European Union: Terrorism, Homeland Security & Defence

Preparation of this Strategy closely follows on from the recently published National Risk Assessment on Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Proliferation Financing 2026 and its associated Priority Action Implementation Plan...

The European Union has adopted its 21st package of restrictive measures against Russia, representing the most comprehensive expansion of sanctions in four years with 218 new designations spanning banks, crypto platforms, military suppliers, and shadow fleet operators.

The Cyprus Bar Association has issued its first Guidelines on Business-Wide Risk Assessment (BWRA), establishing a comprehensive framework for supervised entities to identify and mitigate money laundering, terrorist financing and sanctions risks. These guidelines provide practical direction for compliance with the new EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation ahead of its July 2027 implementation deadline, outlining methodologies for risk assessment, control evaluation and ongoing monitoring requirements.

The Dutch government has prohibited a US IT company from acquiring Solvinity, the operator behind DigiD, the Netherlands' digital identity verification system. This decision raises important questions about how national security concerns intersect with foreign investment in critical telecommunications infrastructure and what legal mechanisms exist to protect public interests in the digital age.

The European Commission has proposed a new regulation to establish an EU-wide selection procedure for allocating licenses in the 2 GHz mobile satellite services band, with one-third reserved for governmental and defense use and two-thirds for commercial applications. The proposal aims to promote direct-to-device services and technological sovereignty once current authorizations expire in May 2027.

The European Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA) has been granted extensive enforcement powers to oversee compliance across the EU. These powers include the ability to impose administrative measures, pecuniary sanctions of up to €10 million or 10% of annual turnover, and periodic penalty payments on supervised entities. Understanding the scope, conditions, and legal remedies associated with these enforcement tools is critical for financial institutions

Cross-border investment has long been one of the most powerful engines of economic integration, shaping markets, supply chains and corporate strategies across jurisdictions.

On 29 October 2025, the European Commission adopted Delegated Regulation (C(2025) 7206) which amends the Solvency II Delegated Regulation.

In the context of the increasingly complex compliance environment within which financial entities operate today, banks are often faced with a conflict between the need to respect fundamental...