Frankfurt, the financial metropolis of Germany, will serve as the headquarters (HQ) of the new Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) of the European Union.
The organization will commence operations by the middle of 2025. Operating across borders or deemed high-risk, the AMLA will have the authority to regulate “high-risk and cross-border financial entities,” which includes cryptocurrency firms. It will collaborate with financial intelligence units and regulators in other EU member states to coordinate its supervision efforts.
The Council of the European Union and the European Council announced on January 22 in a joint press release that Frankfurt would be the location of the new agency’s headquarters. Furthermore, the metropolis houses the European Central Bank. Brussels, Dublin, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Riga, Vilnius, and Vienna were among the alternative locations that met the shortlist.
Representatives from regulators and financial intelligence units of all EU member states will serve on the AMLA’s general board. In contrast, the chair and five independent full-time members will constitute the ruling body’s executive board.
The Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), the initial all-encompassing European Union (EU) crypto framework, was established in June 2023. However, implementing regulations about “asset-referenced tokens” and “e-money tokens,” predominantly classified as stablecoins, is not anticipated until June 2024.
December 2024 marks the implementation of regulations governing “crypto-asset service providers,” encompassing exchanges and services, wallet providers, trading platforms, and wallet providers.
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) has diligently formulated and implemented artificial intelligence (AI) regulations. The Internal Market and Civil Liberties Committees of the European Parliament authorized the preliminary agreement on the European AI Act, the first AI-focused legislation in the world, on February 13.
In response to generative AI models, the EU AI Act seeks to establish safeguards, including copyright protection for creators. Additionally, it forbids AI applications, such as social scoring and biometric categorization, that pose a risk to the rights of citizens. April 2024 is the date of the initial parliamentary vote on the AI Act.
