Brussels / Dallas — March 9, 2026

European compliance law firm Ethikos and U.S. business law firm FBFK Law have announced a strategic collaboration to create a transatlantic anti-money laundering (AML) compliance and enforcement defense platform connecting the United States and the European Union.

The alliance responds to a rapidly evolving regulatory environment in which financial institutions, fintech companies, and digital asset businesses face increasing AML enforcement and regulatory scrutiny across jurisdictions.

By combining their respective expertise in AML compliance, financial crime regulation, sanctions law, and enforcement defense, the two firms aim to provide coordinated legal support to institutions operating internationally.

Rising Global Enforcement in Anti-Money Laundering Compliance

Regulatory authorities in both the United States and the European Union have significantly intensified their focus on financial crime compliance, suspicious-transaction monitoring, and the governance of AML programs.

Industry reports show a sharp increase in global AML enforcement actions and regulatory fines, particularly targeting financial institutions and fintech platforms. At the same time, the European Union is implementing a major reform of its AML regulatory framework, including:

• the EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR), expected to apply from July 10, 2027
• the establishment of the European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) headquartered in Frankfurt
• stronger coordination of AML supervision across EU Member States

These developments are creating a regulatory environment in which institutions must increasingly align AML compliance frameworks across multiple jurisdictions.

A Transatlantic Platform for AML Compliance and Enforcement Defense

The collaboration between Ethikos and FBFK Law establishes a coordinated platform for advising financial institutions on complex cross-border AML and sanctions compliance, as well as regulatory enforcement matters.

The firms will assist clients in areas such as:

• AML compliance program design
• regulatory examination and inspection readiness
• financial crime investigations
• enforcement defense before regulators
• sanctions compliance and risk management
• fintech licensing and regulatory strategy
• cross-border transaction risk integration
• board-level AML governance

The alliance is designed to help institutions anticipate regulatory risk and strengthen AML compliance programs across both the U.S. and European regulatory environments.

Converging AML Regulatory Expectations

According to Kyle Ferguson, CEO of FBFK Law:

“These developments represent more than incremental enforcement. They reflect structural alignment across jurisdictions. Institutions operating globally must align their compliance frameworks accordingly.”

Miguel Mairlot, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ethikos, added:

“Regulatory expectations are converging. Institutions must anticipate enforcement risk through coordinated governance and risk-based AML architecture.”

This convergence of regulatory expectations is increasingly affecting international banks, fintech companies, asset managers, and digital asset platforms operating across the United States and Europe.

Ethikos: European Expertise in AML Compliance and Sanctions Law

Ethikos is a European law firm focusing on anti-money laundering compliance, financial regulation, sanctions law, and regulatory risk management.

Based in Brussels, Luxembourg and Lisbon, the firm advises financial institutions, fintech companies, and international businesses across the European Union on:

• AML regulatory compliance
• sanctions and financial restrictions
• AML program governance
• regulatory inspections and audits
• cross-border financial crime risk

Each year, Ethikos conducts hundreds of AML reviews and regulatory inspections, and in certain engagements, assesses more than a thousand individual AML files as part of compliance reviews and regulatory assessments.

FBFK Law: U.S. Regulatory and Enforcement Expertise

FBFK Law, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a full-service U.S. business law firm with offices in Plano, Houston, Austin, and Orange County, California.

The firm represents clients across the United States in areas including:

• regulatory investigations
• financial compliance and enforcement defense
• corporate transactions
• intellectual property
• complex commercial litigation

With more than 20 years of legal experience, FBFK Law advises companies navigating complex U.S. regulatory and enforcement environments, including those affecting financial services and fintech sectors.

Launch at the FIBA AML Conference

The new alliance will be formally introduced at the FIBA AML Conference, organized by the Florida International Bankers Association, on March 23, 2026, in Miami.

During the conference, representatives from both firms will present on U.S.–EU AML enforcement trends and strategies for aligning legal and compliance teams across jurisdictions.

🔗 Read the original press release
https://www.fbfk.law/fbfk-law-ethikos-launch-transatlantic-aml-alliance