Jamaica’s National Risk Assessment 2026: Sector Risk Ratings
Jamaica’s Third National Risk Assessment (“NRA3”) finds that the country’s overall residual money-laundering risk has declined from Medium-High to Medium, reflecting stronger supervision, improved inter-agency coordination, better financial intelligence, and enhanced legislative and institutional frameworks.
The assessment covers the period 2020–2025 and evaluates money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing (“ML/TF/PF”) risks across Jamaica’s financial and designated non-financial sectors.
Financial Sector
The 2025 Financial Sector Overall Risk Ratings show that Jamaica's financial sector continues to strengthen, with most industries maintaining stable or improving risk levels. Securities is the only sector rated Medium-High, reflecting an increased level of risk. Deposit-Taking Institutions (“DTIs”) and the Gaming sector remain at Medium risk with stable outlooks. Life Insurance Companies, Remittance Companies, Cambios, Credit Unions, and Microcredit Institutions are all rated Medium-Low, with remittance companies and cambios showing notable improvements. Virtual Assets and Virtual Asset Service Providers (“VASPs”) are newly assessed and have been assigned a Low risk rating, highlighting continued progress in strengthening the country's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework.
The securities sector carries the highest financial-sector residual risk rating at Medium-High. By contrast, remittance companies recorded one of the most notable improvements, moving from High risk in 2021 to Medium-Low in 2025.
Non-Financial Sector
The Designated Non-Financial Institutions (“DNFIs”) sector presents a varied risk profile, with Real Estate Dealers carrying the highest rating at Medium-High, reflecting exposure to property transactions and related financial flows. Gaming is rated Medium, while Attorneys-at-Law, Public Accountants, and Trust & Corporate Service Providers (“TCSPs”) are assessed as Medium-Low. Overall, the ratings highlight the importance of continued risk-based AML/CFT/CPF controls, particularly in sectors exposed to high-value transactions and complex financial activity.
What does this mean for Regulated Entities?
The NRA3 findings reinforce a central principle of modern financial-crime compliance. Regulated entities should ensure that their AML/CFT/CPF frameworks are aligned with the latest national risk profile and are capable of addressing:
Regulated entities should ensure that their AML/CFT/CPF frameworks are aligned with the latest national risk profile and are capable of addressing:
Customer and business relationship risk
Beneficial ownership and control
Enhanced due diligence for higher-risk relationships
Transaction monitoring and suspicious transaction reporting
Sanctions and targeted financial sanctions screening
Risk-based governance and compliance oversight
Emerging risks, including virtual assets and evolving financial products
The NRA3 identifies narcotics trafficking, fraud, corruption, and organised criminal activity as important sources of money-laundering threats.
At the same time, Jamaica’s overall terrorist-financing risk remains Low, as does its proliferation-financing risk. The assessment notes that Jamaica’s exposure to proliferation financing is primarily indirect. The overall message is one of progress but not complacency. Risk is changing. Compliance must change with it.
For regulated businesses and other reporting entities, the 2026 National Risk Assessment should serve as a practical reference point for reviewing risk assessments, updating controls, strengthening monitoring, and ensuring that compliance resources remain focused on the areas of greatest exposure.
Source: Jamaica’s Third National Risk Assessment (“NRA3”), June 2026. Sector ratings reflect the report’s overall 2025 residual risk assessments.