The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Thursday that the foreign exchange stall at the Gardermoen Airport in Oslo, Norway was using an outdated Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, which still included the Philippines.
The DFA issued the statement after investigating an incident shared by broadcast journalist Gretchen Ho on social media. Ho said one of her family members, who was traveling to Norway, tried to exchange Philippine banknotes but was denied.
“The Philippines was officially removed from the FATF grey list in February 2025, and the EU grey list in August 2025, following the introduction of rigorous reforms that fortified the integrity of the Philippines’ financial system and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to combating financial crimes,” the DFA explained.
The FATF is an intergovernmental body established by G7 countries to set global standards in combating money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing. Countries added to its ‘grey’ list are subject to increased monitoring for possible financial crimes.
The foreign affairs department also said the Philippine Embassy in Oslo contacted both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway for clarification.
“The Norwegian Foreign Ministry officials committed to follow up with the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway to update and delist the Philippines on the forex companies’ list of countries with high risk for money laundering or terrorist financing,” the DFA added.
To recall, in a social media post, Ho shared that a family member attempted to exchange $300, or less than P20,000, at the airport’s foreign exchange counter.
However, the counter attendant denied the exchange due to concerns about “corruption” and “money laundering” in the Philippines.
Comments on the post indicated that her family’s experience was not isolated, as some Filipinos reported having similar issues.
“I have already spoken with the Philippine Ambassador to Norway. He called me up last night after I emailed an official incident report on what happened to my family member at Gardermoen Airport in Oslo. The Ambassador was surprised. As far as he knows, these incidents shouldn’t be happening. He says he’ll be meeting with the Norwegian foreign ministry to address the issue,” Ho said.
This incident comes amid revelations of multibillion-peso corruption related to flood control that has surfaced in various Senate and House hearings.
