What Is ANIFI? Spain's Proposed New AML Authority

ANIFI (Autoridad Nacional de Integridad Financiera) is the independent authority that Spain's government has proposed to create by combining functions currently divided between SEPBLAC and the Secretariat of the Commission for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Monetary Offences.

If enacted, ANIFI would become Spain's central authority for financial intelligence, AML/CFT supervision and inspection, enforcement, international financial sanctions and counter-proliferation financing. It would also be Spain's single interlocutor with the EU's Anti-Money Laundering Authority, AMLA.

ANIFI at a Glance

Why Is Spain Proposing ANIFI?

Spain currently divides key AML/CFT responsibilities across two bodies. Under the existing framework, SEPBLAC operates as Spain's Financial Intelligence Unit and performs AML/CFT supervisory functions. The Secretariat of the Commission for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Monetary Offences supports policymaking, enforcement proceedings and work relating to international financial sanctions.

The government says bringing those functions together would create a clearer, more independent institutional centre. Its stated objectives are to strengthen Spain's AML architecture, adapt it to the EU anti-money laundering package adopted in 2024 and align it with Financial Action Task Force standards.

This is more than a change of name. A single authority could connect intelligence, supervision, inspections, enforcement and sanctions work within one institution. That may reduce institutional fragmentation, but the practical outcome will depend on the final law, governance safeguards, staffing, data access and transition rules.

What Powers Would ANIFI Have?

The preliminary proposal gives ANIFI a broad remit:

• act as Spain's Financial Intelligence Unit;
• supervise and inspect obliged entities for AML/CFT compliance;
• exercise sanctioning and enforcement powers;
• take responsibility for international financial sanctions;
• oversee measures against the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction;
• coordinate Spain's relationship with AMLA.

The proliferation-financing element is particularly notable. The government describes it as a competence not previously assigned to a single Spanish authority. It reflects the wider move from an AML/CFT framework toward an AML/CFT/CPF framework, where CPF means countering proliferation financing.

ANIFI vs SEPBLAC: What Would Change?

ANIFI should not be understood as merely a renamed SEPBLAC. Under the proposal, SEPBLAC's financial-intelligence and supervisory capabilities would sit inside an authority that also holds functions now performed by the Commission Secretariat.

The final legislation will need to determine how employees, files, investigations, reporting channels, legal powers and pending proceedings move into the new authority. Firms should therefore avoid redesigning formal reporting routes before those transition rules are published.

Would ANIFI Replace Banco de España, CNMV or the FROB?

No. ANIFI would not replace Banco de España or the CNMV as Spain's sectoral financial authorities.

The proposal is connected to a separate reorganisation of the FROB, Spain's current executive resolution authority. The government intends to build ANIFI on the FROB's existing operational structure. At the same time, the FROB's executive resolution powers would move:

• to Banco de España for credit institutions; and
• to the CNMV for investment firms.

That distinction matters. The AML reform would centralise core financial-integrity functions in ANIFI. The resolution reform would consolidate preventive and executive resolution responsibilities in Banco de España and the CNMV. These are related institutional changes, but they are not the same function.

How Would ANIFI Be Funded?

The government proposes an autonomous funding model rather than ordinary dependence on the General State Budget. ANIFI would be financed through:

1. a fee charged to obliged entities subject to administrative licensing, principally financial institutions and gambling operators; and
2. a limited share of the financial penalties it imposes, earmarked for prevention, enforcement and international cooperation.

The structure is intended to give the authority stable resources. It will also deserve scrutiny during the legislative process. The final law will need to define the fee base, proportionality, accountability and safeguards around the use of sanction revenue.

For regulated firms, the immediate conclusion is not that a known ANIFI fee is already payable. No operational fee should be assumed until the final legislation and implementing rules establish it.

What Else Is Included in Spain's AML Reform?

The proposed authority is the headline change, but the draft reform is broader. According to the Council of Ministers' announcement, the bill would also:

• bring additional activities within the scope of AML/CFT obligations;
• strengthen inspection and sanctioning powers connected with the central beneficial ownership register;
• tighten fit-and-proper requirements so that people convicted of money laundering cannot act as obliged entities or direct them;
• reinforce controls over movements of cash and other means of payment;
• update Spain's framework for EU rules and international standards.

The detailed scope of each change cannot be treated as final until the legislative text is published, amended and enacted.

Why ANIFI Matters for Spain's Relationship with AMLA

ANIFI is being proposed as the Spanish AML framework connects to a much more integrated EU system.

Directive (EU) 2024/1640 requires Member States to transpose most of its provisions by 10 July 2027. Meanwhile, the EU's Anti-Money Laundering Authority is developing a common supervisory framework, coordinating national Financial Intelligence Units and preparing for direct supervision.

AMLA expects to select up to 40 high-risk cross-border financial institutions or groups during 2027 and begin direct supervision in 2028. National authorities will continue to supervise most obliged entities, but they will do so within a more harmonised European framework.

