The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority has announced that, from 1 April 2026, firms under its anti-money laundering supervision will have their inherent money laundering and terrorist financing risk classified using a revised rating scale, aligning the approach with its other supervisory areas and with expected EU anti-money laundering regulation. The authority states that the adjustment does not change the substance of its inherent risk assessment. Following an anti-money laundering inspection, firms receive an inspection report and a statement that typically includes an inherent risk classification based on the business model, customer types, products, services, transactions, delivery channels and geographies, before taking account of controls or mitigating measures. The scale will move from five levels (low, low-medium, medium, medium-high and high) to four levels (low, medium, significant and high), reflecting the expected approach under EU Directive 2024/1640 (AMLD6) and current European Banking Authority practice; some firms may see their label shift due to the rescaling, for example from medium-high to high, and most firms previously rated medium will be reclassified as either medium or significant. The revised scale will apply to inspection reports published after 1 April 2026, while the regulatory technical standards under Article 40(2) referenced in the forthcoming EU framework have not yet been published.
Danish Finanstilsynet 2026-01-27
Danish Financial Supervisory Authority moves AML inherent risk classification from five to four tiers from April 2026
The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority will implement a revised four-level risk classification scale for anti-money laundering supervision from 1 April 2026, aligning with EU Directive 2024/1640 and European Banking Authority practices. This change, which does not alter the substance of risk assessments, may result in some firms being reclassified, with the new scale applied to inspection reports published after the effective date.