Anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism financing French observatory (AMLO)

What Anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism financing French observatory (AMLO) does

OLAB (Observatoire de la lutte contre le blanchiment et le financement du terrorisme) is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2017 by Solène Clément, recognized as the first association in France dedicated exclusively to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (LCB-FT). Headquartered in Paris with approximately 5 staff, OLAB functions as a think tank and professional community serving AML/CFT compliance professionals, representatives of regulated sectors (financial institutions, insurance, real estate, accountants, lawyers), academics, and French public authorities including TRACFIN, CNIL, ACPR, and AMF. The association's mission is to serve as a trans-sectorial laboratory for AML/CFT analysis in France and Europe, bridging regulators, regulated entities, and civil society.

OLAB's product portfolio is entirely intellectual and event-based rather than technology-based. It publishes research articles in leading French legal journals (Dalloz, LexisNexis, Revue internationale de la compliance), released a landmark book with Dalloz in 2021 prefaced by former President François Hollande, and maintains curated reference content including FATF grey and black list tracking for 2021–2023. It organizes high-profile conferences (e.g., the January 2025 conference with Transparency International France at the Maison du Barreau in Paris), informal regulatory exchanges (déjeuners d'échange) with TRACFIN and CNIL, and operates four thematic commissions (Research, Events, Communication, Assujettis) that structure member participation.

The business model is a community-led membership association: revenue is generated through recurring membership dues collected via the Hello Asso platform, supplemented by book royalties through Dalloz. Members include individuals (professionals, academics) and observer institutional members (professional associations, trade unions on the Board). Distribution relies on LinkedIn and YouTube channels, the OLAB website, journal publications, and in-person events. Geographic focus is France-centric with stated ambitions for broader European reach, and no commercial technology products are sold.

Name

Anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism financing French observatory (AMLO)

Legal name

Observatoire de la lutte contre le blanchiment et le financement du terrorisme

Website

https://olab-amlo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OLAB is a French non-profit association founded in 2017 and the first in France dedicated exclusively to AML/CFT. It serves compliance professionals, regulated sectors, academics, and regulators through publications, conferences, and four thematic commissions, funded by membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regulatory Compliance Research and Think Tank Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), International Affairs (92812)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Regulation, AML/CFT & Tax Transparency Cooperation (BPADANAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Counterterrorism & Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) Cooperation (BPADAFAG)

Keywords

• Anti-money laundering research
• Counter-terrorism financing
• Compliance publications
• Regulatory think tank
• Professional association

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: OLAB operates as a loi 1901 association and generates revenue through membership fees collected via the Hello Asso platform. Members include AML/CFT professionals, representatives of regulated sectors, and academics.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OLAB is the first French association (loi 1901, founded 2017) dedicated exclusively to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (LCB-FT). It functions as an independent think tank and trans-sectoral discussion platform, offering research publications (articles in legal journals and a 2021 book published by Dalloz, prefaced by François Hollande), conferences and informal exchanges with public authorities (TRACFIN, CNIL, FATF representatives), and four thematic commissions (Research, Events, Communication, Assujettis) that federate compliance professionals, regulated sector representatives, academics, and civil society in France and Europe.

Product overview

OLAB is a non-profit association ( loi 1901) created in 2017 that serves as a think tank and discussion platform for Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML-CFT) in France and Europe. Rather than a technology product company, OLAB offers a portfolio of intellectual and networking services including publications (journal articles and a 2021 Dalloz book), events (conferences and meetings with regulators), and four thematic commissions (Research, Events, Communication, Assujettis) that facilitate trans-sectoral dialogue between regulatory authorities, regulated professionals, and civil society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OLAB Publications OLAB publishes articles in legal journals, a comprehensive book on AML/CFT published by Dalloz in 2021 prefaced by François Hollande, and research papers on LCB-FT topics for compliance professionals, academics, and regulators.
• OLAB Events and Conferences OLAB organizes conferences, meetings with public entities (TRACFIN, CNIL), and networking events such as afterworks and annual New Year's wishes ceremony for AML/CFT professionals, regulators, and academics.
• OLAB Thematic Commissions OLAB operates four thematic commissions: Research (intellectual AML-CFT laboratory), Events (organization of events), Communication (multimedia presence), and Assujettis (federating professionals subject to AML-CFT regulations). Membership-based participation is offered to AML/CFT professionals, sector representatives, and academics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 180,000 suspicious activity reports filed in 2023 (France-wide figure cited at OLAB conference, not OLAB-specific)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Transparency International FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2025OLAB and Transparency International France co-organized a major conference on January 22, 2025, at the Maison du Barreau in Paris. The conference, themed 'Entre exigence normative et performance opérationnelle, comment placer le curseur de l'efficacité?', brought together public authorities, FATF representatives, and civil society to debate the limits of the French and international AML/CFT framework. Both organizations contribute to the conference proceedings and share intellectual output.
• TRACFINcoreOthersTRACFIN (Traitement du Renseignement et Action contre les Circuits Financiers clandestins), France's financial intelligence unit under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, participates in OLAB's informal exchange events (déjeuners d'échange). TRACFIN's director attended the January 2025 conference co-organized by OLAB and Transparency International France.
• CNIL (Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés)minorOthersCNIL, France's data protection authority, participates in OLAB's informal exchange events (déjeuners d'échange), fostering dialogue on the intersection of AML/CFT obligations and data protection regulations.
• DallozcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDalloz, a leading French legal publisher, partnered with OLAB to publish the association's first book 'Etat des lieux et perspectives de la lutte contre le blanchiment et le financement du terrorisme' in 2021. The book was prefaced by former President François Hollande and is available for purchase through the Dalloz bookstore.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS): Global professional association serving AML/CFT compliance practitioners via certifications, training, and member events. Operates the same model (membership + publications + conferences) as OLAB but at global scale, making it the closest structural analog.
• Basel Institute on Governance: Switzerland-based not-for-profit think tank dedicated to anti-money laundering, asset recovery, and anti-corruption research and policy advice. Closely mirrors OLAB's think-tank-plus-public-dialogue model on the same AML topic set.

Others

• Transparency International France: French chapter of the global anti-corruption coalition, a confirmed strategic partner of OLAB via the January 2025 Maison du Barreau conference. Adjacent rather than overlapping, since TI France focuses on corruption broadly rather than AML/CFT specifically.
• FATF (Financial Action Task Force): Intergovernmental standard-setter whose delegates participate in OLAB events. Acts as global policy producer whose outputs OLAB curates and analyzes for French/European audiences, making it an upstream reference rather than a competitor.
• TRACFIN (French Financial Intelligence Unit): The French Ministry of Economy cell that receives suspicious transaction reports and engages with OLAB via informal exchanges and conference participation. Not a peer in the competitive sense but a recurring dialogue counterpart.

Broad incumbents

• International Compliance Association (ICA): Long-standing international membership body offering AML, financial crime, and broader compliance qualifications and events. Overlaps with OLAB on AML membership and training but spans many compliance specialties beyond AML/CFT.
• Wolfsberg Group: Bank-led association that publishes AML/CTF guidance and engages regulators on financial-crime policy worldwide. A broader, banking-anchored incumbent on the same AML/CFT domain that OLAB serves from the French practitioner/academic side.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCG8AmENiPoDQl72GJb7Q1tw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/olab-amlo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism financing French observatory (AMLO)