Seychelles Tops Africa in New Global Ranking of Financial Crime Risk for 2025

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Seychelles Tops Africa in New Global Ranking of Financial Crime Risk for 2025

Friday, 18 April 2025 17:29

Seychelles Tops Africa in New Global Ranking of Financial Crime Risk for 2025

Seychelles leads Africa in low financial crime risk, followed by Botswana and Mauritius, according to a new global index.
No African country made the “top tier,” but 11 countries were classified as actively improving their defenses.
Economic crime risks remain high worldwide, with illicit flows expected to hit $6 trillion by 2030.

Seychelles, Botswana, and Mauritius have been named Africa’s least risky countries for financial and economic crime in 2025, according to a new global ranking released on April 10 by consulting firm Secretariat International.

The report marks the first edition of the Secretariat Economic Crime Index, which evaluates 177 countries on their exposure to financial crimes like money laundering, corruption, and organized crime. Countries were rated on a scale from 0 (lowest risk) to 4 (highest risk), based on Secretariat’s in-house analysis and three widely used international indexes: the Basel AML Index (anti-money laundering), Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, and the Global Organized Crime Index from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

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Each country was grouped into one of four risk categories: transparent Titans (0 to 1.53) -Strong legal systems and effective enforcement; Vigilant Players (1.54 to 2.18) -Countries taking action and improving regulation, despite some gaps; Reactive Reformers (2.19 to 2.83) -Countries with weaker systems and limited enforcement, even if political will exists; Regulatory Laggards (2.84 to 4) -Countries facing systemic corruption and ineffective oversight.

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No African country qualified for the top “Transparent Titans” tier. However, 11 African nations were placed in the second-best group, “Vigilant Players,” meaning they are actively working to improve their legal frameworks and enforcement against financial crime.

Seychelles ranked first in Africa and 22nd worldwide, with a score of 1.61. It was followed by Botswana and Mauritius, both tied at 37th place globally. Other African countries in this group include Cape Verde (51st), Namibia (52nd), São Tomé and Príncipe (59th), Rwanda (61st), Tunisia (68th), Morocco (75th), and Zambia (81st).

At the bottom of the African ranking are Somalia (171st), the Democratic Republic of Congo (173rd), and South Sudan (176th)—all classified as high-risk countries with widespread financial crime and weak regulation.

Globally, Finland topped the list, followed by Denmark, Iceland, Luxembourg, and Estonia. The United States ranked 45th, with a score of 1.85, while China came in at 143rd.

Secretariat International warned that financial crime remains a growing global threat. Illicit financial flows are expected to surge from $4.5 trillion in 2024 to $6 trillion by 2030. The firm pointed to the increasing complexity of money laundering, fraud, corruption, and market abuse—driven by changes in geopolitics, rapid developments in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the rise of decentralized finance and digital assets.

Full ranking