By 31 December 2025, the European Banking Authority (EBA) will transfer its AML/CFT mandates, powers and resources to the Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA). In his latest article, Charles Krier, Avocat à la Cour and Partner at Annerton, explains how this handover has been implemented thus far and its implications for obliged entities.
Final EBA AML/CFT newsletter
On 30 October 2025, the EBA published the 17th and final issue of the EBA AML/CFT Newsletter, documenting the following key handover steps:
- EuReCA, the EU AML/CFT database containing details of more than 3,500 serious AML/CFT deficiencies and remedial measures relating to 670 financial institutions, was handed over to AMLA on 15 October 2025.
- EBA/AMLA cooperation has been formalised, including the signing of an MoU signed on 3 July 2025 with the full transfer of powers scheduled for 31 December 2025, and the handover of college monitoring to AMLA set for 1 January 2026.
- The EBA has also published its final reports on banks’ AML/CFT supervision progress and on the functioning of AML/CFT colleges, providing AMLA with a clear starting point.
Final EBA report on new AMLA mandates
Also on 30 October 2025, the EBA published its final report on the response to the European Commission’s EC Call for Advice on new AMLA mandates, where it packages its proposals for four draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) as well as technical advice on pecuniary sanctions and information sharing within groups.
These standards are considered to be central to the new AML/CFT framework, as once adopted, EU AML supervisors will be able to apply a consistent approach to enforcement and assess entity-level ML/TF risk for the first time. Furthermore, the AMLA will be able to draw on this work to determine which institutions it will supervise directly.
AMLA operationalisation
The AMLA’s Work Programme 2025, called ‘From Vision to Action’, shows the authority is on track to achieve financial autonomy by January 2026, with spending focused on staffing, IT and security. During the second half of 2025, the AMLA worked on shaping the EU AML/CFT framework, maturing its supervisory and FIU functions, and building lasting strategic capacity.
In terms of human resources, the AMLA intends to employ a total of 120 staff members until the end of the year, including relevant EBA staff responsible for tasks transferred to the AMLA. This is an important step towards achieving full operational autonomy in early 2026.
What changes for obliged entities
Firstly, cross-border groups can expect the AMLA to chair and monitor AML/CFT colleges, driving a more consistent cadence of information sharing and joint risk discussions. While national AML/CFT supervisors will remain the primary day-to-day counterpart, college expectations and documentation will be AMLA-standardised.
Furthermore, the AMLA will employ a standardised risk assessment methodology (seeded by EBA’s advice/RTSs) to identify the highest-risk cross-border credit andfinancial institutions for direct supervision.
In addition, there will be common rules on the application of customer due diligence measures, with clearer and more prescriptive baselines, especially regarding identity verification, ongoing monitoring and PEP screening.
In parallel, the AML Package will be implemented progressively with staged application dates throughout 2026 and 2027, during which time more technical standards and guidance will be introduced. Of course, ongoing EBA guidance (e.g., Guidelines on remote customer onboarding) continue to apply for obliged entities until replaced by AMLA.
