EBA hands AML/CFT supervision to new AMLA authority

The European Banking Authority formally transferred its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing supervisory powers to the EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) on 1 January 2025. The shift consolidates fragmented AML/CFT oversight under a single regulator based in Frankfurt, operating under the new Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR) single rulebook adopted in 2023.

• What changed: AMLA replaces EBA's delegated AML/CFT role, taking direct supervisory authority over financial institutions across member states. The transition brings unified standards replacing national variance.
• For compliance teams: Onboarding procedures, Know Your Customer (KYC) assessments, and beneficial ownership verification now operate under AMLR standards rather than EBA guidance. Expect AMLA to issue implementing technical standards through 2025.
• Timeline: AMLA launched operations in June 2024 with a phased transition. The EBA mandate transfer completes the shift; full supervisory powers take effect across all EU financial institutions immediately.
• Key impact: The single rulebook reduces reliance on national interpretations of AML Directives. Institutions must audit current KYC templates, screening protocols, and reporting procedures against AMLR requirements.

This consolidation signals the EU's intent to tighten AML/CFT enforcement through centralised oversight. Compliance teams should treat this as a compliance refresh trigger, not merely an administrative rebadging. AMLA's supervisory approach remains unclear on granularity and risk weighting, so engage with peer networks on enforcement signals. Institutions with multi-state operations face coordination costs aligning policies to a single standard, but standardisation removes complexity from managing nine separate regulatory regimes.

OFAC issued General License 128B on 13-17 April 2026, authorizing continued transactions with Lukoil retail service stations situated outside Russia. The extension supersedes prior Russia sanctions guidance and permits specified commercial activity involving the Russian energy firm's international petrol stations. The move affects compliance obligations across multiple jurisdictions where Lukoil operates retail networks.

• What changed: General License 128B replaces earlier authorizations and narrows the scope of blocked transactions to exclude non-Russian Lukoil retail operations from sanctions restrictions.
• The number: Lukoil operates approximately 1,500 retail sites across Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Eastern Europe outside Russian territory.
• For compliance teams: Organisations must update OFAC screening matrices immediately to reflect the new license parameters and review existing blocked transactions for potential unwind eligibility.

The extension signals OFAC's willingness to partition sanctioned entities by geography rather than maintain blanket prohibitions. Compliance teams should examine whether similar carve-outs may apply to other Russian firms with international operations. Legal and sanctions units must recalibrate transaction screening logic and document license-specific transaction approvals to withstand audit scrutiny. Monitor OFAC statements for clarification on transaction wind-down timelines for expired authorizations.

Compliagence announced global availability of Compliagence.ai on 29 April 2026, positioning the platform as an AI-native system for perpetual compliance. The offering combines regulatory monitoring, gap analysis, and operational design functions. The vendor claims the platform reduces manual compliance research from multiple days to minutes across banking, insurance, fintech and healthcare sectors.

• Core functionality: Regulatory monitoring tracks rule changes across jurisdictions; gap analysis maps current controls against active requirements; operational design supports remediation workflows.
• The efficiency claim: Manual research cycles compressed from days to minutes; scope covers multi-jurisdictional regimes including FCA, SEC, GDPR, and financial crime frameworks.
• For compliance teams: Evaluate whether platform integrates with existing policy libraries, whether outputs require qualified human review, and how the vendor handles regulatory change lag.

Speed gains in compliance research are valuable but depend on data accuracy and currency. Teams deploying AI compliance tools must verify the platform stays synchronized with regulatory updates, particularly in AML and sanctions where timing matters operationally. Test outputs against your control framework before scaling. Watch whether regulators accept AI-generated compliance evidence in examinations.

Teucrium Trading has appointed Brian T. MacKenzie as Chief Compliance Officer and AML Compliance Officer effective 11 May 2026, following the resignation of Christi Powitzky on 8 May. MacKenzie will oversee regulatory compliance processes and reporting obligations across the commodities trading firm. No details on compensation or MacKenzie's prior role were disclosed.

• The gap: Teucrium operated with no named CCO for three calendar days between Powitzky's departure and MacKenzie's start date.
• For compliance teams: Succession planning for the CCO role requires documented interim coverage arrangements. A three-day gap triggers documented procedures under most exchange rules.
• Next steps: Watch for regulatory notification filings with CFTC and CME if MacKenzie's appointment required exchange approval or notification within specified timeframes.

The speed of replacement suggests MacKenzie was already identified or available. Compliance teams should review their own CCO succession protocols to ensure regulatory notifications occur within exchange and regulator deadlines. Undisclosed compensation terms may indicate internal promotion or external hire at market-rate terms.