Forex mix-up at Oslo airport based on outdated dirty money list - Norway

Metro Manila, Philippines - An outdated dirty money list caused a foreign exchange mix-up at the expense of a Filipino tourist who was denied currency exchange at Oslo airport in Norway, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday, Oct. 9.

The government sought an explanation from Norwegian authorities after TV host Gretchen Ho said her mother was told by a forex employee at Oslo’s Gardermoen airport that they could not exchange her US dollars “because of corruption and money laundering in the Philippines.”

In a statement, the DFA said representations with Norwegian authorities determined that the forex stall at Oslo airport had an outdated list that still included the Philippines on the Paris-based global dirty money watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) “grey list.”

The grey list identifies jurisdictions with deficiencies in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regimes.

“The Philippines was officially removed from the FATF grey list in February 2025, and from the European Union’s grey list in August 2025,” the DFA said. “These delistings followed the introduction of rigorous reforms that fortified the integrity of the Philippines’ financial system and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to combating financial crimes.”

Norwegian officials have assured the Philippine embassy that they will coordinate with the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway to update and remove the Philippines from internal lists identifying high-risk jurisdictions.

The DFA said it would continue to monitor the situation and make sure similar incidents will not be repeated.