Bruna Szego Appointed Chair of EU's New Anti-Money Laundering Watchdog
STRASBOURG — Italy’s Bruna Szego has been selected as the chair of the European Union’s newly-established anti-money laundering (AML) watchdog. Her appointment followed a three-hour hearing before the European Parliament’s economy and justice committees on Monday, along with a subsequent debate on the candidates, according to three individuals familiar with the confidential discussions, as reported by POLITICO.
Szego emerged victorious against her competitors, Marcus Pleyer of Germany and Jan Reinder De Carpentier of the Netherlands, by securing a majority of support. Her win came despite opposition from the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), the Parliament’s largest group, and the Greens—both of which backed Pleyer, the former chair of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international body overseeing anti-money laundering efforts.
As the only woman in the race, Szego brings a wealth of expertise to her new role. She currently leads the anti-money laundering supervision and regulation unit at the Bank of Italy. Prior to this, she headed the bank’s regulation and macroprudential analysis directorate. Szego also serves as a member of the European Banking Authority’s (EBA) anti-money laundering standing committee. Her ability to link macroprudential and AML risks is seen as one of her key strengths, giving her a unique perspective on the challenges the watchdog will face.
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