The UK and the EU’s Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive: Exceeding Expectations

This article considers the UK implementation of the Fifth Money Laundering Directive. It examines the key changes introduced by the new Directive and their impact on the UK anti-money laundering regime. Given the evolving nature of threats relating to money laundering and the latest technological developments, this article argues that the UK has decided to go beyond the EU minimum requirements. The article outlines the concept of money laundering and the UK legal framework of anti-money laundering, before assessing the main changes and their effects on the UK anti-money laundering regime.