feb. 22 meeting by the group.
Awareness of anti-money laundering (AML) responsibilities is low among government authorities and nonbank financial institutions in Turkey and Georgia, according to reports by two international groups focused on global AML standards.
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