Cross-jurisdiction comparison
AML/CFT Regulation Compared: 11 Jurisdictions
A side-by-side comparison of anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing regimes across eleven major jurisdictions: primary statutes, regulators, financial intelligence units, sanctions authorities, beneficial-ownership registers, crypto regimes, and the most significant 2024–2026 reforms.
Last updated 2026-06-20
AML/CFT Regulation Compared: 11 Jurisdictions
The table below summarises and compares the AML/CFT regimes covered in this knowledge base. Each row is a high-level summary; for sources and detail, see the individual jurisdiction guide. All eleven jurisdictions implement the FATF 40 Recommendations, which is the shared parent of every regime, so FATF is treated as the common baseline rather than a separate column.
General information, not legal advice. This material is provided for general informational purposes and reflects publicly available sources as of 20 June 2026. It is not legal advice and may not reflect the most recent changes. Several dates below are near-term or subject to ongoing rulemaking; confirm any obligation against the relevant primary authority before relying on it.
Comparison matrix
| Jurisdiction | Primary AML statute(s) | AML regulator | FIU | Sanctions authority and list | Beneficial-ownership register | Crypto / VASP regime | Most significant 2024–2026 reform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Bank Secrecy Act 1970; PATRIOT Act 2001; AMLA 2020 (incl. CTA) | FinCEN + prudential regulators (OCC/FDIC/Fed/NCUA); SEC/FINRA | FinCEN | OFAC — SDN List + Consolidated List; strict liability and the 50% Rule | CTA/FinCEN BOI registry — now exempt for domestic entities since the Mar 2025 interim rule | Investment-adviser and crypto rulemaking in flight; funds Travel Rule at or above $3,000 | Proposed Apr 2026 risk-based "effectiveness" AML program reform |
| European Union | AML Directives 1–6 then the 2024 AML Package (AMLR 2024/1624, AMLD6 2024/1640, AMLA Reg 2024/1620) | National supervisors moving to AMLA (Frankfurt, live 1 Jul 2025; direct supervision 2028) | National FIUs (e.g. TRACFIN, FIU-Nederland) | Council/EEAS + Commission (DG FISMA) — EU Consolidated Financial Sanctions List | National UBO registers; public access struck down by the CJEU (22 Nov 2022), now legitimate-interest only; 25% threshold | 5AMLD (VASPs) plus MiCA | AMLR single rulebook applies 10 Jul 2027; AMLA stood up 2025 |
| United Kingdom | POCA 2002; Terrorism Act 2000; MLR 2017; SAMLA 2018; ECTEA 2022; ECCTA 2023 | FCA (moving to single professional-services supervisor); HMRC; Gambling Commission; professional-body supervisors / OPBAS | NCA / UKFIU | FCDO designates, OFSI implements — consolidating to a single UK Sanctions List from 28 Jan 2026; strict liability (£1m or 50%) | Companies House PSC register (public, over 25%) + Register of Overseas Entities (2022); identity verification under ECCTA | 2019 regulations: crypto-exchange and custodian-wallet providers (FCA-registered) | Single UK Sanctions List (28 Jan 2026); ECCTA identity-verification rollout 2025–26 |
| Singapore | CDSA 1992; TSOFA 2002; PS Act 2019; AMLA 2024 | MAS (integrated; binding Notices, e.g. 626) | STRO (under CAD) | MAS + Inter-Ministry Committee — UN lists plus the TSOFA First Schedule (domestic TF list); no large autonomous regime | UBO identification under MAS Notices; corporate-registry transparency a 2024 focus | PS Act 2019 Digital Payment Token licensing plus Travel Rule; 2025 territorial expansion | AMLA 2024 (phased from 14 Nov 2024) plus the Oct 2024 IMC report and National AML Strategy |
| Switzerland | AMLA/GwG (1997/98); Embargo Act 2002; TLEA + revised AMLA 2025 | FINMA plus recognised SROs (parabanking) | MROS (within fedpol) | SECO — consolidated list (SESAM); mirrors the EU but is not identical | Federal UBO register created by TLEA 2025 (authority access; expected ~H2 2026) | DLT trading facilities / crypto in AMLA scope | TLEA + AMLA revision adopted 26 Sep 2025 (federal UBO register; AML duties extended to advisers); in force expected H2 2026 |
