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The U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has withdrawn two long-standing proposals that would have introduced additional anti-money laundering requirements for cryptocurrency transactions involving self-hosted wallets and crypto mixing. The withdrawals, effective October 6, 2026, concern proposals first issued in 2020 and 2023. FinCEN said the decisions followed consideration of public comments and form part of the Trump administration's deregulatory agenda and

Thailand blocked 945,075 URLs linked to illegal online gambling during the 2026 fiscal year, according to the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society. The figure covers the period from October 2025 through September 2026. Of the total, 835,207 URLs were blocked under court orders, while a further 109,868 were removed through cooperation with digital platforms. The ministry stressed that the figures represent individual gambling-related URLs rather than separate websites or op

The European Central Bank is proposing a broader and more proportionate supervisory framework for small and non-complex banks, potentially bringing around 150 additional institutions within the lighter regime. The proposals, outlined by ECB Executive Board member and Supervisory Board Vice-Chair Frank Elderson, would expand the existing framework for small and non-complex institutions (SNCIs) rather than creating a separate regulatory regime for smaller banks. The current SNC

Greater Manchester Police have arrested two men on suspicion of money laundering after two separate vehicle interceptions on the Manchester motorway network led to the seizure of approximately £160,000 in cash. The operation, described by police as an intelligence-led and coordinated response, involved officers stopping vehicles travelling into Greater Manchester from Merseyside. The arrests followed a series of developments on Friday, 2 October 2026, when Greater Mancheste

Belgian authorities have launched a major investigation into suspected money laundering and organised criminal activity involving companies, allegedly fictitious commercial transactions and individuals acting as nominal company managers. The investigation came to public attention after Belgian investigators conducted 15 searches on 29 September 2026. The operation was carried out by Belgium’s Federal Judicial Police in Charleroi as part of an inquiry into an alleged compens

The Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK) is expanding controlled access to the Netherlands’ beneficial ownership register for recognised institutions subject to anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing and sanctions obligations, giving eligible organisations new ways to obtain certified information about ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs). The development restores and broadens practical access to UBO information after restrictions on the register. The changes introduce

A California technology executive is facing a money-laundering conspiracy charge in connection with an alleged scheme to divert more than $300 million worth of controlled computer servers to China, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Greg Lui, the owner of Earthmade Computer Inc., was arrested on October 1, 2026. Prosecutors allege that servers containing graphics-processing units manufactured in the United States were exported to China without the necessary auth

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has reprimanded and fined Zheng Da International Financial Holding Limited HK$7 million for a series of regulatory deficiencies involving anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) controls, client trading systems, deposits and futures-order monitoring. The regulator has also suspended the licence of Zheng Da’s responsible officer, Zhong Hao, for seven months. His suspension runs from 28 September 2

The European Union’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) has finalised three sets of draft regulatory technical standards designed to establish greater consistency in how companies and professionals apply anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing requirements across the private sector. The standards, announced by AMLA on 1 October 2026, focus on three key areas: identifying business relationships and occasional or linked transactions, customer due diligence,

A report released by Democratic members of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has raised concerns over the use of Tether’s USDT stablecoin in financial networks linked to Iran and its regional proxies. The report analysed blockchain transaction data from 846 cryptocurrency wallets that had been sanctioned or targeted for seizure because of alleged links to Iran and associated groups. It found that 84% of the wallets had transacted exclusively or almost e

Hundreds of additional unauthorised betting domains have emerged in Brazil within just two days of the government announcing a ban on online betting, highlighting the scale of the challenge authorities face as they move to curb the country’s illegal gambling market. Monitoring conducted by Bet Legal in collaboration with cybersecurity company Iron Security identified 710 unauthorised betting domains by Sunday evening, a sharp increase from the 295 domains recorded at 18:00

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) has instructed fund managers and self-managed investment funds to submit their statistical returns for the third quarter of 2026 by October 30, 2026, warning that failure to file on time or submitting incomplete information could result in administrative penalties. In a circular issued this week, CySEC said the reporting obligation covers Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFMs), UCITS management companies, internall

The UK Financial Conduct Authority has secured confiscation orders totalling £851,402.27 against two men convicted of operating a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scheme that caused at least 65 investors to lose £1,541,799. At a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on September 28, 2026, Raymondip Bedi was ordered to pay £603,404.28, while Patrick Mavanga was ordered to pay £247,997.99. The orders follow a fraudulent investment scheme operated by Bedi and Mavanga between Febr

Vietnamese national Trung Nguyen Van, 37, has been charged in the United States with two counts of money laundering over his alleged role in cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes that targeted U.S. victims. The criminal complaint, filed in the Western District of Missouri and unsealed following Van’s initial appearance in federal court in Los Angeles, alleges that cryptocurrency wallets attributed to him received approximately $53.3 million in assets linked to wire fraud sc

A 26-year-old California man has been sentenced to seven years and 10 months in federal prison for his role in a $10 million real estate fraud scheme involving fake identities, shell companies, fabricated property documents and the laundering of proceeds through Las Vegas casinos. Gilberto Barron, formerly of Delano and Las Vegas, was sentenced on September 28, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston. He pleaded guilty on June 29 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud,

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