AMLA Surveys Payment Firms on Central Contact Point Rules

The European Union’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority has launched a survey of payment firms and electronic money institutions as it prepares to update the framework for central contact points.

National supervisors may require foreign firms operating through local agents or distributors to appoint a central contact point that supports compliance and communication with the host authority. AMLA is gathering firms’ experience with these arrangements, Public reporting indicates that .

A cross-border coordination mechanism

Central contact points can help supervisors obtain information, coordinate inspections and address weaknesses where a payment institution serves customers in one country while being authorised in another.

Payment and e-money firms should review whether local agents provide complete and timely data, whether responsibilities are clearly documented and whether the contact point can respond effectively to regulatory requests.

The consultation may lead to more consistent expectations across the EU. Firms should retain evidence of current operational difficulties and control gaps so their responses reflect practical experience rather than only legal structure.

How a central contact point can reduce blind spots

Payment institutions often operate across borders through large networks of agents. A host supervisor may have limited direct contact with the institution authorised in another member state, making it harder to obtain transaction data or coordinate remediation.

A central contact point can consolidate requests, monitor agent compliance and provide local authorities with reliable information. Firms should test whether the function has adequate staffing, authority and access to group systems. A nominal representative without timely data would not solve the supervisory problem the framework is intended to address.

Evidence a contact point should maintain

• A current register of agents and distributors in the host state.
• Access to customer, transaction and suspicious-reporting data.
• Records of regulatory requests and response times.
• Documented authority to require remediation across the local network.

Next focus: Survey responses may influence the circumstances in which a contact point is mandatory and the duties it must perform. Payment groups should use the consultation period to identify gaps in local data access and supervisory communication.