Horizon scanning has become a vital tool for firms attempting to keep pace with Europe’s rapidly shifting regulatory landscape.
According to Corlytics, by gathering and examining regulatory data, institutions can detect early signals of emerging risks, understand potential trends and adapt to evolving expectations before they become binding obligations. This proactive approach helps firms anticipate change and, increasingly, influence it.
Financial institutions rely on horizon scanning to remain compliant in an environment where regulation shifts quickly and often. Ensuring full awareness of these changes is not only fundamental to maintaining operational integrity, but also to safeguarding a firm’s reputation. Those that stay ahead avoid sanctions, operate more efficiently and demonstrate a clear commitment to ethical and lawful business conduct.
Constant monitoring is essential to making horizon scanning effective, and one of the most notable developments for European firms has been the creation of the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA). The new agency marks a major step in transforming the EU’s approach to tackling financial crime.
AMLA is a decentralised EU body established to strengthen coordination across national authorities and unify disparate anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) frameworks. It sits at the centre of a broader legislative package designed to address longstanding fragmentation across Member States. Key pillars of this package include a directly applicable AML Regulation, a revised directive to replace AMLD4, and the AMLA Regulation itself, which sets out the authority’s responsibilities.
The legislative path to AMLA’s establishment progressed at pace. The European Parliament approved the framework in April 2024, followed by the Council’s adoption in May and publication in the Official Journal the following month. AMLA was given legal form in June 2024, with operations beginning the following summer. Its chair, Bruna Szego, described 2025 as “the year AMLA takes shape” and highlighted the authority’s focus on “building trust, creating structures, and preparing to deliver on [the] mission to protect the Union against financial crime”. Full supervisory functions are expected to go live on 1 January 2028 from the agency’s headquarters in Frankfurt.
AMLA’s mandate is far-reaching. It will directly supervise a set of high-risk obliged entities operating across at least six EU Member States, starting with an initial group of 40. Over time, this list may expand. The authority will also contribute to indirect supervision of firms across financial and non-financial sectors, while supporting FIUs through enhanced data analytics, structured information exchange and management of the FIU.net system. Additionally, it will issue guidelines and develop technical standards to reinforce consistency.
The introduction of AMLA is expected to significantly reshape compliance processes. By bringing clarity to supervisory expectations and reducing national discrepancies, the new framework aims to make compliance more coherent for firms directly under AMLA oversight. Beyond institutional benefits, the reforms are expected to strengthen consumer protection, limit the circulation of illicit funds and support the integrity of the wider European economy.
For firms, the shift highlights the importance of strong horizon scanning capabilities. Monitoring AMLA’s emerging priorities, interpretations and standards will be essential to meeting regulatory obligations as the framework develops. The authority’s creation demonstrates why early awareness is no longer optional but central to navigating an increasingly complex AML environment.
As AMLA moves towards full operation, integrating its updates into existing horizon scanning processes will be critical for institutions aiming to stay resilient, compliant and well-prepared for the next phase of EU regulatory transformation.
Copyright © 2026 RegTech Analyst
Copyright © 2018 RegTech Analyst
