As a critical international deadline looms, Suriname is racing against the clock to implement remaining regulatory measures against money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing to avoid being blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global standard-setter for combating illicit financial activity. To prevent lasting damage to the country’s international financial standing, new legislation must be passed, executive decrees finalized, and regulatory institutions strengthened—all at a pace that has put the nation’s long-proven ability to deliver under last-minute pressure to the test. For decades, Suriname has developed a reputation for slipping through regulatory deadlines at the eleventh hour, and many observers expect that pattern to hold this time around. While legislation can technically be rushed through parliament overnight, building a robust, fully functional anti-illicit finance system is a far more complex task that cannot be completed in hours.