George Filippakis

A multidiscliplinary approach to Law, Finance and Technology

  • What AMLA means for the crypto industry

    On 1 July 2025, the new European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) officially launched its supervisory powers. Barely a month into its mandate, AMLA made its stance on crypto crystal clear: firms active in the sector must put strong anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CFT) safeguards in place from day one. This isn’t just a…

  • SupTech in AML/CFT supervision: big potential, but supervisors need more support

    The European Banking Authority (EBA) has just published its latest report on the use of technology in anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) supervision (EBA/Rep/2025/23), often called SupTech. The timing couldn’t be more relevant. Across Europe, national supervisory authorities are facing an avalanche of new responsibilities under the EU’s updated AML…

  • EBA’s fourth opinion on ML/TF risks: key takeaways and what banks need to know

    Every two years, the European Banking Authority (EBA) takes a deep dive into the risks of money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) across Europe’s financial sector. The latest Opinion, released in July 2025, paints a picture that’s both familiar and fast-changing: technology is driving innovation, but it’s also opening new doors for criminals. So…

  • Reverse solicitation in EU financial regulation: what firms need to know

    Reverse solicitation is one of those technical-sounding terms that has become increasingly important in EU financial regulation. It’s relevant in several areas, from investment services under MiFID II, to banking under CRD V/VI, and now in the crypto sector under MiCA. For third-country firms (non-EU banks, investment firms, or crypto providers) looking to access the…

  • ESMA clarifies whether CASPs can stake clients’ crypto for their own benefit

    If you’ve been following the rollout of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), you’ll know that staking has been one of the hottest topics. For those less familiar, staking is essentially when crypto holders lock up their tokens to help secure a blockchain network (like Ethereum’s proof-of-stake model) and, in return, earn rewards. It’s popular…

George Filippakis

Attorney at Law