Rowland outlined AMLA’s role in building a more integrated, consistent and risk-based approach to tackling money laundering and terrorist financing across the EU. She explained that AMLA brings together three areas of responsibility, policy, supervision and the coordination of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), through which it aims to bring greater coherence to the framework and support closer cooperation among supervisors, FIUs and obliged entities.
She described the establishment of AMLA as a shift from predominantly national arrangements towards a coordinated system combining EU-level and national responsibilities. This includes the direct supervision of selected cross-border financial institutions, alongside work to promote greater consistency across the wider financial sector. In the non-financial sector, AMLA will not directly supervise obliged entities, but will oversee national supervisors and self-regulatory bodies through tools including peer reviews, colleges and mediation.
Turning to the practical implications for businesses, Rowland emphasised that the framework is intended to provide greater clarity and predictability, particularly for firms operating across borders, through more consistent expectations and a proportionate, risk-based approach focused on outcomes. She also highlighted how AMLA is developing secure and modern infrastructure to support supervision, risk analysis, information exchange and FIU coordination.
Rowland concluded that AMLA will help the EU AML/CFT system operate in a more coordinated way, with EU and national authorities working together to strengthen the prevention and detection of financial crime through more consistent supervision, better information-sharing and greater use of data and technology.
