TITLE: Austria's Financial Market Authority Updates High-Risk Third Country List Under European Commission Delegated Regulations
BODY:
On February 10, 2026, Austria's Financial Market Authority (FMA) announced updates to its List A, which identifies third countries with high risk and strategic deficiencies under European Union anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing rules.
The FMA confirmed that European Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) 2026/46 and 2026/83, adopted on December 3, 2025, were incorporated into the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement and entered into force on February 9, 2026. These regulations amend Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675 concerning the identification of high-risk third countries with strategic deficiencies.
Three countries have been newly added to List A: Bolivia, the British Virgin Islands, and Russia. For these jurisdictions, Article 11a of the Austrian Money Laundering Act (Sorgfaltspflichtengesetz) now applies. Conversely, six countries have been removed from the list: Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania.
The FMA has determined that financial service providers and other obligated entities require sufficient time to implement these changes within their systems. Accordingly, the authority has set March 6, 2026, as the deadline for completing necessary adjustments to comply with the updated List A. The updated List A document is available on the FMA's website in both full and summary formats.
REFERENCES:
Financial Market Authority (FMA) website: https://www.fma.gv.at/