Following the assumption of its powers and responsibilities on 1 July 2025, the newly created Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA) got straight to work. The authority is responsible for improving the supervision of anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) in the EU. The AMLA will directly supervise the EU’s highest-risk financial institutions with significant cross-border exposure (as of 2028). It will exercise indirect supervision across both the financial and non-financial sectors, ensuring that national supervisors apply EU AML/CFT rules consistently and effectively. It will also support EU Member States' Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) in preventing and disrupting financial crime (for further information on the AMLA’s tasks, powers, and structures →→eucrim 2/2024, 113–117). The AMLA was established by Regulation (EU) 2024/1620 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2024. It is part of an ambitious overhaul of the EU's AML/CFT legislation, including the "AML Single Rulebook Regulation" and the Sixth EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive (→eucrim 2/2024, 113).

Eucrim will report regularly on the activities of the new EU body under the new category "Authority for Anti-Money Laundering (AMLA)".

Looking back: AMLA's first activities

On 9 April 2025, the AMLA signed the lease for office space at its seat in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. AMLA will occupy the top floors in the iconic Frankfurt Messe Turm.

At the beginning of July 2025, the AMLA published its Work Programme for the year 2025. Entitled "From Vision to Action", the programme outlines the milestones achieved in the first half of the year as well as the activities foreseen for the second half of 2025.

Activities in the first half of 2025 included:

• The authority’s establishment in Frankfurt am Main;
• The establishment of its governance structures;
• The design of its digital infrastructure;
• Assigning financial resources for the first year;
• Enhancing visibility;
• The recruitment and onboarding of staff;
• Preparation for the authority’s AML/CFT supervision tasks;
• Initial work to support obliged entities (OEs) to better identify risks and design measures to mitigate them and to build up a robust FIU Support & Coordination Framework.

Regarding the establishment of the AMLA’s governance structures, the following appointments were made in the first half of 2025:

• On 21 January 2025, the Council of the EU appointed Bruna Szego to the position of first AMLA Chair.
• In May 2025, the Council of the EU then appointed the first four full-time members of the AMLA’s Executive Board to serve a four-year term beginning on 1 June 2025.
• At the beginning of June, the AMLA’s new Executive Board appointed Juan-Manuel Vega Serrano as Vice-Chair of the Authority.
• On 4 July 2025, the Executive Board appointed Nicolas Vasse as new Executive Director of the AMLA; Mr Vasse assumed his position in September 2025.

Furthermore, to ensure effective cooperation and information exchange with the European Supervisory authorities (ESAs), a multilateral Memorandum of Undertanding (MoU) was signed on 27 June 2025. The ESAs encompass the European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). The MoU aims at ensuring efficient, effective and timely cooperation between AMLA and ESAs in the performance of their respective tasks under Union law. It includes provisions on: representation at the board meetings, committees and their sub-structures, the nomination of contact points, regular exchange of information in common areas of interest, ad hoc exchange of information, cooperation in the development of legal and policy instruments of common interest, and knowledge exchange.

On 27 June 2025, the AMLA signed also a Memorandum of Understanding with the European Central Bank (ECB) setting out cooperation, communication, and information exchange between the two bodies, in particular in order to coordinate their supervisory powers and to avoid duplication of effort.

Outlook: AMLA's next activities

Looking ahead to the second half of 2025, the Work Programme focuses on defining the AMLA’s vision and mission and on drafting the first Single Programming Documents (SPDs), which will guide the authority’s activities and development over the coming years. Activities in the second half of 2025 shall also further lay down the foundation for AML/CFT supervision and operational work with regard to the FIU pillar. A structured approach to risk management and mitigation measures will also be set up.