Study visit to Malta on preventing money laundering in the virtual assets sector

Representatives of the Office for Prevention and Fight against of Money Laundering conducted a study visit to Malta from 17 to 19 November. It was organised with the support of the European Commission, through the TAIEX Programme.

The activity was hosted by the Financial Intelligence Unit of Malta and aimed to exchange experience and good practices regarding the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing in the virtual assets sector and virtual asset service providers.

The programme of the visit included technical and practical sessions supported by experts from relevant institutions in Malta. The discussions focused on the regulatory and supervisory mechanisms applicable to virtual asset service providers, the investigative approaches used to identify and monitor risks, as well as on the modalities of inter-institutional cooperation at national level. Licensing and compliance requirements were also presented, as well as how to integrate the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force and European standards into the national regulatory framework.

The study visit strengthened the professional dialogue between the Office for Prevention and Fight against of Money Laundering and its international partners and provided a valuable framework for taking over European good practices, contributing to strengthening national institutional capacities in the field of preventing and combating money laundering and terrorist financing, especially in the virtual assets sector.