On 26 June 2024, AMLA, the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism was created with the entry into force of the AMLA Regulation. The European Commission has since then progressed with first steps in the establishment of the decentralized agency, which will become operational in Frankfurt am Main (Germany) by mid-2025.
Today, AMLA, under the coordination of the EU Commission Task Force in charge of its establishment, hosted in virtual format a preparatory meeting to prepare the ground for the first meeting of the General Board. This is to be held in early 2025 in the presence of the Chair when she/he is appointed. The meeting (with no formal decisions taken), was intended to provide a state of play and exchange views on all preparatory strands of work, from those linked to the new agency (selection of the building, budget, procurement, recruitments) to the technical standards assigned to AMLA to complete the new AML/CFT rulebook.
This marked the first time that the voting members of the future AMLA General Board came together in under the AMLA umbrella. It provided an opportunity to connect the first representatives who will continue to work on the development of AMLA in the coming months.