Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA)

The Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA, external link), headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, was established by Regulation (EU) 2024/1620 (external link) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 May 2024. It was formally constituted on 26 June 2024, and, in accordance with its founding regulation, assumed most of its powers and tasks by 1 July 2025.

AMLA constitutes the central element of the regulatory and supervisory system for combating money laundering and terrorist financing in the EU and has been entrusted with a range of powers in supervising obliged entities in the financial sector. From 2028 onwards, it will directly supervise selected high-risk cross-border financial market entities from all EU Member States. The AMLA also plays a key role in the coordination and oversight of national AML supervisory authorities for both the financial and non-financial sectors, as well as the coordination and support of financial intelligence units in EU Member States.

The AMLA’s tasks include the preparation of regulatory and implementing technical standards and the development of general guidelines and recommendations in the AML field, conducting regular assessments of supervisory authorities and binding mediation of potential disputes between financial supervisory authorities, investigations of possible breaches of EU law, as well as non-binding mediation in relation to non-financial supervisory authorities.

Membership in AMLA is mandatory for the supervisory authorities of EU Member States. The CNB appoints a member to AMLA’s General Board in its supervisory composition and is represented in its other structures, such as working groups. The Czech Republic is represented by the Financial Analytical Office on the General Board of AMLA in its financial intelligence unit composition.