| Canada | PCMLTFA 2000 (TF added 2001); SEMA 1992; JVCFOA/Magnitsky 2017; UN Act | FINTRAC (FIU and supervisor); provincial regulators | FINTRAC | Global Affairs Canada — Consolidated Autonomous Sanctions List (SEMA + Magnitsky); "continuing basis" duty plus deemed-ownership/50% | CBCA individuals-with-significant-control registry live 22 Jan 2024 (partially public) | Virtual-currency dealers registered as MSBs (2019–21); Large Virtual Currency Transaction Reports | Expanded sanctioned-property reporting plus deemed-ownership (effective 1 Oct 2025); amendments Royal Assent 26 Mar 2026 |
| Australia | AML/CTF Act 2006 (+ Rules); FTR Act 1988 (repealed 7 Jan 2025); AML/CTF Amendment Act 2024 (Tranche 2) | AUSTRAC (regulator and FIU); AGD (policy); Home Affairs | AUSTRAC | DFAT — Australian Sanctions Office — Consolidated List (UN + Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011) | CDD-level BO identification; Tranche 2 strengthens BO obligations | Digital-currency exchanges in scope; Tranche 2 modernises VASP rules | Tranche 2 (large DNFBP population in scope): existing entities/VASPs 31 Mar 2026; DNFBP go-live 1 Jul 2026 |
| Hong Kong | DTROP (Cap. 405); OSCO (Cap. 455); UNATMO (Cap. 575); UNSO (Cap. 537); AMLO (Cap. 615, 2012) | HKMA / SFC / C&ED / IA (multi-regulator); Companies Registry for TCSPs | JFIU (Police + Customs) | CEDB (Cap. 537) + Security Bureau (Cap. 575) — UN Security Council sanctions only; no autonomous adoption of US/EU/UK measures | Significant Controllers Register since 1 Mar 2018 (law-enforcement access; 10% or more) | SFC VASP licensing from 1 Jun 2023; Stablecoins Ordinance in force 1 Aug 2025 | Stablecoins Ordinance (1 Aug 2025); continued virtual-asset-perimeter expansion |
| Japan | APTCP 2007 (core preventive); APOC 1999; TF Act 2002; FEFTA (sanctions) | FSA (Guidelines as de-facto rulebook); MoF/METI (sanctions); NPA council | JAFIC (within NPA) | MoF (financial freezes) + METI (trade) under FEFTA — asset-freeze list; screening is a supervisory expectation rather than a prescriptive statute | Voluntary central BO list (Jan 2022); more than 25% (one-fourth) of voting rights | Crypto-asset and stablecoin providers; Travel Rule in force 1 Jun 2023 | Dec 2022 omnibus act (raised penalties; crypto Travel Rule); ongoing-CDD deadline 2024; FATF follow-up |
| United Arab Emirates | Law 4/2002 → Decree-Law 20/2018 → Decree-Law 10/2025 (in force 14 Oct 2025); Cabinet Decisions 58/2020, 74/2020, 134/2025 | CBUAE; DFSA (DIFC); FSRA (ADGM); Ministry of Economy (DNFBPs) | UAE FIU (within CBUAE; goAML) | EOCN — two lists: UN Consolidated List plus a sovereign UAE Local Terrorist List | UBO registers (Cabinet Decision 58/2020; 25% or more); free zones run their own regimes | VASPs expressly in scope under Decree-Law 10/2025 | Decree-Law 10/2025 (in force 14 Oct 2025): consolidated statute (proliferation financing, VASP, tax predicate); off FATF grey list 23 Feb 2024 |
Key patterns
Convergence. All eleven regimes share the same FATF-derived core: a risk-based approach, customer due diligence (including beneficial-ownership identification), enhanced due diligence for politically exposed persons, suspicious-activity reporting to a national FIU, and targeted financial sanctions that require screening against designation lists. Beneficial-ownership thresholds cluster around 25% (Hong Kong uses 10%). Every jurisdiction has brought virtual assets into the AML perimeter.
Divergence. The clearest split is between jurisdictions that operate large autonomous (independent) sanctions regimes — the US (OFAC), the EU, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland (which mirrors the EU autonomously) — and those that primarily implement UN measures, such as Hong Kong (UN only), Singapore (UN plus a domestic terrorist-financing list), Japan (a FEFTA asset-freeze list, heavily coordinated internationally), and the UAE (UN plus a sovereign local terrorist list). Supervision also varies, from integrated single regulators (Singapore, Australia) to multi-regulator models (Hong Kong, the US), and the EU and UK are both consolidating supervision (toward AMLA and the FCA respectively).
Glossary
- FIU — Financial Intelligence Unit (the national recipient of suspicious-activity reports).
- VASP — Virtual Asset Service Provider (crypto exchanges, custodians, and digital-token providers).
- UBO / BO — (ultimate) beneficial owner.
- DNFBP — Designated Non-Financial Business or Profession.
- TFS — Targeted Financial Sanctions (FATF Recommendations 6 and 7).
- PEP — Politically Exposed Person.