By making ANIFI the single Spanish interlocutor, the proposal aims to give AMLA a clear national counterpart for supervision, financial intelligence and institutional coordination.

What ANIFI Could Mean for Obliged Entities

The proposal does not suspend or replace today's compliance duties. Spanish obliged entities must continue to follow Law 10/2010, its implementing rules and current authority procedures.

If enacted, however, the reform could affect five practical areas.

1. A more integrated supervisory relationship

A single authority combining intelligence, supervision and enforcement may be able to connect information across those functions more quickly. Firms should expect consistency between policies, risk assessments, customer files, monitoring alerts, suspicious-activity reports and explanations given during inspections.

2. Greater enforcement consistency

Bringing inspection and sanctioning functions closer together may shorten the path from a control weakness to an enforcement response. The final institutional safeguards will matter, but firms should already make sure that their written procedures match actual operational practice.

3. More scrutiny of beneficial ownership

The reform expressly addresses the beneficial ownership register and fit-and-proper requirements. Compliance teams should test whether they can identify natural-person owners and controllers, document discrepancies, screen connected parties and retain the source evidence supporting each decision.

4. More mature sanctions and CPF controls

The proposed international-financial-sanctions and proliferation-financing remit means firms should not treat sanctions screening as an onboarding-only name check. List updates, ownership and control, payment parties, geographic exposure and unusual transaction patterns all need defined escalation and evidence.

5. Closer EU-level coordination

Cross-border financial groups may face more standardised data requests and risk assessment methods as AMLA's model develops. Even firms that remain under national supervision will operate under a more harmonised EU rulebook.

What Compliance Teams Should Do Now

There is no reason to wait for a new authority before improving controls, but there is also no basis for treating a preliminary draft as final law.

Use this preparation checklist:

• Track legal status accurately. Record the date, source and stage of each development. Distinguish government approval, parliamentary passage, publication and entry into force.
• Keep current reporting routes. Continue using existing SEPBLAC and competent-authority procedures until an official transition says otherwise.
• Map regulatory ownership. Identify which teams own CDD, beneficial ownership, suspicious-activity reporting, sanctions, CPF, regulatory reporting and inspection responses.
• Test data lineage. Be able to show where identity, ownership, screening and transaction data originated and how it informed a decision.
• Review screening coverage. Confirm that customers, beneficial owners, directors and transaction parties are screened at appropriate trigger events—not only at onboarding.
• Improve case evidence. Preserve inputs, potential matches, research, decisions, approvals and actions in an audit-ready record.
• Plan for transition. Prepare an inventory of policies, forms, authority references, portals and contractual documents that may require updating when the final law takes effect.
• Watch the fee model. Licensed financial and gambling businesses should monitor how the proposed ANIFI levy is defined during the legislative process.

For the current operating framework, read our detailed guide to SEPBLAC and sanctions screening in Spain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ANIFI Spain's new AML regulator?

ANIFI is Spain's proposed new financial-integrity authority, not yet an operating regulator. If the draft becomes law, it would centralise financial intelligence, AML/CFT supervision and inspection, enforcement, international financial sanctions and proliferation-financing oversight.

Has ANIFI replaced SEPBLAC?

No. SEPBLAC continues to perform its current functions. The proposal would integrate SEPBLAC's functions into ANIFI after legislation and transition arrangements take effect.

When will ANIFI start operating?

No final start date has been established. The government approved a preliminary draft on 28 July 2026. Consultation, legislation, publication and operational transition must occur before ANIFI can take over its proposed functions.

Will firms report suspicious activity to ANIFI instead of SEPBLAC?

Not yet. Firms must continue using the applicable SEPBLAC reporting procedures. The final law and implementation plan will need to explain when and how reporting channels transfer to ANIFI.

Is ANIFI the same as AMLA?

No. ANIFI would be Spain's national authority. AMLA is the European Union authority based in Frankfurt. The Spanish proposal would make ANIFI the country's single interlocutor with AMLA.

Will ANIFI directly supervise every Spanish obliged entity?

The proposal gives ANIFI broad supervisory and inspection responsibilities, but the precise perimeter and coordination arrangements will depend on the final law. AMLA, separately, plans direct EU-level supervision of up to 40 selected high-risk cross-border financial entities or groups from 2028.

Does the proposal create new AML duties today?

No immediate operational duty arises merely from approval of an anteproyecto. Firms must comply with the law currently in force and monitor the proposal as it proceeds.

What should companies prepare first?

Start with accurate beneficial ownership data, documented customer risk assessments, event-driven sanctions and PEP screening, clear case escalation, auditable decisions and a register of procedures that reference current authorities.

Official Sources

• Council of Ministers reference, 28 July 2026: comprehensive reform of Spain's AML/CFT framework
• Spain's Law 10/2010 on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing
• Directive (EU) 2024/1640
• Regulation (EU) 2024/1620 establishing AMLA
• AMLA: role and implementation timeline
• AMLA explainer: direct supervision from 2028