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The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has no immediate plans to reopen applications for new e-gaming operators as it moves to consolidate the country’s domestic online gaming industry, where the number of licensed operators has declined from 74 to just 48. PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco said the regulator would maintain the moratorium that has been in place since March 2024, according to comments reported Thursday by The Philippine Star following

The UK Financial Conduct Authority has banned three former senior figures at wealth management firm Dolfin Financial after finding that they operated a scheme designed to help wealthy clients bypass the requirements of the country's investor visa programme. The regulatory action concerns an arrangement that operated between 2016 and 2019 and allegedly enabled at least 99 individuals to obtain UK investor visas without making the level of genuine investment required under the

Ukraine's state-owned Sense Bank has become the focus of a major money-laundering investigation involving allegations that approximately UAH 150 million, equivalent to around $3.4 million, was moved through the banking system as part of a scheme connected to a wider corruption investigation. The allegations have triggered significant action against senior figures at the bank and renewed questions about the effectiveness of its anti-money laundering controls, governance and st

Vietnam has formally expanded its anti-money laundering framework to address risks associated with crypto assets, marking another major step towards bringing the country's rapidly developing digital-asset market within the scope of financial regulation. The National Assembly approved amendments to the Law on Anti-Money Laundering alongside changes to legislation governing the State Bank of Vietnam and credit institutions. The amendments were approved with 94.6% of lawmakers v

Bulgaria has introduced a new regulatory framework placing gambling affiliates under direct licensing and tax obligations, significantly changing the way businesses can promote licensed gambling operators in the country. The new rules, which entered into force on 1 August 2026, bring affiliate marketing into the scope of Bulgaria’s gambling regulatory system. Affiliates that generate remuneration based on measurable results linked to gambling activity are now required to obta

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced a new round of sanctions targeting individuals, companies and networks connected with Russia, reinforcing Washington’s continued use of financial restrictions to limit activities considered to support the Russian state and its strategic interests. The measures form part of the broader U.S. sanctions framework directed at Russia and underline the continuing importance of sanctions scree

Online bookmaker QuinnBet (Gibraltar) Limited has agreed to pay a £609,104 ($830,501) regulatory settlement following an investigation by the UK Gambling Commission that uncovered significant weaknesses in its anti-money laundering and safer-gambling controls. The agreement, announced on Thursday, brings to a close an extensive compliance review of QuinnBet’s remote gambling licence covering the period from March 2023 to August 2025. The settlement includes a £193,118 disgorg

The United States, under President Donald Trump’s second administration, is increasingly embracing prediction markets and the expanding trade in event-based contracts linked to everything from sports and politics to pop culture. While Washington moves to support the industry, several of the world’s largest economies are taking the opposite approach, introducing restrictions or outright bans on the controversial platforms. Speaking at the White House this week alongside Commod

Two employees of cryptocurrency exchange Binance were detained by authorities in the United Arab Emirates in recent weeks as part of inquiries into possible financial crimes connected to the movement of funds through the platform. The employees were reportedly stopped at airports in the UAE during separate incidents. The circumstances surrounding the detentions initially remained unclear, including the precise nature of the financial activity being examined by authorities. Bi

The Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) has raised concerns over an apparent increase in money laundering cases in the country, warning individuals and businesses against becoming involved in transactions designed to conceal the origins of illegally obtained funds. The central bank has stressed that money laundering represents a significant threat to Malawi's financial system and could damage the country's reputation within the international financial community. Authorities are part

Australia's financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC has uncovered potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in suspected mortgage fraud across 10 major Australian banks, exposing significant weaknesses in the country's lending sector. The findings emerged from Operation Claw, a joint analysis conducted through AUSTRAC's Fintel Alliance, which brought together data from 10 major lenders to identify patterns that may not have been visible within individual institutions. Most of

The leader of a large organised crime group responsible for trafficking substantial quantities of cocaine, heroin and cannabis across parts of Essex and London has been sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison after spending almost five years evading authorities overseas. Max Matthews, 31, was identified as the senior figure in a criminal network that operated on an industrial scale, moving drugs and large amounts of criminal cash between March and July 2020. Matthews f

Faith leaders in Fiji are calling for stronger families, greater community involvement and closer cooperation with law enforcement as concerns grow over the involvement of young people in crime and a rise in offences targeting homes and places of worship. The call comes amid concerns over break-ins at residential properties and religious sites, with community leaders arguing that tackling crime requires more than policing alone. They say families, religious organisations, sch

Ukraine has expanded its autonomous sanctions regime against Russia, adding 87 individuals and 54 entities to its sanctions list in a coordinated series of measures approved by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The measures were introduced through four presidential decrees and target individuals and companies connected with Russia and activities considered to support or facilitate Russian interests. The latest additions bring a further layer of pressure to Ukraine's expanding sa

Brazil’s Ministry of Finance has suspended the federal operations of Pixbet and two brands associated with the company after regulators identified shortcomings in responsible gambling measures and failures to provide required regulatory information. The Secretariat of Prizes and Betting (SPA) issued two precautionary measures against Pixbet Soluções Tecnológicas, covering its Pixbet, GanheiBet and Bet da Sorte operations. Under the orders, the operator is required to immediat

A coordinated mortgage fraud problem has been identified across Australia’s lending sector after financial intelligence shared through Fintel Alliance revealed recurring patterns of false and misleading information being used to obtain home loans from multiple major lenders. The investigation began when Commonwealth Bank identified irregularities in mortgage applications and shared the intelligence through Fintel Alliance, a public-private financial crime partnership bringing

Hungarian authorities have closed a money laundering investigation involving employees of Ukraine's state-owned Oschadbank after determining that there was no evidence of a criminal offence. The decision brings an end to a case that began with the detention of seven Ukrainian cash-in-transit employees and the seizure of a substantial shipment of cash and gold in Hungary earlier this year. The investigation was conducted by Hungary's National Tax and Customs Administration, kn

An Australian man has been charged following a major investigation into an alleged illegal tobacco and vaping operation that authorities believe generated and handled almost $9 million in illicit proceeds. The case emerged from a four-month investigation in Australia's Northern Territory that initially focused on suspected money laundering before investigators uncovered an alleged commercial operation involving the sale and distribution of illicit tobacco products and vaping

Hui Ka Yan, the founder of Evergrande, has been sentenced to life imprisonment following the collapse of the Chinese property giant that became one of the most prominent symbols of the country's prolonged real estate crisis. The court also ordered the confiscation of Hui's personal property, marking a dramatic conclusion to the criminal case against the businessman who once stood among Asia's wealthiest individuals. Hui, also known as Xu Jiayin, pleaded guilty earlier this ye

Hong Kong Customs has uncovered a suspected money laundering operation involving approximately HK$35 million in suspected criminal proceeds following a financial investigation connected to an earlier narcotics case. Two local men, both aged 33, have been arrested in connection with the alleged laundering activity. The investigation began after Customs officers uncovered a dangerous drugs case in August 2025 involving drugs with an estimated value of approximately HK$8.3 milli