Estate agents and property firms are preparing to allocate more resources to anti-money laundering (AML) compliance, according to new research from Thirdfort. The study indicates that 61% of senior compliance professionals expect their firm's AML budget to rise over the coming 12 months.
This anticipated increase comes as firms face growing regulatory demands and more complex compliance procedures. Thirdfort's survey of 200 senior compliance professionals found that 85% had experienced an increase in compliance demands in the last year. Additionally, 63% reported working overtime at least once a week to address AML-related issues, a notable rise from 42% in 2025.
More than half (51%) of respondents also expect their compliance teams to expand, nearly doubling the 26% recorded in 2025. Despite these planned investments, confidence in current compliance processes is mixed, with only 52% of respondents believing their procedures are very or extremely effective. Fragmented systems were identified as an ongoing challenge by 81% of respondents.