The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2026

The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2026 have been made and laid before Parliament, alongside an explanatory memorandum. The Regulations make amendments to the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (MLRs) to implement the government's consultation response to its 2024 consultation on improving the effectiveness of the MLRs. The amendments aim to strengthen the UK's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime and ensure continued compliance with Financial Action Task Force standards.

Key changes include:

• Refining due diligence requirements so that enhanced measures focus on higher risk transactions and jurisdictions.
• Converting thresholds from EUR to GBP.
• New provisions governing pooled client accounts.
• Bringing the service of selling an off-the-shelf firm within scope of trust or company service provider services.
• Strengthening the regime for cryptoasset businesses.
• Changes to the scope of trust registration requirements.
• Improving information-sharing between supervisory authorities and other regulatory bodies.

The Regulations were subject to a technical consultation in September 2025, following which the government made a number of targeted changes. The Regulations will come into force 21 days after they are made, with some provisions coming into force in 2027. In particular, provisions impacting change in control of registered cryptoasset businesses take full effect from 25 October 2027, in alignment with the date on which the incoming UK cryptoasset regime is due to come into force. 

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