AMLA Opens Consultation on EU-Wide Central AML/CFT Supervisory Database

The European Union’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) has opened a public consultation on draft regulatory technical standards for establishing a central EU-wide database containing anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing supervisory information.

The consultation, launched on October 7, 2026, concerns regulatory technical standards required under Article 11(6) of the AMLA Regulation. The proposed framework is intended to create a single system through which supervisory authorities across the EU can report and retrieve standardised AML/CFT supervisory information.

The database will bring together information concerning both individual obliged entities and the authorities responsible for supervising them. AMLA intends for the system to provide supervisors with a more complete view of risks across individual institutions, sectors and jurisdictions, supporting more targeted and risk-based supervision.

Under the draft standards, national supervisory authorities and self-regulatory bodies would provide information covering their supervisory powers and responsibilities, resources and staffing, and supervisory activities.

Information relating to obliged entities would include data concerning their money laundering and terrorist financing risk profiles, sanctions and administrative measures, periodic penalty payments, authorisations and withdrawals of authorisations, as well as fit-and-proper assessments.

The database is also intended to support the identification of broader risks and trends across the EU AML/CFT supervisory system. AMLA would use the information to monitor the effectiveness of national supervisory arrangements and to support the exercise of its own supervisory responsibilities.

The proposed standards establish the scope and level of detail of information that must be transmitted, together with reporting formats and timelines. They also set out circumstances in which AMLA could request additional information from national authorities.

A materiality threshold would apply to certain supervisory breaches, determining when information concerning a breach must be reported to the central database.

AMLA said the proposed system has been designed to minimise additional reporting requirements. The draft standards are intended to rely primarily on information that national supervisors already hold or are required to collect as part of their existing supervisory activities.

Where possible, the reporting process would be automated and standardised. AMLA also intends the database to make reporting requirements more predictable while limiting additional costs.

The system would cover information from both the financial and non-financial sectors. This reflects AMLA's broader supervisory mandate under the EU's new AML/CFT framework, which extends beyond traditional financial-sector supervision.

The proposed database is also intended to replace fragmented approaches to the collection and exchange of supervisory information. National authorities would continue to exercise their respective supervisory responsibilities, while AMLA would have access to standardised information through the central system.

Access to information would be subject to confidentiality and need-to-know restrictions. The draft standards contain provisions concerning data quality, confidentiality and the onward sharing of information held in the database.

The database is part of AMLA's wider role in establishing a more consistent EU AML/CFT supervisory framework. AMLA assumed responsibility for EU-level AML/CFT functions previously carried out by the European Banking Authority, while the broader EU AML package is progressively replacing the previous system of national approaches with a more harmonised framework.

The central database is expected to become particularly relevant as AMLA prepares to begin direct supervision of selected high-risk financial institutions and groups from 2028. The Authority is currently carrying out preparatory work for its first selection cycle, with the selection process scheduled for 2027.

The draft standards also provide for a staged application of certain requirements to give national supervisors time to adapt their reporting systems and processes.

The consultation is open to a broad range of stakeholders, including financial intelligence units, public authorities, obliged entities, supervisory authorities, self-regulatory bodies, international organisations, civil society organisations, consumer representatives, academics and investigative journalists.

AMLA has clarified that the draft standards do not themselves impose new reporting obligations directly on private companies. The principal reporting obligations under the proposed system would apply to supervisory authorities and other relevant public bodies.

Stakeholders have until November 3, 2026 to provide input through the consultation process. AMLA is also holding a public hearing on the same date from 14:00 to 16:00 CET, allowing interested participants to discuss the proposed technical standards directly with the Authority.

The draft regulatory technical standards will subsequently be finalised before being submitted through the EU legislative process.

The establishment of the database represents another step in the development of AMLA's supervisory infrastructure. Its intended role is to centralise supervisory information, improve the comparability of data across Member States and provide authorities with a common source of information for identifying AML/CFT risks and assessing the effectiveness of supervision.

By fLEXI tEAM