The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global anti-money laundering watchdog, said on Friday it had removed the Philippines from its 'grey' list of countries under increased scrutiny, while it added Laos and Nepal to that list.

The Philippines has been taken off a global watchdog’s dirty-money list, a move that could spur remittances and foreign investments in one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies.

After more than three years, the Philippines is finally out of the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list or list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring. In a statement late Friday, the FATF said the Philippines made significant progress improving its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regime.