The Chair described the challenges of delivering on AMLA's mandate while continuing to build the organisation, and was clear that convergence between Member States is still low, particularly in the non-financial sector.
She explained how AMLA is cooperating closely with national supervisors, financial intelligence units and other stakeholders in the AML/CFT system to deliver on several aspects of the new framework: the single AML rulebook, the common methodologies and the supervisory handbook, along with harmonised formats that let intelligence move in a structured way across the Union.
The Chair named the crypto sector as one of AMLA's priorities, both with regard to current changes in the market and the importance of FIUs and supervisors across the EU developing their analytical capabilities. Szego also outlined AMLA's continued preparations for direct supervision from 2028. She emphasised that the selection process will be based on objective criteria and will include some of the most impactful, cross-border financial institutions and groups in the EU. For selected entities, direct supervision will mean a single EU supervisor and one consistent set of expectations in place of many national ones, a clear improvement relative to the fragmented supervisory landscape cross-border firms currently face.
Read the full interview on the Money Laundering Bulletin website:
AMLA: Towards European convergence on tackling financial crime
