Filipino television host and journalist Gretchen Ho has questioned Norwegian authorities after her relatives were reportedly refused a currency exchange at Oslo’s Gardermoen Airport because they were from the Philippines.
According to Ho’s viral social media post, her mother and other senior relatives were denied exchanging 300$ for Norwegian krone after a currency counter employee cited “corruption and money laundering” as the reason. The incident prompted a call from the ambassador, who said he was surprised and would raise the matter with Norway’s foreign ministry.
In a statement, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that the issue stemmed from an outdated list used by the forex stall, which still included the Philippines on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list—even though the country was officially removed from it in February 2025. The DFA said the Norwegian Foreign Ministry has committed to updating and delisting the Philippines from the forex companies’ internal lists.
The FATF grey list identifies countries with deficiencies in anti-money laundering systems. The DFA emphasized that the Philippines has made significant reforms, leading to its removal from both the FATF and the EU grey lists this year.
Ho, known for her work as a journalist and TV presenter, said the incident raises concerns for Filipino travelers and called for clearer communication between financial institutions and government authorities.
