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Eurojust and the United Arab Emirates have signed a Working Arrangement aimed at strengthening judicial cooperation and information exchange in investigations involving serious cross-border crime, including money laundering, fraud, cybercrime and drug trafficking. The arrangement was signed on September 28, 2026, in Abu Dhabi by Eurojust President Michael Schmid and UAE Minister of Justice Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi during the United Nations Congress on Crime Preventi

The UK House of Lords Liaison Committee has called for a comprehensive ban on gambling advertising, marketing and sponsorship, arguing that stronger restrictions should form part of a public health approach to reducing gambling-related harm. The recommendation was included in the committee's 173-page report, *Gambling Harm—Time for Action: Follow-up report*, published on 17 September 2026. The report follows up on the House of Lords' 2020 examination of the social and economi

More than 200 American victims and relatives of people killed or injured in terrorist attacks in Iraq and Israel have filed a lawsuit against Commerzbank AG in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging that the German bank provided financial services that helped Iran and organisations linked to it support terrorist activity. The civil complaint concerns attacks that took place between 2007 and 2011. The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive dam

France’s National Sanctions Commission has imposed a combined €45,000 in financial penalties on an anonymised licensed online betting operator and two individuals following breaches of obligations relating to asset freezing and anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist-financing controls. The case was referred to the National Sanctions Commission by France’s gambling regulator, the Autorité nationale des jeux (ANJ), following an inspection of the operator. It represents the

The European Banking Authority (EBA) has issued final guidelines establishing a new framework for the management of third-party risks associated with services supporting critical or important functions at financial institutions. Published on 18 September 2026, the Guidelines on the sound management of third-party risk related to non-ICT services are intended to replace the EBA’s 2019 Guidelines on outsourcing arrangements and create a broader framework covering third-party re

U.S. authorities and Guatemalan justice officials are strengthening cooperation aimed at disrupting the financial networks supporting transnational cartel activity, with investigations expected to focus on fraud, bulk cash movements, trade-based money laundering, cryptocurrency and other methods used to move illicit proceeds across borders. U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould and Criminal Chief Fabio Leonardi of the Northern District of Texas travelled to Guatemala during the week of

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates has prohibited all branches of Bank Melli Iran operating in the UAE from conducting financial transactions to and from Iran following regulatory examinations that identified violations of UAE laws, regulations and supervisory requirements. The measure was announced on 23 September 2026 by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE). The prohibition applies specifically to financial transactions between the UAE branches of Bank Melli Iran a

Tabcorp VIC Pty Ltd has been fined AU$350,000 by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) for failing to implement mandatory multi-factor authentication controls on customer wagering accounts within the required timeframe. The disciplinary action relates to breaches of four security requirements between January 30 and June 23, 2025. The fine was imposed following a decision dated September 21, 2026. The VGCCC found that Tabcorp had contravened technical st

The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) has confirmed that its online gaming licensing portal was accessed without authorisation for approximately nine months through an account registered using a false identity. The regulator said the unauthorised access began in December 2025 and continued until it was identified and terminated in September 2026. The access was obtained through the customer-facing section of the CGA's licensing portal. According to the regulator, the account was

A Russian financial technology group known as A7 allegedly moved more than $6.9 billion through the international banking system using front companies, forged commercial documents and other methods designed to conceal the nature and origin of transactions, according to an investigation based on hundreds of thousands of leaked internal files. The investigation concerns A7, a cross-border payments business established in late 2024 with backing from Russian state-owned Promsvyaz

Spain has allowed a US request to extradite American national James Cox Chambers to proceed to judicial review, following his arrest in Ibiza in July 2026. The decision does not constitute approval of his extradition. The case will now be considered by Spain’s Audiencia Nacional before the Spanish government makes a final determination. Chambers, 41, was arrested on 10 July while visiting Ibiza and remains in pre-trial detention in Madrid. He is a US citizen and has been desc

Financial firms in the United Kingdom closed 238,396 customer accounts linked to suspected money mule activity in 2025, according to a review published by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 23 September 2026. The regulator’s findings also show that fraud proceeds commonly pass through multiple mule accounts before being withdrawn or otherwise converted into usable funds. The figures were collected through a survey of 35 financial services firms, including retail banks,

The Dutch Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit, KSA) has issued the first eight follow-up licences to online gambling operators, allowing them to continue operating in the Netherlands for another five years. The licences will run from October 1, 2026 until September 30, 2031, following the expiry of the first licences issued when the Dutch online gambling market was opened in 2021. The eight operators receiving follow-up licences are TOTO Online B.V., operating TOTO and Win

Barbados is preparing to strengthen the practical application of its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework ahead of its fifth international mutual evaluation, with the government emphasizing that controls must extend beyond banks and other financial institutions. Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams addressed the issue in the Senate on September 23, 2026, during debate on the Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Prevention and Control) Amendment

The Senate of American Samoa has given final approval to the Money Laundering Prevention and Enforcement Act of 2026, establishing a dedicated criminal-law framework targeting the laundering of proceeds derived from criminal activity. The legislation was approved by the Senate on September 23, 2026. The measure is intended to create clear criminal offences covering the concealment, movement and handling of money obtained through unlawful activity in American Samoa. The bill f

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has published its 2026 Mutual Evaluation Report on Türkiye, finding that the country has strengthened its defences against money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing, while identifying a number of areas requiring further improvement. The assessment examined Türkiye’s AML/CFT/CPF framework and its effectiveness based on the situation at the time of the FATF’s on-site visit in November 2025. The evaluation found that

British authorities have frozen a London townhouse purchased for £53 million after official property records identified a connection between the property's registered owner and a person subject to UK financial sanctions. The property, located in Belgravia, was purchased in October 2023 by Zhao Chen, who is not herself designated under UK sanctions. The restriction was placed on the property in August 2026. Land Registry documents show that Zhao Chen acquired the property for

Cambodian authorities have stated that major online scam compounds across the country have been dismantled following a nationwide enforcement campaign launched in mid-2025, while acknowledging that criminal networks continue to operate through smaller and more dispersed locations. The campaign has targeted large-scale facilities associated with online fraud, including compounds used by transnational criminal groups. Cambodian officials said the enforcement campaign continued

The UK Gambling Commission has suspended the combined remote operating licence of Targetlocal Ltd, which trades as Ken Howell’s Sports Betting and operates the website kenhowells.com, following regulatory enquiries that identified anti-money laundering failings. The suspension took effect immediately on 21 September 2026 and applies to operating licence number 000422-R-336567-002. The affected licence covers Targetlocal’s online casino, sports betting and virtual event bettin

Former Nodus International Bank chief executive Tomás Niembro Concha has been sentenced to 112 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a multimillion-dollar wire fraud conspiracy and a separate conspiracy to evade US sanctions involving Venezuela. Niembro, 64, a Spanish and Venezuelan national and former CEO of the Puerto Rico-based international bank, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to forfeit more than $16.9 million. The forfeit