Germany’s New Strategy: Abandoning Corporate Criminal Liability and Strengthening Anti-Money Laundering Measures

In 2025, the German federal government officially abandoned plans to introduce corporate criminal liability. Instead, the focus shifted toward tightening anti-money laundering (AML) regulations and expanding asset confiscation mechanisms.

The previously proposed legislation aimed to enable criminal prosecution of legal entities for offenses such as fraud, tax evasion, and corruption. However, the new administration viewed the initiative as excessive, citing concerns over legal complexity and the potential impact on Germany’s business climate.

Rather than adopting criminal liability rules for companies, Germany is enhancing its financial oversight. This includes stricter requirements for identifying sources of funds, greater responsibility for banks, lawyers, and notaries, and improved access to beneficial ownership registers. At the same time, the state gains more authority to confiscate assets even without a criminal conviction — a development that has triggered criticism from legal professionals.

Germany’s approach marks a strategic pivot: reducing criminal exposure for companies while intensifying preventative financial controls. The long-term challenge will be to maintain a balance between effective enforcement and the protection of legal certainty for businesses and investors.