Frankfurt am Main, 11 May 2026
The EU’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) has published the findings of Chair Bruna Szego’s first pan-European Roadshow, identifying major structural weaknesses in the EU’s anti-money laundering framework despite broad support for the bloc’s new AML architecture. The report highlights growing risks linked to AI-enabled fraud, crypto-assets, instant payments and sanctions circumvention, while warning of fragmented supervision, uneven enforcement capacity and significant technological gaps across Member States.
AMLA released a report of the Chair’s 2025 Roadshow, documenting AMLA’s first systematic engagement with supervisors, financial intelligence units, and private sector representatives across all 27 EU Member States.
Between March and December 2025, Chair Bruna Szego visited all EU Member States, engaging directly with those whose work contributes to Europe’s fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. The report sets out what AMLA heard — on the evolving risk landscape, the challenges facing supervisors and obliged entities, and the expectations directed at AMLA as it builds the EU’s new AML/CFT framework.
The report serves as a common reference point for AMLA’s ongoing engagement with national supervisors, FIUs and the private sector. The Chair’s Roadshow will continue in regular cycles across all Member States.
The report is being shared with those who took part in the Roadshow and is also being made available publicly.
By sharing the findings, AMLA intends to help build common awareness of the state of readiness, needs and challenges across Europe among national authorities, FIUs and private sector stakeholders.
The 2025 Roadshow report is one of several initiatives through which AMLA is mapping the AML/CFT landscape across Europe and deepening its understanding of the sector as a basis for future activities. In parallel, AMLA launched a 2025 survey in which non-financial sector supervisory authorities across all Member States provided information on their supervisory landscape and risk assessment approaches.
Main takeaways from AMLA’s 2025 Roadshow Report
- AMLA identified a rapidly evolving risk environment across the EU
Supervisors, FIUs and private-sector stakeholders consistently pointed to AI-enabled fraud, deepfakes, crypto-assets, instant payments and geopolitical tensions as major emerging AML/CFT threats. - Fraud has become one of the fastest-growing predicate offences for money laundering
Stakeholders warned that fraud and money laundering are increasingly interconnected, particularly through AI-driven impersonation schemes, remote onboarding abuse and real-time payment systems. - Crypto-assets remain a high-risk sector for AML/CFT supervision
AMLA noted persistent concerns about anonymity, beneficial ownership opacity, cross-border crypto transfers and uneven supervisory capacities across Member States. Supervisors also highlighted high dependence on expensive external blockchain analytics tools. - Instant payments are fundamentally changing AML enforcement timelines
Authorities warned that 24/7 cross-border instant payments sharply reduce the available time for detecting suspicious activity, increasing pressure on real-time monitoring and information-sharing systems. - The non-financial sector remains significantly less prepared than the financial sector
AMLA found particularly low AML/CFT maturity among real estate agents, accountants, notaries and high-value goods traders, with limited awareness of compliance obligations and inconsistent supervisory structures. - Fragmentation across the EU remains a core structural weakness
Stakeholders repeatedly criticised divergent national supervisory methodologies, inconsistent enforcement practices and uneven FIU capabilities, which create vulnerabilities exploitable across borders. - Technology is viewed simultaneously as a threat and a solution
While digitalisation accelerates criminal typologies, stakeholders also see AI-supported analytics, interoperable databases and shared EU-level tools as essential for future AML supervision and enforcement. - Sanctions circumvention has become a central AML concern since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
AMLA reported heightened focus on sanctions evasion, cyber-enabled financial crime and cross-border illicit financial flows, especially in Eastern and Northern Europe. - Stakeholders broadly support the EU’s new AML package and the creation of AMLA
The report describes strong backing for the EU Single Rulebook and AMLA’s coordinating role as a way to reduce fragmentation and establish more consistent supervisory standards across the Union. - Expectations towards AMLA are exceptionally high
National authorities and market participants expect AMLA to deliver harmonised supervision, common risk methodologies, stronger cross-border coordination, guidance on data sharing and GDPR tensions, and shared technological infrastructure. - Data protection rules are increasingly seen as an operational obstacle
Financial institutions and FIUs raised concerns over tensions between AML monitoring obligations and GDPR restrictions on data retention and information-sharing. - AMLA plans to prioritise supervisory convergence and shared infrastructure
The authority is developing common supervisory methodologies, a central AML/CFT database, harmonised technical standards and stronger FIU cooperation mechanisms as part of its 2026–2028 programme. - The report repeatedly stresses that AMLA cannot solve all structural problems alone
AMLA underlines that implementation, awareness-raising and day-to-day supervision will remain primarily the responsibility of national authorities.