AMLA has opened two draft Regulatory Technical Standards for consultation and is inviting stakeholders to participate in its first ever public hearing. Registration is required. Here is what you need to know.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/amla-announces-first-public-hearing-iohjf
https://www.amla.europa.eu/amla-hold-public-hearing-two-draft-rts_en
https://service.betterregulation.com/document/840200

The Situation at a Glance

AMLA will conduct their first public hearing on two online sessions on 24 March 2026. The published hearing is in addition to the published consultation on two draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS), which is still open until 8 May 2026. To attend, one must be registered.

AMLA public hearings are not meant to be confined to written submissions. They enable the stakeholders to communicate directly with AMLA professionals on the spot, query and seek clarification of positions as well as listening to other attendees. Regulatory and policy development and feedback collected will flow straight to AMLA before finalising the standards.

The Two Sessions

Session 1: 10:00 to 12:00 CET
Draft RTS on criteria for identifying business relationships, occasional and linked transactions, and lower thresholds.
Session 2: 13:30 to 15:30 CET
Draft RTS on customer due diligence.
Both sessions are open to financial institutions, designated non-financial businesses and professions, civil society organisations, academic institutions, sectoral federations and all other interested parties.

Why This Matters

These two draft RTS form the foundation of the supervisory framework of AMLA. The RTS on business relations and thresholds will be used to identify and categorise customer interactions by obligated entities to comply with AML purposes. The customer due diligence will establish the criteria required of the institutions in the EU to verify and screen their clients. Both will directly impact the practice of all sectors that are covered by the EU AML law.

Those institutions, which take action today, by hearing and through a thoughtful written response, will be in a better position to comprehend and plan to apply the final standards on its publication.

Sources:
https://amlnetwork.org/aml-news/amlas-derville-rowland-warns-of-750-billion-dirty-money-flowing-through-europe-annually/
https://www.amlintelligence.com/2026/03/news-750-billion-in-dirty-money-moves-through-europe-every-year-warns-amlas-derville-rowland/

Key Compliance Takeaways

1. Register to Attend Without Delay.
Registration is required and places may be limited. If your institution has not yet registered, do so immediately via the official AMLA registration link. Both sessions are relevant to any entity with EU AML obligations.

2. Review the Draft RTS Before 24 March.
Attend prepared. Review both draft RTS in advance, identify the provisions most relevant to your business model and client base, and prepare questions or points for discussion. This will make your participation substantive rather than observational.

3. Submit a Written Response by 8 May 2026.
The written consultation and the hearing are complimentary. Provide a final written reply to AMLA within the deadline. It is among the most straightforward chances you will have to sway regulations that will control your compliance requirements going forward.

4. Conduct an Internal Gap Analysis Now.
Consultation period should be used to align your existing CDD processes and business relationship identifications requirements with the suggested RTS requirements. Determine which system, policy or training changes will be required and start planning how and before finalisation.

5. Monitor AMLA’s Regulatory Pipeline Continuously.
This initial hearing will not be the final. Before it may take over full supervisory authority in 2028, AMLA has a long way to go in creating a significant mass of standards and guidelines. A procedure should be set up to monitor AMLA publications and consultations on a continuous basis to be able to follow any development in materials.