In recent years, the attention of international regulators, financial institutions, and compliance communities has increasingly shifted toward Africa. This shift is not driven by political slogans or geopolitical sympathies — it is about law, risk, and the global financial architecture.
African jurisdictions are now firmly in focus of:
— the FATF and regional anti-money laundering bodies,
— EU, US, and UN sanctions regimes,
— international banks, energy and telecommunications corporations,
— the ESG agenda, human rights, and supply-chain due diligence.
This is not about a “periphery,” but about a space where new standards of compliance, source-of-funds verification, political risk assessment, and corporate accountability are currently being shaped.
A clear example is Kenya.
Despite common stereotypes about Africa, Kenya is one of the key legal and financial hubs of East Africa, actively engaging with international regulators, financial institutions, and compliance structures. Today, the following issues are being actively discussed there:
— exit from the FATF Grey List,
— application of sanctions regimes (OFAC, OFSI, EU, UN),
— the balance between law enforcement, economic development, and the protection of human rights.
In this context, it is particularly indicative that my colleagues and I were invited to participate in a closed, high-level international conference dedicated to sanctions, AML, anti-corruption policy, and ethics. The format involved a limited group of participants, the Chatham House Rule, and frank professional discussions among representatives of banks, corporations, compliance officers, and lawyers.
We deliberately do not publish full details or documents — such formats are not about publicity, but about substance and in-depth work. However, the very fact of the invitation reflects an important trend: the international legal and compliance agenda is increasingly moving beyond Europe and the United States, and Africa is becoming one of the key points where new practices are taking shape.
For us, this is not a question of status or geography. It is confirmation that issues of sanctions, the misuse of AML mechanisms, and the protection of human rights and assets are now being addressed within a truly global framework, rather than within a single country or legal system.
We continue to work in this spirit — calmly, institutionally, and with a long-term perspective.