Germany: Money Laundering

Germany's financial regulator Bafin is undertaking a major structural reorganization to intensify supervision of anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, and cyber risks across the financial sector. The authority is creating a new specialized Anti-Financial-Crime division and reallocating approximately 30 additional positions to high-risk areas, signaling heightened scrutiny for financial institutions. What does this mean for compliance frameworks and audit preparedness in the German banking sect

The European Union has fundamentally restructured its anti-money laundering framework through a comprehensive legislative package that replaces fragmented national implementations with directly applicable regulations. This transformation introduces a new EU-wide supervisory authority, expands the scope of regulated entities, and establishes harmonized customer due diligence requirements across all member states.

On 1 April 2026, the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht, BaFin)...

Criminal tax matters were the main focus for the German Public Prosecution Offices in 2024. Large-scale criminal investigation proceedings were launched...

On 29 November 2024, the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) published its revised interpretation and application guidance (Guidance) on the German Anti-Money Laundering Act...

On 29 November 2024, Germany's Federal Financial Services Supervisory ­Authority ("BaFin") and Financial Intelligence Unit ("FIU") released two important publications on obligations under AML law.

On 1 September 2022 the European Banking Authority (EBA) published its second report on the functioning of anti-money laundering (AML) and counter terrorist financing (CTF) supervisory...

In an attempt to combat money laundering in Germany, a new financial crime authority has been proposed.

The EU has agreed that the so-called "travel rule", which already exists for fiat and electronic money i.e., "traditional money transfers" and EU and European Economic Area...