Kazakhstan has made significant progress in the Basel AML Index, moving up to 111th place out of 164 countries in the 2025 global ranking for quantifying money laundering.
The index, published by the Basel Institute on Governance, ranks countries from highest to lowest risk, meaning Kazakhstan’s lower position reflects improved performance and reduced vulnerability.
According to a recent analysis by Finprom.kz, Kazakhstan now ranks among the top three performers in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), surpassed only by Armenia (129th) and Moldova (112th). The country’s index score improved from 4.71 in 2024 to 4.65 in 2025, signaling enhanced resilience in anti-money laundering (AML) measures.
At the other end of the CIS spectrum, Turkmenistan (23rd), Tajikistan (30th), and Kyrgyzstan (45th) were listed among the top 50 countries facing the highest money laundering risks. Belarus (53rd), Azerbaijan (74th), Uzbekistan (81st), and Ukraine (82nd) fared slightly better but remained behind Kazakhstan in terms of overall AML performance.
Globally, Myanmar, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded the highest risk levels. In contrast, San Marino, Iceland, and Finland topped the rankings as the countries least susceptible to money laundering activities.
Analysts caution that the Basel Index does not measure actual volumes of money laundering, but rather evaluates countries based on the potential risk and their institutional capacity to prevent and combat financial crime.
Stronger Law Enforcement Activity in 2025
Domestically, Kazakhstan has also seen a surge in law enforcement activity. In the first four months of 2025, authorities registered 77 criminal offences under the legalisation of criminal proceeds article, 2.8 times more than during the same period in 2024, when 28 cases were reported.
The capital, Astana, led with nine cases, up from two in January-April 2024. Shymkent followed with eight cases (up from three), and Almaty recorded seven (up from four). Significant increases were also reported in the Almaty region (from one to six cases) and the Karaganda region (from one to five).
These figures point to intensified law enforcement efforts and a greater capacity to detect and prosecute money laundering-related crimes.
