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Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing

Europe

This section covers AML/CTF initiatives by European Commission, Council of Europe MONEYVAL, European Parliament, Europol and other related EU organisations.

New EU AML Package
Sixth EU ML Directive
Fifth EU ML Directive 
Fourth EU ML Directive 
Third EU ML Directive
European Commission Financial Crime
European Parliament Committee on Organised Crime, Corruption and ML
European Banking Federation Annual Overview of AML legislative measures
Europol Law Enforcement updates
MONEYVAL Evaluations
MONEYVAL Typologies

And many more…

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Europol leads the largest-ever synthetic drug crackdown, dismantling 24 industrial labs, seizing 1,000 tonnes of chemical precursors, and arresting 85+ suspects, striking a huge blow to organised crime

January 16, 2026

Conducted under Operation Fabryka, the crackdown led to the seizure of around 1,000 tonnes of chemical precursors—enough to make an estimated 300 tonnes of finished drugs—and the arrest of over 85 suspects across Poland, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and the Czech Republic, delivering a major blow to organised crime and disrupting the production, supply, and illegal profits of the synthetic drug trade in Europe…

MONEYVAL finds that Slovakia has significantly strengthened its framework to combat money laundering and terrorist financing through sustained legislative and institutional reforms

January 15, 2026

MONEYVAL concludes that Slovakia has made substantial progress in addressing previously identified AML/CFT deficiencies, including improvements to supervision, risk understanding, and the application of targeted financial sanctions. It nevertheless encourages continued focus on ensuring the effectiveness and consistent implementation of these reforms, particularly in practice across all relevant sectors.

MONEYVAL finds that Montenegro has significantly strengthened its measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing following substantial reforms

January 15, 2026

MONEYVAL concludes that Montenegro has made strong progress in upgrading its AML/CFT framework, including improvements to legislation, institutional coordination and the effectiveness of targeted financial sanctions. As a result of these advances, MONEYVAL recognises that the country has addressed many previously identified deficiencies, while encouraging continued efforts to ensure reforms are fully implemented and sustained in practice.

MONEYVAL’s Follow-up reports show Georgia, Montenegro, Poland, and Slovakia have improved their AML/CFT frameworks, especially non‑profit oversight, sanctions, and crypto‑asset, yet gaps remain, keeping some under scrutiny

January 15, 2026

Georgia, Montenegro, Poland, and Slovakia have all strengthened their AML/CFT frameworks, with notable progress in areas such as non‑profit oversight, sanctions, customer due diligence, and crypto‑asset measures; Georgia still faces gaps in targeted financial sanctions, Montenegro and Slovakia have upgraded multiple technical areas, and Poland has improved compliance for non‑profits and new technologies, yet all countries continue to address remaining deficiencies under ongoing scrutiny…

MONEYVAL finds that Georgia has made only limited progress in strengthening its AML/CFT framework and must accelerate reforms to address remaining deficiencies

January 14, 2026

MONEYVAL concludes that Georgia has taken some steps to enhance its anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing framework, including incremental legislative and institutional improvements. However, progress remains insufficient in key areas such as effectiveness, supervision and implementation, and MONEYVAL calls for more decisive action to address outstanding weaknesses and meet international standards.

AMLA takes major step toward harmonised EU AML/CFT supervision introducing common risk assessment and selection framework to ensure consistent and robust oversight

January 9, 2026

Central to this are two draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS): one on risk assessments, which defines the data points and criteria national supervisors will use to evaluate ML/TF risks, and one on selection, which applies the same methodology for AMLA to identify entities for direct supervision. By introducing a common, harmonised approach, AMLA and national authorities will share a consistent understanding of risks, enhancing robustness and convergence in EU-wide supervision…

Swedish Police Authority releases a 2025 guide for Money transfer service providers, explaining how their services can be exploited for ML/TF, and spotlighting risks, red flags, and legal obligations

January 9, 2026

The guide explains how transfer services can be misused by criminal networks, outlines specific transaction red flags (such as unusual cash amounts, rapid structuring of funds, and transfers involving high‑risk jurisdictions), identifies suspicious customer behaviours and profiles, and highlights evolving risks including the blending of cryptocurrency with cash transfers. It also details compliance obligations under EU and Swedish AML laws — including customer due diligence, record‑keeping and timely submission of suspicious activity reports …

Europol backs a major Spanish crackdown on the transnational Black Axe network, leading to 34 arrests, asset seizures, and the disruption of multi‑million‑euro fraud, drug trafficking, and human exploitation

January 9, 2026

The Black Axe network, originally from Nigeria and now active in dozens of countries with an estimated ~30,000 members globally, is known for a wide range of criminal activities, including cyber‑enabled fraud, drug trafficking, human trafficking and prostitution, kidnapping, armed robbery, and “fraudulent spiritual practices.” Authorities estimate fraud linked to this operation alone caused over €5.9 million in damages. During the raids, investigators froze about €119,000 in bank accounts and seized around €66,000 in cash…

ESAs’ Final Report on ESG Stress Testing establishes a harmonised EU framework for supervisors to embed climate and ESG risks into banks’ and insurers’ stress tests with consistent methods and scenarios

January 8, 2026

It guides supervisors on selecting ESG risks, designing scenarios, allocating resources, and assessing resilience over both short‑ and long-term horizons, initially focusing on climate and environmental risks without imposing new legal obligations. These guidelines operate under a “comply or explain” framework, supporting harmonised supervisory practices under the Capital Requirements Directive and Solvency II, with full application expected by 1 January 2027…

EBA’s Final Draft RTS on Cooperation and Colleges of Supervisors for Third-Country Branches sets a unified EU framework to boost oversight and detect risks in non‑EU bank branches ahead of CRD VI in 2027

January 8, 2026

The RTS set out when and how colleges of supervisors should be formed, how authorities should share information, and guidance for mapping and proportional cooperation for smaller branches. By standardising these processes, the RTS aim to strengthen oversight, reduce supervisory gaps and regulatory arbitrage, and improve detection of emerging risks across jurisdictions. These standards support the broader third‑country branch regime under CRD VI and are expected to be fully applicable by early 2027…

AMLA’s Chair completes the first EU-wide Road Show, deepening partnerships with national authorities, supervisors and FIUs to advance a more coordinated and effective EU AML/CFT framework

December 22, 2025

The purpose was to foster open dialogue on the new EU AML/CFT framework, share perspectives on national risk landscapes and supervisory expectations, and gather practical insights into trends and challenges in combating money laundering and terrorist financing. These discussions aim to strengthen cooperation, build mutual understanding, and inform AMLA’s future work as it supports the development of a more effective and coordinated AML/CFT system across Europe…

Europol, in its latest Podcast ‘The Future of Europol’, unveils plans to expand capabilities, harness technology, and boost global cooperation to stay ahead of evolving serious and organised crime

December 18, 2025

In this Season 3 finale, Europol’s executive leadership outlines the strategic direction of the agency, emphasising the need to adapt its structures, analytical tools and partnerships to keep pace with the changing “DNA” of serious and organised crime. They highlight plans to double capabilities, enhance international reach and leverage innovation as crime becomes increasingly technology-enabled, ensuring Europol remains effective in supporting member states against future threats…

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