European Union: Money Laundering

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Article
Legal & Regulatory Updates - September 2026
This quarterly bulletin compiles significant legal, regulatory, and compliance developments across multiple Maltese regulatory authorities, including the MGA, MFSA, FIAU, MCCAA, FSSA, and IDPC. The updates span artificial intelligence governance in gaming, financial crime compliance strategies, data protection rulings, and anti-money laundering frameworks, providing organizations with essential insights to navigate Malta's evolving regulatory environment.
Malta Commercial
GA
GVZH Advocates
Article
FATF Report: Red Flag Indicators Within The Gaming And Gambling Industry
The Financial Action Task Force has released a comprehensive report examining how the gaming and gambling industry's evolution into online, cross-border platforms has created new vulnerabilities for money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing. The report identifies critical gaps in international regulatory frameworks and provides strategic recommendations for jurisdictions to strengthen their oversight of this increasingly interconnected digital ecosystem.
Cyprus Government
MK
Michael Kyprianou Law Firm
Article
The Travel Rule – An Effective AML/CFT Tool Or An Expensive Data- Protection Liability?
The Travel Rule, originating from FATF Recommendation 16, has evolved from traditional wire transfers to encompass virtual asset service providers, with the EU's Transfer of Funds Regulation now in full effect. As compliance costs mount and payment infrastructures multiply, critical questions emerge about the financial burden on licensed institutions, data protection risks, and whether these regulations effectively combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
Malta Finance
MF
MK Fintech Partners
Article
What Malta's New Sanctions Compliance Requirements Mean For Businesses
Malta's Sanctions Monitoring Board has issued new guidance on Article 32 of the National Interest (Enabling Powers) Act, fundamentally transforming how organisations must approach sanctions compliance. The framework shifts expectations from basic screening exercises to comprehensive, risk-based compliance programmes encompassing governance, due diligence, and ongoing monitoring across a wide range of sectors including financial services, gaming, real estate, and professional services.
Malta Commercial
GT
Grant Thornton Malta
Article
EU-Finanzaufsicht 2026: Von Neuen Regeln Zu Nachweisbarer Umsetzung
Die zentralen europäischen Finanzaufsichtsbehörden haben ihre Jahresberichte für 2025 veröffentlicht und signalisieren damit einen fundamentalen Strategiewechsel in der EU-Finanzaufsicht. Der Fokus verlagert sich von der Entwicklung neuer Regulierungsrahmen hin zu datengetriebener Überwachung, praktischer Umsetzungskontrolle und konsequenter Durchsetzung bestehender Vorschriften. Für Finanzunternehmen wird die nachweisbare Wirksamkeit ihrer Kontrollen im EU-weiten Vergleich zum
Germany Finance
PL
PwC Legal Germany
Article
Das 20. und 21. Sanktionspaket der EU gegen Russland: Eine neue Compliance-Architektur für Finanzdienstleistungsunternehmen
The Council of the European Union has adopted its 20th and 21st sanctions packages against Russia, marking a fundamental shift in EU sanctions policy. Rather than simply expanding lists of designated persons, these measures systematically target the financial infrastructure—payment channels, banking relationships, crypto-asset ecosystems, correspondent banking, trade finance, and maritime logistics—that enables Russia's war economy.
Global International
PL
PwC Legal Germany
Article
Bafin Raises The Bar On Virtual IBAN Compliance
Germany's financial regulator BaFin has issued new supervisory guidance on virtual IBANs, addressing concerns about transparency in payment flows and beneficial ownership while affirming that vIBANs remain legitimate payment infrastructure. The communication requires firms to demonstrate that their governance, customer transparency and monitoring arrangements have kept pace with technological innovation, particularly in relation to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing controls.
Germany Finance
PL
PwC Legal Germany
Article
AML/CTF Playbook: EU Edition #3: Mapping The Expansion Of EU Obliged Entities
The European Union's newly adopted anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing package represents a significant evolution in financial crime prevention, introducing a harmonised rulebook that expands the range of entities required to comply with AML/CTF obligations. This comprehensive analysis examines how the Package transforms the regulatory landscape for obliged entities across EU member states, comparing the new requirements against both the previous EU directive framework and existing domesti
European Union Government
AO
A&O Shearman
Article
Updates To The Companies Act (Register Of Beneficial Owners) Regulations
Malta has introduced significant amendments to its beneficial ownership regime through the Companies Act (Register of Beneficial Owners) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, establishing a three-tier access system and new reporting requirements. Companies must now assess whether they fall within the scope of the updated regime and comply with the new Form BO4 filing obligations by January 2027, or face substantial penalties.
Malta Commercial
CP
Camilleri Preziosi Advocates
Article
Business-Wide Risk Assessment (BWRA): New Cyprus Bar Association Guidance And The 2027 AMLR Deadline
The Cyprus Bar Association has issued its first Guidelines on Business-Wide Risk Assessment (BWRA), establishing a comprehensive framework for supervised entities to identify and mitigate money laundering, terrorist financing and sanctions risks. These guidelines provide practical direction for compliance with the new EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation ahead of its July 2027 implementation deadline, outlining methodologies for risk assessment, control evaluation and ongoing monitoring requirements.
Cyprus Government
Frangos Law
Article
Netherlands – Investment Bank Fined €8.5m For Compliance Failures, Including Sanctions
The Dutch central bank has imposed a significant financial penalty on ABN Amro for failures in its customer due diligence processes, particularly concerning high-risk clients. The investigation revealed critical gaps in the bank's ability to identify and address potential sanctions evasion involving dual-use goods and intermediaries in high-risk jurisdictions.
Netherlands Government
DM
Duane Morris LLP
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