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The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has warned that significant regulatory gaps in the oversight of decentralised finance (DeFi) platforms are creating opportunities for money launderers, cybercriminals and sanctioned actors to exploit blockchain-based financial services. In a newly published targeted report, the international standard setter outlines how many jurisdictions have yet to identify DeFi arrangements that fall within existing anti-money laundering (AML) and cou

Organisations across the globe are increasingly struggling to deliver cybersecurity metrics that actually meet the needs of boards, executive leadership, and operational security teams, with the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence significantly deepening this already persistent reporting disconnect. Technology intelligence firm IDC argues that cyber risk has shifted beyond being a purely operational issue and is now an existential business threat capable of bringing

Israel has launched a significant regulatory and enforcement operation targeting cryptocurrency wallets allegedly connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), disrupting what authorities describe as an international shadow banking system responsible for transferring tens of millions of dollars over several years. The initiative, led by the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing alongside specialized intelligence and defense agencies, underscores the increa

The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Nobitex, Iran’s largest digital asset exchange, as part of a wider action targeting Iranian crypto infrastructure accused of supporting terrorist financing, sanctions evasion and regime-linked financial activity. The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Nobitex on 2 June 2026, along with three other Iranian digital asset exchanges: Wallex, Bitpin and Ramzinex. OFAC also sanctioned several individuals connected to Nobitex, inc

A Vietnamese national has pleaded guilty in New York to participating in a major identity theft conspiracy connected to a transnational money laundering scheme that allegedly moved at least $67 million in illicit funds through accounts linked to a multinational media company. Le Van Hung, also known as “Hung Van Le” and “Van Hung Le”, admitted his role before a federal magistrate judge in the Southern District of New York on 29 June 2026. According to U.S. prosecutors, Hung w

Binance is facing one of its most serious regulatory setbacks in Europe after failing to secure authorisation under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, commonly known as MiCA, before the end of the transitional period. The world’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume has informed users in several EU markets that it will no longer be able to provide certain crypto-asset services from 1 July 2026. The move follows the withdrawal of its licence application in Gr

Curaçao is tightening its approach to crypto gambling, giving licensed online gambling operators until mid-2027 to align with new compliance expectations under the jurisdiction’s reformed regulatory framework. The Curaçao Gaming Authority has issued new guidance for business-to-consumer online gambling operators that accept cryptocurrency, marking another step in the island’s transition from a historically flexible offshore licensing model to a more structured and complianc

Thailand has blocked nearly 14,000 illegal online gambling links as authorities intensify enforcement during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, one of the biggest betting periods in the global sporting calendar. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society reportedly blocked 13,888 gambling-related websites, URLs, social-media pages and online links between 1 June and 18 June 2026. The action came as betting activity increased around the World Cup, which began on 11 June and is expect

Artificial intelligence is becoming a serious part of the anti-money laundering conversation, but the newest development is not simply about making transaction monitoring faster. The more important shift is that researchers are now trying to train machines to anticipate how money launderers may adapt before those methods appear in real financial data. A research team at the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering is working on a project funded by

The Financial Action Task Force is moving global anti-money laundering expectations into a more operational phase, with recent updates showing a clear shift away from purely formal compliance and towards practical effectiveness, stronger payment transparency, sanctions implementation and better detection of cross-border financial crime. The latest developments follow the FATF Plenary held between 17 and 19 June 2026, where members approved a series of initiatives dealing wi

The European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee has backed the long-awaited digital euro, giving the project fresh political momentum as the EU seeks to strengthen its financial autonomy and reduce reliance on US-dominated payment infrastructure. The vote, reported on 23 June 2026, is not the final approval of the digital euro, but it is an important step in the legislative process. The European Parliament is expected to formalise the committee’s position

Hong Kong is accelerating the use of artificial intelligence in the fight against financial crime, with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) signalling that advanced analytics, machine learning and AI-powered monitoring tools will play an increasingly important role in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing controls. The latest step came on 22 June 2026, when the HKMA published new material aimed at supporting the adoption of artificial intelligence in fin

The Bank of England has softened key parts of its proposed stablecoin regime, marking an important shift in the United Kingdom’s attempt to regulate digital money without undermining innovation in the payments sector. The central bank published its policy statement and draft rules for sterling-denominated systemic stablecoins on 22 June 2026. The framework is intended to support the use of stablecoins as trusted digital money in the UK, while protecting financial stability,

Virtual asset service providers operating across the United Arab Emirates are being required to strengthen their compliance infrastructures in line with the latest anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing guidance issued by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). The updated regulatory expectations compel firms to conduct comprehensive evaluations of operational vulnerabilities in order to reduce exposure to financial crime, terrorist financing activities

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, is reportedly facing the prospect of losing its ability to provide services to customers across the European Union beginning next month, as its application for regulatory approval in Greece is said to be heading toward rejection. According to information cited by Reuters from two sources familiar with the matter, the outcome could place the future of Binance’s operations in the European market in doubt as

An extensive international law enforcement operation backed by Eurojust and Europol has dismantled a major digital asset laundering network accused of helping cybercriminals move millions of euros in illicit proceeds. The coordinated action focused on a service known as AudiA6, which investigators believe handled substantial volumes of criminal cryptocurrency transactions for global threat actors between 2022 and 2025. Authorities carried out synchronized enforcement measures

Financial compliance systems are facing increasing pressure as decentralized technologies continue to blur the distinction between straightforward payment processing and sophisticated financial engineering. A recent study released by the Bank for International Settlements under Working Paper Number 1359 examines the operational mechanics of digital dollar derivatives within distributed ledger environments. By analyzing hundreds of millions of events recorded across public blo

The United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on four of Iran's most significant cryptocurrency trading platforms, accusing them of enabling illicit financial activity, supporting terrorism-related financing, and assisting in the circumvention of international economic restrictions. The action specifically names Nobitex, the country's largest digital asset exchange by market share, along with Wallex, Bitpin, and R

The Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has approved a new notice of proposed rulemaking aimed at imposing comprehensive financial crime compliance standards on permitted payment stablecoin issuers operating under its supervision. The proposal marks a significant step toward integrating digital asset companies into the same anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework that governs traditional banking institutions. Federal regul

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada has announced a major enforcement action against Necosmart, issuing an administrative monetary penalty totaling 693,742.50 dollars following the discovery of extensive compliance deficiencies within the company’s anti-money laundering controls. The sanction, finalized on March 27, 2026, underscores the growing intensity of regulatory oversight directed at money services businesses operating across Canada. Accord