From January 1, 2026, supervision of the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Prevention) Act (AML) will undergo radical changes. The Financial and Economic Integrity Service (DFEI) wordt dan het centrale aanspreekpunt voor toezicht, handhaving en opsporing op het gebied van integriteit binnen het financiële stelsel. Wat betekent deze verandering voor u en uw organisatie? In deze blog leest u de belangrijkste feiten en gevolgen, rechtstreeks uit de officiële regeling van het ministerie van Financiën.
What is DFEI and why this change?
DFEI is a new organizational unit within the Ministry of Finance. It was established in response to the desire to place non-fiscal tasks, such as the supervision of money laundering and terrorist financing, outside the Tax and Customs Administration. DFEI will take over the tasks of the AML Supervisory Authority and the Economic Enforcement Authority. This will create a specialized service that focuses entirely on preventing and combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and violations of sanctions, especially among non-financial and non-legal gatekeepers such as real estate agents, appraisers, domicile providers, and trust offices.
What will DFEI do?
DFEI will have three main departments:
- AML Supervision: Focused on supervision and enforcement at gatekeepers that fall under the AML.
- UBO and economic enforcement: focus op transparantie van eigenaarsstructuren en handhaving van het UBO- en trustregister.
- Professional expertise, business operations, and strategy: ondersteuning en ontwikkeling van beleid, processen en strategie.
The tasks of DFEI are broad and far-reaching. They include:
- Supervision of compliance with the AML and related legislation.
- Enforcement in the event of violations, both administrative and criminal.
- Opsporing van overtredingen van de administratieplicht en registratieplichten, zoals de Handelsregisterwet.
- Behandeling van bezwaarschriften en beroepsprocedures die voortvloeien uit het eigen toezicht en de handhaving.
What does this mean for you?
The arrival of DFEI means that supervision of AML compliance will be further tightened within the Netherlands. DFEI has opted for a risk-based approach: the aim is to create an environment in which unintentional violations are prevented and it becomes easier for institutions to comply with the rules. At the same time, DFEI will take strict action if institutions deliberately violate rules or commit fraud. This means that, as an organization which operates in the Netherlands, you must be able to demonstrate that your processes are in order, that you know your clients well, and that you report accurately and on time where necessary.
How can you prepare?
Het is belangrijk om uw complianceprocessen kritisch te bekijken en waar nodig te versterken. Denk aan het actualiseren van uw cliëntenonderzoek, het goed vastleggen van eigendomsstructuren en het trainen van medewerkers. Door nu te investeren in een betrouwbare complianceaanpak, voorkomt u problemen wanneer het toezicht vanaf 2026 intensiever wordt.
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