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The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve) has highlighted European funding opportunities available to Cypriot small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups through the European Commission’s Cascade Funding mechanism. The initiative is intended to make financial support and other resources more accessible to businesses, particularly those active in technology, innovation and the green transition. Cascade Funding, also known as Financial Support to Third Parti

The borrowing-cost hierarchy across the eurozone has changed significantly, with Belgium paying interest rates close to those of Greece and France facing higher borrowing costs than Italy. The shift reflects diverging fiscal positions, political uncertainty and changing investor perceptions of sovereign risk as European governments prepare to issue record volumes of debt. On 15 October 2026, Belgium’s 10-year government bond yield stood at approximately 4.29%, compared with 4

Brazil’s suspension of online betting has triggered a refund process involving approximately BRL 1.325 billion (US$245 million) owed to around 26.5 million bettors, while the gambling industry has reported thousands of job losses following the government’s decision to halt licensed betting operations. The shutdown followed the introduction of Provisional Measure No. 1,394/2026, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on 25 September 2026. The measure prohibited the oper

Greece is stepping up preparations for the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) fifth-round mutual evaluation of its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework, with government agencies and regulators required to report on progress and outstanding weaknesses by 3 November 2026. The preparations are being coordinated through Greece’s Strategic Committee for Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. Authorities are developing a national action pla

The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has assessed a $1.2 billion civil money penalty against Bank of America, N.A., over violations of anti-money laundering requirements, including failures to investigate suspicious activity and submit timely reports to authorities. Announced on October 13, 2026, the action was coordinated with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), which imposed a separate $750 million civil money penalty, and the Office of Fore

Spain’s Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) has reopened public consultation on a proposed standardised mechanism to identify online gambling customers displaying patterns of potentially risky behaviour. Interested individuals, companies and organisations have until 22 October 2026 to submit comments on the revised draft resolution. The second consultation follows an earlier public consultation conducted between 28 August and 25 September 2025. The DGOJ

Philippine gaming operator DigiPlus Interactive Corp. has withdrawn from the final rounds of New Zealand’s online casino licensing auction after reassessing the market and the potential value of obtaining a licence. The decision adds another obstacle to the company’s overseas expansion plans following regulatory disruption in Brazil. In a regulatory filing dated 14 October 2026, DigiPlus said that further market analysis and an assessment of market values had led it to withdr

Singapore’s Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has revoked the major payment institution licence of Sir Money Changer Pte. Ltd. (SMC) after finding that the company allowed a third party to operate a cross-border money transfer business under its name and provided the regulator with false or misleading information. The revocation took effect on September 15, 2026, although MAS announced the enforcement action publicly on October 14. From the effective date, SMC was no long

Belgian federal police have conducted coordinated searches at properties linked to relatives and associates of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi as part of an investigation into suspected money laundering, corruption and the alleged diversion of public funds connected to the country’s mining sector. The searches took place on 14 October 2026 in Brussels and several municipalities in the provinces of Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant. Several

The Council of Europe and the European Union have taken a further step towards strengthening international cooperation on money laundering and criminal asset recovery, with the signing of a new protocol designed to help authorities trace, freeze and confiscate proceeds of crime, including crypto-assets. The Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism, commo

The European Union strengthened its position in international high-technology trade in 2025, recording a surplus of €32.4 billion as exports continued to expand, supported by strong demand for pharmaceuticals, aerospace equipment and other advanced manufactured products. According to figures released by Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, high-tech exports to markets outside the bloc reached €566.5 billion during the year, exceeding imports of €534.1 billion. The figures

The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has arrested three individuals in a major operation targeting a suspected organised criminal network allegedly involved in insider dealing and money laundering. The coordinated enforcement action, conducted alongside the National Crime Agency (NCA) on 13 October 2026, involved more than 100 personnel, searches of five residential properties and the seizure of over 30 electronic devices. The investigation represents a significant in

Vietnam has introduced stricter beneficial ownership and customer due diligence requirements, obliging banks and other regulated institutions to investigate complex corporate structures, identify individuals exercising ultimate control, and examine ownership arrangements extending beyond the country's borders. The measures, introduced under Government Resolution No. 66.23/2026/NQ-CP, took effect on July 24, 2026, and establish more detailed requirements for identifying the

An international investigation into Roman Abramovich’s offshore financial network has raised serious questions about the role of Deloitte Cyprus in approving historical corporate records that allegedly enabled billions of dollars in assets to be transferred retrospectively to the British Virgin Islands. The revelations have renewed concerns about the reliability of financial documentation, the responsibilities of professional advisers and the effectiveness of anti-money laund

Global equity markets advanced on Monday as international oil prices fell sharply following US President Donald Trump's surprise announcement of an immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. The development helped ease concerns about energy supplies and inflation, despite renewed violence in the Middle East and continuing uncertainty over whether Moscow had actually accepted the proposed arrangement. The announcement prompted a significant shift in market sentimen

Federal court grants temporary protection to Stake's operating licence, marking the first successful legal challenge by a licensed betting operator against Brazil's sweeping online gambling prohibition. Online betting operator Stake has secured a significant legal victory in Brazil after the Federal Court of São Paulo granted a partial preliminary injunction allowing the company to resume operations until 25 October 2026. The ruling represents the first favourable judicial

Brazil’s sweeping prohibition on fixed-odds betting has forced licensed operators to shut down their platforms, leaving more than BRL1.3 billion (approximately US$266 million) awaiting repayment to millions of customers and triggering widespread job losses across the country’s gambling industry. The shutdown, which took effect on 6 October 2026, represents a dramatic reversal for a market that had attracted substantial investment following the introduction of regulated onli

Iron ore trader Radiant World and related companies are facing allegations of fraud and money laundering after US investment fund Mariner Atlantic Multi-Strategy LLC filed a criminal complaint with the Geneva Public Prosecutor’s Office in Switzerland. The complaint, filed around September 14, 2026, names Radiant World, its Swiss subsidiary, related entities, founder Pinkesh Nahar and other individuals. Mariner is asking Swiss prosecutors to open a criminal investigation, sear

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released the names and photographs of 24 Nigerian nationals arrested by immigration authorities over alleged criminal offences, including fraud, money laundering, drug-related crimes, identity theft, assault and weapons violations. The announcement comes as President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies its immigration enforcement campaign, with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carrying out arres

The European Union’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) has identified five areas where amendments or clarifications to the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) could strengthen protections against money laundering and terrorist financing. The recommendations cover staking and crypto-asset lending, decentralised finance, unauthorised stablecoins, certain token issuers and cross-border supervision of crypto-asset service providers. AMLA published its response to the