Romania Updates Its AML Legislation: Law No. 86/2025 Promulgated Following Moneyval and EU Recommendations

In a decisive move to strengthen its legal and institutional framework against money laundering and terrorist financing, Romania has officially updated its primary anti-money laundering legislation. By Presidential Decree No. 685/2025, Law No. 86/2025 was promulgated, amending and modernizing Law No. 129/2019.

This legislative development comes in direct response to key recommendations from the Council of Europe’s MONEYVAL 2023 Mutual Evaluation Report, as well as the European Union’s 6th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD6), which sets higher standards for EU member states in combating financial crime.

Key Drivers Behind the Amendment

  • MONEYVAL 2023 Findings: The 2023 report highlighted several critical areas where Romania needed to enhance its compliance with international AML/CFT standards, particularly regarding risk-based supervision, beneficial ownership transparency, and the effectiveness of financial investigations.
  • Alignment with AMLD6: As part of its EU obligations, Romania is aligning its legislation with AMLD6, which introduces criminal liability for legal persons, harmonizes definitions of predicate offences, and increases cooperation mechanisms across jurisdictions.

Notable Changes Introduced by Law No. 86/2025

While the full text of the amended law is pending publication in the Monitorul Oficial, early summaries indicate several major updates:

  • Expanded Definition of Obliged Entities: Additional categories of professionals and service providers will now be subject to AML obligations, reflecting changes under AMLD6.
  • Stricter Requirements on Beneficial Ownership: Enhanced due diligence obligations and more robust sanctions for non-compliance are expected, following MONEYVAL’s call for greater transparency.
  • Enhanced Supervisory Powers: Financial and non-financial supervisors will benefit from expanded powers and clearer risk-based frameworks.
  • Criminalisation of Reckless Facilitation: In line with AMLD6, the law criminalizes negligent facilitation of money laundering, expanding beyond direct intent.
  • Legal Liability of Legal Persons: Companies and other legal entities may now be held criminally accountable for failure to implement AML compliance programs or for involvement in laundering activities.

Regional and Sectoral Impact

This legislative update is expected to have a direct impact across several sectors — particularly financial services, notaries, legal advisors, and the burgeoning fintech and crypto sectors. It also positions Romania more credibly within the EU’s broader push for a harmonised AML framework, especially with the upcoming establishment of the European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) in Frankfurt.

What’s Next?

The Ministry of Finance and the National Office for the Prevention and Control of Money Laundering (ONPCSB) are expected to issue implementing regulations in the coming weeks, clarifying procedural changes and timelines for compliance by reporting entities.

As Romania seeks to reinforce its rule of law credentials and attract transparent investment, these reforms mark a pivotal moment in the country’s ongoing battle against financial crime.