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AMLA in Frankfurt

Germany is ready to host the EU’s anti-money laundering authority

The EU takes its fight against money laundering to the next level

Combating money laundering is a top priority for both the EU and Germany. As part of the European Commission’s ambitious 2021 proposals for a legislative package on anti-money laundering, the EU will establish an Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA). For the first time, an EU authority will take a leading role in AML supervision from a European perspective.

Find out more about AMLA

Let’s achieve it together, in Frankfurt

Frankfurt is an excellent financial centre with an outstanding and sustainable ecosystem. The city stands ready to provide a strong foundation for AMLA’s success right from the start. The new AMLA will find in Frankfurt everything it needs to be operational from day one.

At a glance: Why Frankfurt is the perfect fit

A one‑stop shop for supervision

Protecting the integrity of the financial system requires not only effective money laundering supervision and strong prudential supervision, but also ad-hoc information-sharing between the supervisors of individual institutions. The necessary foundations for this can only be found in Frankfurt. AMLA’s close proximity to the ECB, as the authority responsible for the prudential supervision of large banks in the EU, will create a one-stop shop for supervision, which will, in turn, make a significant contribution to strengthening the European financial system.

Easily accessible from all around Europe in 2.5 hours or less

With one of the largest airports in continental Europe and the most important rail transport hub in Germany with over 1,100 daily connections, Frankfurt offers excellent access to all destinations in the European Union and the world. From the city centre, where attractive office spaces are available for AMLA, the airport can be reached in only 15 minutes. Well-developed public transport and rail networks offer AMLA staff an eco-friendly option for commuting to the office.

On‑site inspections within walking distance

It is anticipated that AMLA will mainly supervise entities located in Western Europe or even in Frankfurt itself. The short distances to the supervised entities and national supervisors will be a considerable organisational advantage for AMLA, enabling it to dedicate its resources to its core tasks.

A vibrant metropolis in a green setting

The Rhine-Main region features unparalleled variety, with idyllic natural surroundings and an international, multilingual metropolis at its heart. Frankfurt offers employees and their families attractive living and working conditions as well as excellent educational opportunities, from early childhood to university. The European School Frankfurt deserves special mention – it provides its students with a high-quality, multilingual and intercultural education and will soon move to a centrally located, attractive and sustainable new building.

An outstanding talent pool and hub for innovation

There is consensus among AML experts that money laundering prevention will need to focus on innovative technological developments in the future. Frankfurt offers perfect conditions for this: The Frankfurt region is one of the world’s leading hubs for cybersecurity research, with projects like ATHENE, which is based in Darmstadt, just 20 minutes from Frankfurt.

The Frankfurt Rhine-Main region offers an attractive research and knowledge hub with an international talent pool of 250,000 students, numerous IT-technicians, bankers and lawyers as well as more than 40 research institutions and universities.

In Frankfurt, AMLA will have access to first-rate scientific know-how and highly qualified specialists from a wide range of disciplines.

Formal application documents Germany’s application to host AMLA in Frankfurt

Germany submitted its application to host the EU’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) on 8 November 2023. The news was announced by Finance Minister Lindner at an event at the Representation of the State of Hesse in Brussels the following day.

Download (pdf, 6MB) : Germany’s application to host AMLA in Frankfurt