The MENAFATF 41st Plenary Meeting and its associated Working Groups Meetings concluded Thursday, 13 November 2025, in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. The two-day Meeting was chaired by Ms. Samia Abu Sharif, MENAFATF President, Member of the National Committee for Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorist Financing, and Head of the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating  Terrorist Financing Unit in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (“FIU”), and Mr. Hamed Al Zaabi, MENAFATF Vice-President, Secretary-General, and Vice-Chair of the National Committee for Anti-Money Laundering, Combating Terrorist Financing, and the Financing of Illicit Organizations in the United Arab Emirates. The Meeting was attended by heads of delegations, experts in Anti-Money Laundering, Combating Terrorist Financing, and the Financing of Proliferation from Member Countries, as well as experts from observer countries, international bodies, and FSRBs.

The Plenary Meeting discussed several topics, including the outcomes of the high-level meeting of Their Excellencies the Governors of Arab Central Banks and Monetary Authorities, reaffirming their support for the MENAFATF, as well as ongoing work and projects to enhance the MENAFATF's governance. The Meeting also reviewed and discussed several studies conducted by the MENAFATF and presented Member Countries’ experiences, including the challenges they face in implementing Targeted Financial Sanctions, mechanisms for addressing emerging crimes and cybercrimes, and the latest patterns of money laundering and terrorist financing.

Several Follow-Up Reports from Member Countries were adopted. The Kingdom of Bahrain was approved to assume the position of Vice-President of the MENAFATF for 2026, whereby The priorities of the joint Presidency of the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain for 2026 and 2027 were also approved.

The Meeting also honored several countries and organizations in recognition of their active contributions to the MENAFATF’s activities during 2024 and 2025.