The European Union’s new Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) has opened a public consultation on draft Guidelines for the ongoing monitoring of business relationships, marking a significant step in harmonizing anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) requirements across member states.
Key Details of the Consultation
AMLA launched the consultation on June 2, 2026, seeking feedback from stakeholders on how obliged entities should implement ongoing monitoring of business relationships, including transaction and activity monitoring. The consultation remains open until September 3, 2026, providing nearly three months for industry participants, civil society, and regulators to submit their views.
The draft Guidelines were developed under Article 26(5) of the Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR), Regulation (EU) 2024/1624, which introduces robust standards for ongoing monitoring throughout customer relationships. Article 26 outlines detailed obligations for businesses to maintain vigilance during all customer interactions, requiring continuous scrutiny of transactions and activities.
What Ongoing Monitoring Entails
According to AMLA, ongoing monitoring means keeping customer information up to date and continuously monitoring transactions and activities over time to detect unusual or suspicious activity as it arises. This is a key obligation in the AML/CTF framework, ensuring that obliged entities effectively manage risks related to money laundering and terrorist financing.
The draft Guidelines explain in practical terms how to meet this requirement, setting out core principles applicable across both financial and non-financial sectors. They aim to ensure that requirements are effective and can be applied by all obliged entities in practice.
Broad Stakeholder Engagement Expected
AMLA welcomes feedback from all sectors subject to AML rules, with special emphasis on newly covered entities under the updated framework. These include:
- Crowdfunding service providers
- Investment migration operators
- Football clubs and agents
- Credit intermediaries
- Non-financial mixed-activity holding companies
- Certain crypto-asset service providers
- Traders in high-value goods
The authority explicitly invites contributions from financial institutions, designated non-financial businesses and professions, civil society organizations, academia, sectoral federations, and other relevant parties. Submissions may be made in any official EU language, removing language barriers for stakeholders across the union.
Public Hearing Scheduled for July 2026
Complementing the written consultation, AMLA has scheduled a Public Hearing on July 2, 2026, from 10:00–12:00 CEST, where stakeholders can engage directly with the authority on the proposed guidelines. The hearing offers an opportunity to discuss whether requirements are effective and practically applicable across all obliged entities .
Registration for the public hearing is open but limited, with AMLA encouraging early registration as spaces are scarce. Registration closes on Thursday, July 2, 2026, at 10:00 CEST — the same day as the hearing .
Regulatory Context and Timeline
This consultation represents one of AMLA’s first major regulatory outputs since the authority began operations. The EU’s Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1624) established AMLA as the central EU authority for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.
AMLA had previously announced plans to release public consultation drafts by late 2025 or early 2026, with adoption and submission to the European Commission expected in 2026. The authority is conducting public consultations on all three prioritized mandates by Q4 2025 to Q1 2026.
AMLA will issue the final detailed guidelines on ongoing monitoring of business relationships and transactions by July 10, 2026, following the consultation period and public hearing.
Why This Matters for Compliance Professionals
The ongoing monitoring guidelines will significantly impact how financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses conduct customer due diligence throughout relationships. Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 introduces robust standards ensuring obliged entities effectively manage money laundering and terrorist financing risks.
For cryptocurrency and digital asset service providers — newly covered entities under the framework — these guidelines will provide crucial clarity on transaction monitoring requirements in the digital assets sector. This is particularly relevant given the rapid evolution of crypto-related financial crime risks.
How to Participate
Stakeholders can access the full consultation paper and submit feedback through AMLA’s official consultation portal. The consultation paper is titled “Consultation on the draft Guidelines on ongoing monitoring of a business relationship – Article 26(5) AMLR”.
For media queries, AMLA has designated the contact email: [email protected].
Broader Implications for EU Financial Governance
This consultation underscores AMLA’s role in creating a harmonized, pan-European AML/CTF framework, reducing regulatory fragmentation across member states. By setting core principles applicable across financial and non-financial sectors, the Guidelines will help establish consistent compliance standards throughout the EU .
The authority’s emphasis on newly covered entities reflects the expanding scope of AML obligations to include sectors previously subject to varying national requirements. This expansion aims to close regulatory gaps that criminals could exploit.
As the consultation progresses, industry stakeholders will closely watch how AMLA balances regulatory effectiveness with practical implementability — a tension that has characterized AML regulation globally. The public hearing on July 2 will provide important insights into the authority’s thinking on these challenges.