The EU Council have adopted a package of
new anti-money-laundering rules that will protect EU citizens and the EU's financial system against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
With the new package, all rules applying to the private sector will be transferred to a new directly applicable regulation, while a directive will deal with the organisation of national competent authorities fighting against money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT).
It extends the anti-money laundering rules to new obliged entities, such as most of the crypto-sector, traders of luxury goods and football clubs and agents. The regulation also sets tighter due diligence requirements, regulates beneficial ownership and sets a limit of € 10,000 to cash payments, among other things.
The directive will improve the organisation of national anti-money laundering systems setting out clear rules on how financial intelligence units (FIUs - the national bodies which collect information on suspicious or unusual financial activity in member states) and supervisors work together.
The package sets up a new European Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA) that will have direct and indirect supervisory powers over high-risk obliged entities in the financial sector.
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here.