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The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve) has underlined the substantial export potential arising from the newly concluded free trade agreement between the European Union and India, noting that the arrangement is expected to open important new pathways for European exporters, including businesses in Cyprus.   According to the chamber, the agreement, finalised in January 2026 and anticipated to take effect in the coming years, will make India’s vast market of around 1

The Dutch gambling authority, Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has issued a penalty order against Polymarket, instructing the cryptocurrency-based prediction platform to halt its operations in the Netherlands or face fines that could reach as much as €840,000 ($994,147).   The regulator determined that the platform had violated national regulations by making its services available to Dutch users without the required gambling licence.   According to the KSA, the company responsible f

European Central Bank and European Systemic Risk Board have jointly released a detailed analysis warning that expanding connections between traditional banks and the non-bank financial intermediation sector could create structural vulnerabilities capable of intensifying financial stress during adverse market environments. The joint publication, titled “Financial stability risks from linkages between banks and the non-bank financial intermediation sector”, concludes that while

The European Union is considering a sweeping prohibition on all cryptocurrency transactions involving Russia as part of efforts to restrict Moscow’s ability to use digital assets to bypass existing sanctions, according to a document obtained by FT. The proposed measures would specifically target efforts to prevent sanctioned Russian crypto infrastructure from re-emerging under new guises. Officials are seeking to block "copycat Russian crypto entities spun out of already sanc

Italy’s financial police have carried out a search operation targeting the offices of Triestina Calcio, a third-tier football club currently owned by U.S.-based cryptocurrency firm House of Doge. Investigators are examining allegations involving money laundering, falsified accounting records, and the use of fake invoices. The operation included searches at the club’s headquarters in Trieste, a city in northeastern Italy, as well as inspections at the private residences of 15

A 25-year-old woman from St Paul’s Bay has been remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to charges accusing her of scamming roughly 200 individuals by allegedly pretending to be a bank. Tammy Caruana, who informed the court that she is currently unemployed, was arraigned following a large-scale online fraud probe conducted by the Malta Police Force’s Financial Crimes Investigations Department. The investigation was carried out in collaboration with Europol as well as la

Euro area net saving declined to €863 billion in the four quarters to the third quarter of 2025, down from €877 billion recorded in the four quarters to the previous quarter, according to data published by the European Central Bank. The latest figure represented 6.9 per cent of euro area net disposable income. Over the same period, net non-financial investment across the euro area rose to €590 billion, equivalent to 4.7 per cent of net disposable income, with the ECB noting t

A recent survey conducted by the European Central Bank indicated a modest increase in how consumers perceive past inflation, alongside notable movements in expectations related to inflation, income, growth, housing and credit conditions. According to the ECB, the median rate of inflation perceived by consumers over the previous 12 months edged up to 3.2 per cent, compared with 3.1 per cent recorded in November. At the same time, median expectations for inflation over the comi

Household real consumption per capita in the euro area rose by 0.4 per cent during the third quarter of 2025, maintaining the same pace of growth recorded in the previous quarter, according to data released by Eurostat.   Over the same three-month period, household real income per capita in the euro area increased by a more modest 0.1 per cent, following a stronger rise of 0.5 per cent in the second quarter of 2025.   Across the European Union as a whole, household real consu

German federal police, together with investigators from the Federal Criminal Police Office, carried out wide-ranging searches at Deutsche Bank’s corporate offices in Frankfurt and Berlin on January 28, 2026. The operation was ordered by prosecutors in Frankfurt and is directed at unidentified managers and employees suspected of breaching national financial laws. Investigators are examining whether the bank enabled transactions for foreign entities connected to individuals und

French naval forces have detained an Indian ship’s captain following the interception of an oil tanker suspected of operating within the covert maritime network that sustains Russian energy exports. The vessel, the Grinch, was stopped on the high seas and escorted under military supervision to the Gulf of Fos-sur-Mer, where it arrived on January 25, 2026. The ship’s captain, a 58-year-old Indian national, was taken into custody as part of a criminal investigation led by prose

The European Banking Authority (EBA) and the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism have finalized the full transfer of all anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing mandates and responsibilities, marking a major step forward in the European Union’s efforts to combat financial crime. The completion of this handover brings to a close the stand-alone AML/CFT mandate that the EBA has held since 2020 and represents a key mileston

The European Commission has formally classified Russia as a “high-risk third country,” pointing to long-standing and systemic weaknesses in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework. The decision follows an in-depth technical assessment that drew on publicly available information, findings from authorities in EU member states, and evaluations conducted by the European External Action Service (EEAS). The Commission concluded that Russia’s financial sy

The European Parliament is preparing to suspend the ratification of the US trade deal agreed in July, according to sources close to its committee on international trade. The announcement is expected to be made on Wednesday in Strasbourg, France, marking a significant escalation in tensions between the US and Europe. The move comes as Donald Trump intensifies his efforts to acquire Greenland, prompting threats of new US tariffs over the issue during the weekend. The standoff h

Inflation across the euro area has largely been reined in following one of the most intense price surges in recent decades, with the European Central Bank now moving into what it sees as a delicate transition period, according to ECB executive board member Philip Lane. In an interview first published by Italian newspaper La Stampa , Lane said the dramatic rise in inflation during 2021 and 2022 led the ECB to implement an aggressive tightening of monetary policy, a strategy th

Swedish law enforcement has stepped up its offensive against unauthorized financial intermediaries, warning that anyone acting as an illegal money transmitter risks long prison terms and the seizure of their assets. Criminal networks are increasingly leaning on loose, decentralized webs of willing or coerced individuals to move dirty money across borders while steering clear of regulated banks. The funds being shuffled through these channels often bankroll major criminal acti

Denmark has formally submitted proposed new controls on gambling advertising to the European Commission for scrutiny, as part of an effort to expand the regulatory and enforcement powers of the country’s gambling watchdog.   On 13 January, Spillemyndigheden, Denmark’s Gambling Authority, filed a notification with the European Commission’s Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS), triggering the EU’s mandatory review procedure for draft technical regulations. The process

The European Union has acknowledged the substantial progress achieved by South African institutions in closing long-standing gaps within the country’s financial and regulatory framework, following a period of close international scrutiny in which the jurisdiction worked to bring its domestic laws into line with the global standards set by the Financial Action Task Force. Through the introduction of stronger oversight structures and greater transparency around beneficial owner

The Finnish Parliament has approved the Government’s proposal for a new Gambling Act, marking a significant shift in the country’s gaming landscape. Under the reform, Veikkaus’ exclusive right to offer gambling services will end for betting games as well as online slot machine and casino games in the summer of 2027. The company will, however, retain its monopoly on lottery games, scratch cards, and physical slot machines and casino games. Gambling companies will be able to ap

For much of the past year, Europe’s gambling watchdogs have been fixated on two familiar adversaries: rising taxes and the black market. The higher levies introduced across several jurisdictions in 2025 were designed to raise public revenues and curb excessive gambling, while tougher enforcement was meant to drive illegal operators out of the shadows. Yet the headlines that followed painted a far more complicated picture. Licensed companies complained that their margins were