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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

A Utah man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison after playing a leading role in a large-scale cheque fraud and money laundering conspiracy that caused more than US$1.7 million in losses to financial institutions and government programmes. The sentence marks the conclusion of a complex federal case involving stolen mail, fraudulent bank transactions and the laundering of criminal proceeds through multiple financial accounts. According to court documents, the cons

Goa’s long-awaited casino regulations may remain on hold until after the state assembly elections scheduled for February 2027, potentially prolonging regulatory uncertainty for the state’s gaming industry. According to a report published by The Times of India on July 27, the Goa home department has completed drafting the Goa Public Gambling Rules. Despite the draft being finalised, the regulations must still be published in the Official Gazette before being placed before the

Police in Bristol have arrested two people as part of an ongoing investigation into the suspected operation of an illegal casino, highlighting continued enforcement efforts against unlawful gambling activities and organised criminal enterprises linked to the sector. The investigation was carried out through a joint operation involving local police, the UK Gambling Commission and the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU). The investigation centred on a property in

Pakistan's government has announced a renewed campaign against tax evasion, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directing authorities to identify individuals and businesses operating outside the formal economy and initiate legal proceedings against those found to be avoiding their tax obligations. The move forms part of a broader strategy to strengthen tax collection, modernise the country's revenue system and expand the national tax base. The directive was issued during a hig

Singapore authorities have charged a 23-year-old foreign resident under the country's terrorism financing laws after alleging that he transferred money to support an overseas terrorist act connected to Gaza. The case represents one of the latest examples of authorities pursuing even relatively small cross-border financial transfers where investigators believe the funds were intended to facilitate terrorism. According to court documents, the accused allegedly sent US$72.28 thr

A former U.S. Postal Inspector has agreed to plead guilty to dozens of federal criminal charges after prosecutors alleged he abused his law enforcement position to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from mail sent by elderly fraud victims, before laundering the proceeds through personal expenditures and concealing the income from tax authorities. The case represents one of the most serious recent examples of public corruption involving a federal law enforcement officer an

Swiss private bank Lombard Odier has been fined CHF 3 million after Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court concluded that the institution failed to implement adequate organisational measures to prevent money laundering linked to a long-running international corruption case. The judgment follows years of criminal proceedings examining the bank's handling of client relationships associated with funds allegedly derived from corruption involving Uzbekistan's former ruling elite. Th

The founder and managing partner of a Manhattan-based private equity firm has pleaded guilty in federal court to multiple criminal offences after admitting to orchestrating a years-long investment fraud that diverted tens of millions of dollars from clients. The case highlights the significant anti-money laundering and governance risks associated with investment managers who misuse investor capital while concealing the true nature of financial transactions. Jay Lucas, 71, fou

Senior financial regulators from the European Union and the United States have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cross-border cooperation on anti-money laundering, financial stability and emerging financial sector risks following the latest EU–US Joint Financial Regulatory Forum held in Brussels. The two-day forum brought together representatives from the European Commission, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and a broad range of financial supervisory authorities

Authorities in Macau have uncovered another suspected proxy betting operation inside one of the city's casinos, leading to the arrest of two mainland Chinese nationals accused of using concealed electronic equipment to facilitate illegal remote gambling. The latest case forms part of an intensified crackdown on technology-enabled proxy betting, a practice that allows gamblers located outside Macau to participate in live casino games through intermediaries physically present o

A Philadelphia woman has admitted her role in a sophisticated money laundering conspiracy that channelled more than US$1 million in proceeds from business email compromise (BEC) fraud, highlighting the continued threat such schemes pose to public sector organisations and financial institutions. Domonesha Owens, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The guilty plea follows a

The UK Gambling Commission has concluded its regulatory review of Evolution Malta Holding Limited with a £4.75 million regulatory settlement after determining that the company's casino games were made available to British consumers through a number of unlicensed gambling websites. The case represents one of the regulator's latest enforcement actions aimed at preventing licensed suppliers from supporting the illegal online gambling market and reinforces the Commission's expect

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cautioned that the accelerating adoption of tokenised finance has the potential either to make the global financial system stronger and more efficient or to introduce entirely new forms of systemic risk, with the eventual outcome depending heavily on the decisions taken today by governments, central banks and financial regulators. According to the IMF, tokenisation should not be viewed merely as another step in financial technology. I