Beneficial Ownership Registers in the EU: July 10, 2026 - a key deadline for owners of foreign companies

There is less than a month left until a key deadline under EU anti-money laundering legislation. On July 10, 2026, member states are required to complete the transposition of new rules regarding the development of beneficial ownership registers in accordance with the EU’s Sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive - AMLD6 (Directive (EU) 2024/1640). For owners of international structures, this is not a technical formality, but a real change in ownership disclosure rules across Europe.

What is AMLD6 and why is it important

AMLD6 is part of a large-scale EU anti-money laundering package adopted in May 2024. The package consists of three key acts:

• AMLR (AML Regulation) – a single regulation with direct effect (effective July 10, 2027).

• AMLD6 – the Sixth Directive, which regulates the institutional framework and the operation of registries at the Member State level.

• AMLAR – a regulation establishing the AMLA (Anti-Money Laundering Authority), a new single EU supervisory authority in Frankfurt.

AMLD6 is being implemented in phases, with different transposition deadlines. The provisions on central beneficial ownership registers (Articles 11–13 and 15) must be integrated into the national legislation of EU countries by July 10, 2026.

What Changes on July 10, 2026

1. New Requirements for the Content of Beneficial Ownership Registers in the EU

Central registers of ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs) are now required to contain a significantly broader range of data:

• Information on non-EU legal entities that have structures or assets (e.g., real estate) in the EU.

• Detailed information on trusts and similar legal arrangements.

• Historical data - information on changes in beneficial ownership must be retained and made available for at least the past 5 years.

• Data integration via a pan-European platform for rapid cross-border searches.

2. New rules on thresholds and aggregation of holdings

The new EU-wide AMLR regulation introduces significant changes to the criteria for determining beneficial ownership, to which national beneficial ownership registers in the EU must adapt immediately:

• Lowered threshold for high-risk sectors. For companies with an increased risk of money laundering, the European Commission has been granted the right to lower the standard UBO identification threshold from 25% to 15%. The list of such sectors is currently being finalized and may include real estate, crypto assets, luxury goods trade, etc.

• Strict rules for aggregating shareholdings. Requirements for aggregating the shares of related parties - relatives, affiliated entities, or persons acting in concert are being significantly tightened. Schemes of artificial fragmentation of ownership (for example, distributing 20% stakes among members of a single family) will no longer allow the ultimate controller to be concealed.

3. Mandatory uniform sanctions

By July 10, 2026, the European Commission is required to adopt delegated acts with clear guidelines on sanctions for violations of UBO rules. The penalty system across all 27 EU countries is becoming unified and predictable, minimizing the risk of “forum shopping” (selecting a jurisdiction with milder penalties).

4. Publication of 23 AMLA technical standards

By this same date, the new regulator AMLA is required to publish 23 technical and implementing standards (RTS/ITS). These will regulate in detail customer due diligence (CDD) procedures and risk-based supervision.

Timeline of key dates in AML reform

The status of beneficial ownership registers across different jurisdictions in the EU is currently uneven. For example, even at an earlier stage of the reform, the European Commission launched infringement proceedings against 11 Member States that were late in implementing the rules on access to registries.

What this means for owners of international structures

If you are a beneficiary or director of a company in the EU- in Cyprus, in Poland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Malta or another member state - the new requirements apply directly to you:

• Check ownership stakes and relationships. If you or your partners/relatives collectively hold stakes close to 25%, or if your business falls into categories with a potentially lower threshold (up to 15%)- your structure requires analysis to identify the UBO under the new aggregation rules.

• Update your data in the EU Beneficial Ownership Register. Disclosure requirements are becoming stricter. For financial institutions and other obligated entities, fines for systemic AML violations can reach up to 10% of annual turnover or €5 million. For ordinary companies that have not updated their beneficial owner information, substantial fixed fines are imposed (for example, in Germany and Austria - up to 100,000–200,000 euros).

• Review structures with non-EU elements. The rules also apply to foreign (non-EU) legal entities that are part of European holding companies or hold assets within the EU.

• Pay attention to trusts. AMLD6 definitively removes trusts and similar legal entities from the “gray zone,” requiring full transparency regarding founders, trustees, and beneficiaries.

The Maira Consult team monitors changes in EU legislation regarding the disclosure of information on ultimate beneficial owners and analyzes their impact on international business. Beneficiary registries in the EU are becoming an increasingly important element of compliance, and the new AMLD6 requirements strengthen oversight of the transparency of corporate structures.

If your company is registered in the EU or holds European assets, it is advisable to verify the accuracy of beneficiary data and ensure the structure complies with the new rules well in advance. Maira Consult’s specialists will help you assess risks, review your corporate structure, and prepare for the changes before the July 10, 2026, deadline.