Federal Decree‑Law No. 10 of 2025: A New Era for AML and Compliance
The New UAE AML Framework
(Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025)
Stricter anti-money-laundering reforms are reshaping the UAE’s compliance landscape and redefining how institutions manage financial integrity. Businesses must now demonstrate transparent ownership and ongoing monitoring to align with the country’s strengthened global standards.
The UAE’s compliance environment changed significantly with the enactment of Federal Decree‑Law No. 10 of 2025 on Combating Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing and Financing of Arms Proliferation. Legal experts note that the law broadens the scope of AML compliance, introduces enhanced due‑diligence obligations, and increases penalties for non‑compliance.
The law aligns the UAE with global financial security standards and requires businesses and financial institutions to strengthen Know‑Your‑Customer (KYC) and Know‑Your‑Business (KYB) processes, integrate beneficial‑ownership screening, and monitor transactions more closelyjalsumaiti.com. Companies operating in or through the UAE must ensure that they have robust AML controls, regular screening against sanctions lists, and ongoing monitoring of counterparties’ risk profiles to avoid hefty fines and reputational damage.
