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The United Kingdom has expanded its sanctions regime against Russia, targeting banks, financial businesses, vessels and companies connected to the country's energy sector and sanctions-evasion networks. The latest measures are intended to restrict Russia's ability to generate revenue from oil exports and access international financial services, while increasing pressure on the networks used to circumvent restrictions imposed since the invasion of Ukraine. The measures include

Cryptocurrency exchange HTX has come under renewed scrutiny over changes to its on-chain wallet infrastructure, with blockchain intelligence analysis indicating that the platform has repeatedly rotated wallets across several major networks. The activity has raised concerns among compliance professionals because frequent changes to the addresses used to hold and transfer exchange assets can make it more difficult to identify and monitor the financial flows associated with a la

A former Goldman Sachs investment banker has been convicted in the United States for his role in a bribery and money laundering scheme connected to the development and financing of a major power plant in Ghana. The conviction follows a federal trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that the banker used his position, financial expertise and international connections to facilitate payments to Ghanaian public officials while concealing the movement and purpose of the fund

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has introduced a new Financial Crime Compliance Strategy for 2026, setting out a more risk-focused and outcomes-driven approach to combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other forms of financial crime across Malta's financial services sector. The strategy is intended to strengthen supervisory effectiveness while preparing regulated businesses for major changes to the European Union's anti-money laundering framework an

Prosecutors in Curaçao have asked the court to acquit a businessman of money laundering charges in the long-running Avior investigation, concluding that although significant suspicions remain, the evidence gathered during the decade-long investigation is insufficient to secure a criminal conviction. The development marks a notable turn in one of the Caribbean's most prominent financial crime cases, highlighting the challenges prosecutors face in complex cross-border money lau

Australia's largest wagering companies have rejected claims that millions of dollars stolen by a former financial adviser were spent through their betting platforms, as the federal government's proposed gambling reforms come under scrutiny during a Senate inquiry. The Senate committee investigating the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 heard evidence from anti-gambling advocate Reverend Tim Costello, who referred to the case of a former financial advi

Singapore authorities have charged two individuals for allegedly laundering proceeds derived from impersonation and romance scams, reinforcing the country's continued efforts to combat the movement of illicit funds through personal bank accounts. The case highlights the increasing focus of law enforcement on individuals who knowingly or recklessly facilitate the transfer of criminal proceeds, even when they are not directly involved in committing the underlying fraud. Accordi

After more than a decade of anticipation, Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) officially began hearing Extraordinary Appeal (RE) 966177 on Wednesday (5), a case that will determine the constitutionality of the country's longstanding prohibition on games of chance. The appeal first reached the Supreme Court in 2016, before Brazil legalized and later regulated fixed-odds sports betting. According to information released by the STF, the central issue before the Court is whether

Kenyan families have been given new legal authority to step in when a relative’s gambling behaviour threatens household finances or the welfare of dependants, following the introduction of comprehensive new gambling regulations. The Gambling Control (Conduct of Gambling Operations) Regulations, 2026, which were published in the Kenya Gazette on June 30, create a legal mechanism allowing family members and other concerned individuals to apply to the Gaming Regulatory Authority

Sri Lanka has taken decisive action against unlicensed online gambling by blocking access to 24 betting and gaming websites, including major international platforms such as Stake, bet365, Betway and 1xBet. The move follows a directive issued by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL), which instructed all telecommunications service providers across the country to immediately restrict access to the identified websites. The enforcement action was annou

Indian authorities are intensifying one of the country's largest real estate money laundering investigations, with Raheja Developers Chairman Navin M. Raheja and Managing Director Nayan N. Raheja at the centre of a probe involving the alleged diversion of thousands of crores of rupees collected from homebuyers. The investigation, led by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), has resulted in the attachment of assets worth more than ₹1,600 crore as authorities continue tracing funds

RBC Capital Markets has agreed to pay a US$275,000 fine and accept a formal censure after the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) found that the firm's anti-money laundering (AML) monitoring programme failed to adequately detect and escalate suspicious transactions for more than seven years. The enforcement action underscores regulators' continued focus on ensuring that financial institutions maintain effective transaction monitoring systems capable of identifying

Six individuals have pleaded guilty in the United States for their roles in a sophisticated money laundering conspiracy that channelled more than US$30 million in drug trafficking proceeds through the U.S. financial system before transferring the funds to criminal organisations abroad. The case, prosecuted in the Southern District of Florida, highlights the complex methods used by transnational criminal networks to disguise the origins of illicit drug profits and move them ac

U.S. authorities have charged a senior executive of a UK-registered charity with conspiring to provide material support and financial assistance to Hamas, alleging that the organisation operated as a front to channel money, goods and other resources to the group under the guise of humanitarian aid. The case highlights increasing international efforts to disrupt the misuse of charitable organisations for terrorism financing and the growing cooperation between law enforcement a

UBS Financial Services has agreed to pay a record US$125 million to resolve coordinated enforcement actions brought by four U.S. regulators over longstanding anti-money laundering (AML) failures, marking the largest civil penalty ever imposed on a broker-dealer for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). The action was jointly taken by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

Germany's financial regulator, the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), has ordered Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale (NORD/LB) to address significant shortcomings in its customer data management after identifying breaches of the country's anti-money laundering (AML) legislation. The supervisory action reinforces regulators' growing focus on customer due diligence and data quality as essential components of effective financial crime prevention. According to BaF

The global online gambling industry is experiencing an accelerated wave of regulatory reform, with governments placing greater emphasis on licensing, taxation, financial oversight and consumer protection. According to a new regulatory review by SOFTSWISS, the first half of 2026 has been characterised by significant legal and policy developments across multiple jurisdictions, reinforcing the industry's transition toward more tightly regulated markets. One of the most notable t

Portugal officially entered a new era of political transparency on Monday as the country's first lobbying transparency legislation came into force, introducing a public register for interest representatives and imposing new disclosure obligations for interactions with public authorities. The reform represents a significant milestone in Portugal's broader effort to make political influence more transparent, arriving at a time when public debate over integrity, access to decisi

The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has rejected Wise's application to establish a national trust bank, citing significant deficiencies in the company's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) framework, as well as concerns over governance, regulatory expertise and overall readiness to operate as a federally chartered banking institution. The decision represents a major regulatory setback for the global payments company as it seeks

UK authorities have frozen approximately £30 million worth of luxury London real estate linked to a businessman under investigation in Singapore's largest-ever money laundering case, underscoring the increasingly international nature of financial crime enforcement and cross-border asset recovery. The action reflects growing cooperation between law enforcement agencies seeking to identify and restrain assets suspected of representing the proceeds of illicit activity. The freez