As we reported in April 2025, the AMLA (Anti-Money Laundering Authority) had its first meeting in March 2025. Since then, it has been adding more personnel, growing to a current December 2025 complement of 100 staff (about 20 behind the original plan), with 70 joining in the last three months. The AMLA is based in Frankfurt.
The chair of AMLA is Milanese lawyer, Bruna Szego. Since commencing her role on 1 July 2025, she has visited 25 Member States and met supervisors, Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), and industry representatives.
On 2 December 2025 she appeared before an EU Parliament Committee (video recording here – start at 10 minutes in) and her key takeaway was that ‘while the financial sector understands its role, the non-financial sector lags behind. The landscape there is fragmented, with many obliged entities facing real challenges in applying even basic controls due to cost and lack of reliable information.’
The future timeline for AMLAs development, according to its own website, is as follows:
- 2026 – Gradual ramping up of IT business service and assessment of AMLA’s future IT needs
- 2027 – 40 obliged entities are selected to be directly supervised
- 2027 – at the end of 2027 AMLA staff reaches a cruising capacity of about 430
- 2028 – Start of direct supervision, with AMLA fully operational
For audit cold file reviews and tailored training sessions explaining more about various topics like AML, Audit, FRS 102, please send a mail to john@jmcc.ie.
For more on engagement and representation letter templates and a variety of CPD webinars on money laundering and other accounting/audit related topics, please go to our website for:
- Our latest CPD Webinar on The Main Changes in Irish GAAP (recorded July 2024)
- Anti-Money Laundering Policies Controls and Procedures Manual (March 2022) — View the table of contents
- AML Webinar (December 2023) available here, which accompanies the AML Manual. It explains the latest legal AML reporting position for accountancy firms and includes a quiz. Upon completion you receive a CPD certificate for attendance in your inbox.
- Letters of engagement and similar templates—Please visit our website here where immediate downloads are available in Word format. A bulk discount is available for orders of five or more items bought together.
ISQM TOOLKIT, or if you prefer to chat through the different audit risks and potential appropriate responses presented by this new standard. We typically tailor ISQM training and brainstorming sessions to suit your firm’s unique requirements. Please contact John McCarthy FCA by email at john@jmcc.ie.
