EU Anti-Money Laundering Package: Everything You Need to Know
This November, we launched the initial session of our new webinar series dedicated to the EU Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Package. The high attendance and active engagement of participants across the region underscored both the urgency and the complexity of the upcoming EU regulation.
A Unified, Europe-wide Framework
As highlighted by our speakers, the AML Package represents a paradigm shift: for the first time, the AML Regulation (AMLR), together with the 6th AML Directive (MLD 6), the new European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA), and the revised Fund Transfer Regulation (FTR), will form a harmonized rule set for all member states. The objectives are clear: close existing loopholes, adapt to evolving threats, and ensure consistent AML obligations across jurisdictions to strengthen the integrity of the EU financial system.
Current Changes and Future Challenges
During the webinar, we explored several key shifts under the new regulation. Among the most consequential are:
- Tightened due diligence and regular refresh cycles including the requirement that even low-risk customer information be updated at least once every five years.
- Broader expectations around identifying politically exposed persons (PEPs) and beneficial owners, increasing compliance obligations for many corporate clients.
- More extensive reporting obligations under AMLA, requiring additional information from obliged entities, particularly in cross-border or multi-jurisdictional situations.
- Implications for payments, where increased transparency and consistency across jurisdictions will be necessary.
These changes will require substantial operational effort. As emphasized by our experts, there is an urgent need for early gap analysis, cross-functional working groups, and group-wide standards that extend beyond the EU, including our subsidiaries in CEE and other regions.
Our Approach: Proactive, Group-wide, and Client-Centric
We have long been committed to a robust Anti-Money Laundering framework, guided by our group-wide AML declaration and embedded across our entire network. We are now accelerating these efforts, from participation in regulatory consultations to internal readiness programs. The goal is to implement the new requirements with minimal disruption for our clients while ensuring strong compliance across the group.
What’s Next: More Depth Ahead
This first session was only the starting point of our AML webinar series. As highlighted during the discussion, many details of the EU AML Package are still evolving, and the road toward 2027 will bring significant challenges from interpreting new requirements to implementing them across systems, processes, and customer files. That is why we will continue this series, taking a deeper look at specific topics in the next sessions and addressing the many open questions that remain.
With this change ahead, staying connected and working together will be essential. We will be at your side throughout this journey.
Our experts on the webinar:
Paul Guthann, Deputy Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) at RBI
Albert Mühlbacher, Group Head of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) & Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) at RBI
Moderator Erna Selimovic, Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) Regulatory & Compliance Ambassador at RBI
Moderator Christian Nohl, Head of Institutional Clients Local Banks, Payment Service Providers (PSPs) & Money Services Businesses (MSBs) at RBI