Did Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 repeal the previous UAE AML law?
Yes. Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 repeals and replaces Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018, which was previously the main UAE AML/CFT statute. The 2025 law carries forward the core architecture but broadens it, adding explicit coverage of proliferation financing, virtual assets and encryption technologies, and increasing several penalties.
The repeal matters in practice because internal documents, policies and legal references that still cite the 2018 law are now out of date. Any transitional decisions, resolutions and circulars issued under the old law remain valid only to the extent they do not conflict with the new Decree-Law, until replaced. Compliance officers should carry out a mapping exercise to update every internal reference and ensure obligations are met under the current framework.
Legal Reference (UAE):
ยท Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Final Provisions - repeal of Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018 and continuity of implementing instruments.
For more details, consult the full text of Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 or seek guidance from your AML compliance officer.