Changes to the money laundering law, Minister Malaj: Strengthening the integrity of our financial system
The Parliament today approved amendments to the law “On the Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism”. In presenting the amendments, Minister of Finance Petrit Malaj emphasized that “This draft law represents an important step towards strengthening the integrity of the Albanian financial system, increasing transparency and fulfilling the country’s international obligations”.
Among the main changes made to the existing law is the provision of the possibility of blocking or temporarily freezing transactions for up to 72 hours when there are reasons based on circumstances and facts for money laundering or the financing of weapons of mass destruction.
According to the minister, the new draft aims not only to improve existing mechanisms, but also to fully harmonize our legislation with the latest updates of international standards in this field.
Mr. Malaj also presented several indicators to the deputies. He said that "Remittances, for 2025, according to Eurostat data, were calculated at over 2 billion euros. Tourism revenues for 2025 reached the figure of 5.7 billion euros. Foreign Direct Investments increased to the highest historical level during 9M-2025 at 1.6 billion euros. Foreign currency lending during 2025 was 1.8 billion euros. Investments by foreign citizens for real estate purchases were also calculated at 560 million euros. All these indicators that I mentioned cannot and should not be interpreted as elements of "money laundering". This would be just an allusion, without any facts based on economic and financial analysis.
So, these data show us that: Tourism, real estate investments and remittances are generating foreign exchange organically; Their impact on the exchange rate is explainable and in line with economic concepts."
Of course, all this does not exclude the need for greater vigilance on the part of our institutions, to guarantee that foreign currency flows entering the economy are traceable and in accordance with international standards, said Minister Malaj.
Albania, since 2023, is no longer in the enhanced monitoring process or as it is otherwise known as the "grey list". Croatia, as an EU country, managed to exit this list in 2025, while there are countries like Bulgaria and Monaco that are still part of the grey list.
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