Log in/out

Our extensive knowledge at your fingertips

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…

Sections

Latest editions

Search

U

AMLA launches public hearings to consult on 3 draft ITS to strengthen cooperation between FIUs, AMLA, and the EPPO through standardised SAR reporting and enhanced cross-border information-sharing

May 13, 2026

The proposals introduce standardised, machine-readable reporting templates for suspected crimes affecting the EU’s financial interests and new structured templates for FIU-to-FIU exchanges via FIU.net, with the aim of improving the speed, consistency, and effectiveness of cross-border AML/CFT investigations and enforcement across the EU…

AMLA takes major step towards becoming the EU’s Central AML supervisor by publishing a new reporting package to support the selection of FIs that will come under its direct supervision from 2028

May 12, 2026

The new package introduces standardised reporting templates, guidance on key risk indicators, and a harmonised assessment methodology for national supervisors to identify financial institutions eligible for direct AMLA supervision. From 2027, EU national authorities will submit data on eligible firms, which AMLA will assess based on factors including cross-border…

Swiss FINMA launches consultation on partial revised AMLO-FINMA rules to strengthen BO transparency, sanctions compliance, and correspondent banking controls – feedback until 9 June 2026

May 12, 2026

The proposed revisions place stronger emphasis on transparency and risk mitigation by requiring financial intermediaries to gain a clearer understanding of customers’ ownership and control structures, particularly where complex legal entities or layered arrangements are involved. The draft amendments also introduce more explicit obligations to prevent breaches of sanctions and coercive measures under Switzerland’s Embargo Act, reflecting growing global scrutiny around sanctions evasion and geopolitical risk exposure. In correspondent banking, the proposals tighten due diligence expectation…

AMLA consults on proposed draft RTS, which set out a simple, proportionate and efficient framework for cooperation between home and host supervisors of cross-border groups of obliged entities

May 11, 2026

The proposals aim to clarify roles between home and host authorities, improve the speed and consistency of information sharing, and establish more structured coordination for supervisory actions such as inspections and risk assessments. Overall, the initiative is designed to reduce fragmentation, close supervisory gaps, and advance a more unified and effective…

Europol disrupts the “Atlantic Cocaine Highway” in major maritime operation, seizing drugs, intercepting vessels, and hitting trafficking networks between Latin America and Europe

May 8, 2026

Over a two-week period, law enforcement agencies from multiple countries carried out coordinated surveillance and interdictions across key maritime corridors, particularly between the Canary Islands and the Azores. The operation resulted in the seizure of substantial quantities of cocaine and hashish, the interception of several vessels used for drug transfers at sea, and the arrest of numerous suspects involved in the trafficking network…

IMF report finds Kosovo’s Central Bank has a broadly strong, internationally aligned transparency framework, supported by solid governance, disclosures, and improving public communication

May 1, 2026

The review highlights strengths including extensive publication of monetary and financial stability information, accessible institutional reporting, and transparent governance arrangements that support accountability and public confidence. Recommendations focus on enhancing disclosure around internal risk management, decision-making processes, audit functions, and anti-corruption safeguards to further align the framework with international best practice…

EP urges the EC to enforce the Digital Markets Act more strongly, faster, including through tougher scrutiny of AI-driven services and more effective penalties for non-compliance

April 30, 2026

MEPs warn that external political pressure must not undermine the EU’s ability to enforce its digital competition rules and call on the Commission to fully use investigative, compliance, and sanctioning powers against designated gatekeepers. The resolution also highlights concerns around self-preferencing, anti-steering restrictions, cloud market concentration, and manipulative consent practices, emphasising that DMA compliance should be judged by real-world outcomes for competition, innovation, and consumer choice…

EBA publishes its final Guidelines on supervisory independence, reinforcing safeguards that keep regulators independent, impartial, and free from conflicts of interest or external influence

April 29, 2026

The Guidelines require competent authorities to implement stronger controls around declarations of interest, ownership and trading of financial instruments, and post-employment restrictions for staff and governance body members. The framework also clarifies expectations relating to appointments, tenure, and transparency to reinforce supervisory integrity, consistency, and public trust in EU financial oversight…

Europol dismantles a €50M online fraud network operating call centres across Europe, arresting 10 suspects and seizing assets linked to large-scale investment scams targeting victims globally

April 29, 2026

Authorities estimate that the network caused at least €50M in losses, targeting victims across multiple European countries and beyond through coordinated social engineering and investment fraud tactics. During the raids, law enforcement also seized cash, electronic devices, and financial assets linked to the criminal operation, while the investigation continues to trace additional assets and identify further participants in the wider network…

AMLA Chair Bruna Szego signals stricter EU AML oversight of football from July 2029, targeting opaque ownership, high-value transfers, and cross-border flows through enhanced transparency controls

April 28, 2026
Football has become a global, high-value industry with complex ownership structures, cross-border transfers, and large financial flows, which can be exploited for money laundering or illicit finance. AMLA argues that this makes stronger oversight necessary. She emphasises that this new regime will require greater transparency, robust due diligence, and tighter control measures across the football industry as part of a harmonised European approach to combating illicit finance…

Europol supports a coordinated Swiss–German operation targeting the Black Axe criminal network, a Nigeria-linked organised crime group heavily involved in cyber-enabled fraud and ML

April 28, 2026

The operation led to 10 arrests, including a suspected regional leader based in Southern Europe, following raids across several Swiss cantons. Investigators say the group is linked to romance scams, online fraud schemes, and laundering of illicit proceeds, causing millions of Swiss francs in losses to victims…

Europol’s IOCTA 2026 report warns of a fast-moving cybercrime landscape where AI-driven fraud, cybercrime-as-a-service, and encryption are industrialising attacks and outpacing law enforcement

April 28, 2026

The report underscores that online fraud now represents one of the most dominant threats, with criminals exploiting artificial intelligence to create more convincing scams, while ransomware continues to expand through “as-a-service” models and multi-layered extortion tactics. It also stresses the central role of encrypted communications, dark web marketplaces, and cryptocurrencies in facilitating illicit operations and laundering proceeds, alongside the growing challenge for law enforcement posed by jurisdictional fragmentation and rapidly adapting…

No results found.