Kosovo adopts AML/CFT law amendments, clearing a key hurdle for its SEPA bid

Kosovo's Assembly has adopted amendments to the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT). The Central Bank of the Republic of Kosova (CBK) said on 17 October 2026 that the law fulfils "one of the key legislative requirements" for joining the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). The CBK started the process by submitting a pre-application in 2024. It called the adoption "a very important step" towards Kosovo's integration into SEPA.

The CBK's next steps depend on the law entering into force. Once it does, the CBK "will issue the relevant implementing regulations". It will also finalise the technical update of its application, "taking into account the intervening changes in European legislation", in coordination with the relevant EU institutions. The application will then be submitted for review "in accordance with the procedures and timelines of the competent European institutions". The CBK did not describe the substance of the amendments or give an entry-into-force date. Atlas reads the implementing regulations as the point at which the amended law becomes concrete obligations for banks and payment firms in Kosovo.

Groundwork for SEPA and AML supervision

The CBK says it is continuing to work with the banking sector on preparations to implement SEPA payment schemes. On 8 September it reported intensified institutional and sector preparations for SEPA integration. On 30 September it welcomed the submission of the draft amendments to the Assembly.

The legislation follows other work on financial-crime controls and euro access:

- On 11 June the CBK hosted a new US Treasury Office of Technical Assistance mission. The mission was set up to reinforce the CBK's AML/CFT supervisory capacity and to launch a multi-agency project.
- On 14 September the CBK confirmed Kosovo's inclusion in the advanced EUREP mechanism, which the European Central Bank established to provide temporary euro liquidity.

The CBK says it remains committed to advancing the application "as swiftly as possible" while meeting the relevant requirements. It estimates that SEPA membership would save citizens, businesses and the diaspora more than €55m a year, by making cross-border euro payments faster, easier and cheaper.