Mr Krepšta opened by declaring that "the AMLA era begins," describing the Authority's mission: supervising cross-border high-risk entities more effectively, harmonising AML rules across Member States, and promoting cooperation among Financial Intelligence Units. He stressed that criminals can no longer be allowed to exploit regulatory loopholes, noting that malicious actors have long operated across borders while AML/CFT prevention remained primarily national.
Drawing on his experience as a Board Member at the Bank of Lithuania, Krepšta emphasised the role of technology in the fight against financial crime. He called for the use of AI, machine learning and other tools to keep pace with evolving risks, and urged the private sector to help develop smarter solutions for KYC, customer due diligence and reporting. He highlighted AMLA's ambition to become a technological frontrunner, investing in blockchain analytics, AI-driven risk detection and secure data platforms for cross-border intelligence.
Krepšta outlined AMLA's expanding oversight to non-financial sectors including real estate, gambling and football, and highlighted a comprehensive action plan on promoting high AML/CFT standards in the crypto sector, developed in coordination with ESMA and other authorities. He also announced the creation of a central AML/CFT database.
On AMLA's growth, he noted the Authority had expanded from 30 staff in August 2025 to around 100, with plans to reach over 400 by 2028 when direct supervision of 40 selected financial institutions begins.
He concluded by calling for collaboration between the public and private sectors to build a common AML culture.