In a move seen as a major setback for South Africa, the international financial watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force, announced on Feb. 24 that it had added the country to its “grey list.” Getting grey-listed by the financial watchdog potentially makes it difficult for South Africa to obtain loans from foreign banks.

The global financial crimes watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), has added South Africa to its grey list, which is a group of countries that are “committed to resolving swiftly the identified strategic deficiencies within agreed timeframes.” According to one report, the inclusion of South Africa in the FATF’s so-called grey list is a major reputational setback for the country which has been eager to avoid being added to the list.

As reported by Bitcoin.com News, a South African financial industry regulator designated crypto as a financial product after the FATF reportedly voiced its concerns over the lack of regulation of such assets. At the time, some commentators suggested that this move would help South Africa avoid getting grey-listed.

However, in its Feb. 24 statement, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) seemingly acknowledged that the country has not done enough to avoid getting grey-listed. The bank nevertheless vowed to “strengthen its supervision and further enhance the dissuasiveness and proportionality of administrative sanctions issued.”