All Articles

The European Commission is preparing a sweeping overhaul of financial market oversight that would bring stock exchanges, cryptocurrency trading platforms, and clearing houses under central EU supervision. The initiative aims to address fragmentation across Europe’s financial landscape and strengthen the bloc’s competitiveness against the United States. Currently, dozens of national and regional regulators oversee hundreds of trading and post-trade institutions across the EU —

JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) disclosed in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that it is cooperating with inquiries from government agencies and other entities concerning its internal policies and procedures, as the Trump administration intensifies its focus on alleged “debanking” of specific industries or clients. The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued new guidance in September designed to discourage banks from closing customer accounts based on political or re

Revolut has officially selected Cyprus as the central base for its European digital asset operations, following the company’s acquisition of a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) licence from the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) through its local entity, Revolut Digital Assets Europe Ltd. This newly granted authorization signals the beginning of a significant new chapter for both Revolut and Cyprus, as the MiCA regulation introduces a comprehensive European frame

A vast $3 billion laundering operation run by North Korea has been unveiled by the United States, marking one of the most sophisticated state-backed financial crime networks ever identified. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued a new round of sanctions that reveal an intricate structure of digital theft, shell banking, and cross-border money laundering. Beneath the technical mechanisms lies a deliberate state strategy: Pyong

A recent law enforcement operation at Manchester Airport has shed light on how portable wealth can serve as a vehicle for concealing illicit funds. Officers intercepted a suspicious vehicle near the terminal late on 30 October and discovered seven gold bars valued at approximately £700,000. Follow-up investigations led to the arrest of two men, aged 49 and 45, who arrived days later on an inbound flight. Their luggage contained additional gold and jewellery worth about £1 mil

Online gambling operators have long been under regulatory scrutiny for anti-money laundering (AML) compliance, but the recent £650,000 settlement involving NetBet Enterprises Limited has exposed how even reputable and established firms can fall short in protecting their platforms from criminal misuse. The enforcement action serves as a clear reminder of how weak risk assessments, inadequate transaction monitoring, and operational complacency can transform a legitimate busines

The Singapore Police Force has unveiled one of the most intricate transnational money-laundering operations in recent memory, targeting the Prince Holding Group led by Chen Zhi and his associates. The investigation exposed a sprawling financial network spanning multiple jurisdictions, with illicit proceeds traced from scam operations and forced-labor schemes into luxury assets and corporate holdings. Authorities describe the case as a benchmark for Singapore’s commitment to m

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has released its latest Anti-Money Laundering Annual Report at a pivotal moment for the United Kingdom’s financial crime framework. As the government moves to consolidate all professional body supervisors under the Financial Conduct Authority, the SRA has produced one of its most comprehensive accounts to date of the legal sector’s exposure to financial crime and its own regulatory responses. The 2024–25 report details the scale of th

The ongoing trial of Lafarge SA has emerged as one of the most consequential corporate terrorism-financing cases in recent European legal history. The French cement producer, now part of Holcim, is accused of paying several million euros to armed groups in Syria between 2012 and 2014 to maintain operations at its plant in Jalabiya. Prosecutors allege that these payments financed extremist organisations, including the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, converting routine busin

Australia’s financial intelligence regulator, AUSTRAC, has intensified its crackdown on illicit cash-to-crypto operations, zeroing in on a key player whose compliance lapses expose growing vulnerabilities in the nation’s digital currency oversight. The enforcement action against Cryptolink Pty Ltd not only underscores AUSTRAC’s sharpened focus on crypto ATM operators but also highlights how traditional laundering techniques are being repurposed through emerging technologies.

The Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) has announced an extension to the compliance deadline for betting operators in Brazil regarding the recently introduced ban on betting among social welfare beneficiaries. Operators will now have an additional 30 days to fully adhere to the new restrictions, which were formally announced in late September. On 30 September, the SPA published Normative Ordinance No 2,217/2025 and Normative Instruction No 22, which completely prohibit bene

In a landmark reform of its corporate tax framework, the Maltese government officially enacted the Final Income Tax Without Imputation Regulations on September 2, 2025, introducing a 15% elective final tax on company profits. The move marks one of the most significant overhauls of Malta’s business taxation system in recent years, offering what the government describes as a simpler and more transparent alternative to the long-standing imputation and refund model. From 35% to a

The Cyprus Real Estate Development Association has expressed strong approval for the unanimous decision by the House of Representatives to pass new legislation establishing a framework for the regulation of foreign direct investments (FDI). The law signifies Cyprus’ full alignment with the European Union’s screening regulation, aimed at enhancing oversight of foreign investments that may impact national security. Under the new legal framework, Cyprus will introduce stricter c

The European Banking Authority’s 2025 response to the European Commission’s Call for Advice on six key Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) mandates reads as both a roadmap and a reality check. Released in October 2025, the report lays the technical foundation for the European Union’s new AML regime while quietly acknowledging the central challenge: AMLA’s operational capacity may not yet measure up to its sweeping mandate. Behind the EBA’s formal prose lies a pragmatic und

Entain Australia has admitted to certain shortcomings in its previous anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) compliance program, while simultaneously contesting a number of claims and interpretations made by Australia’s financial crime regulator, AUSTRAC. The operator made the statements as it filed its defence in response to AUSTRAC’s amended statement of claim in the Federal Court of Australia, asserting that it has transformed its operations into a

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) has announced that it is temporarily halting the publication of its Certification Registers and certification examination results following the discovery of identity fraud incidents involving these records. According to the commission, certain individuals have been found unlawfully using the personal data of people listed in the Certification Registers or mentioned in the announcements of examination results, with the inte

The UK Parliament’s Treasury Committee heard on Tuesday that the Netherlands cannot be used as a credible case study to suggest gambling tax increases drive players toward the black market. Speaking before MPs, Carsten Jung, interim associate director for economic policy and AI at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), said that while raising taxes can generate substantial revenue, it is not a stand-alone solution to problem gambling. Jung appeared as part of the fi

The conviction of former Hua Han Health Industry Holdings executive Wong Ming Chun for laundering corporate funds has highlighted a rare instance in which internal misconduct within a listed company escalated into a full-fledged financial crime case. Although Hong Kong’s financial system is internationally recognized for its stringent regulatory oversight, this case demonstrated that even the most robust external supervision cannot compensate for internal betrayal and failed

In a groundbreaking action announced in late October 2025, the United States Department of the Treasury designated Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his closest associates under Executive Order 14059, the U.S. sanctions authority aimed at persons involved in the international narcotics trade. This unprecedented step — targeting a sitting leader of a key U.S. ally — has drawn global attention not just for its political implications but for the alarm it raises about the con

Across the African continent, a profound wave of regulatory reflection and reform is transforming how nations confront money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Ghana and Botswana, long regarded as benchmarks for financial governance, have recently unveiled ambitious initiatives designed to close the systemic gaps that allow illicit funds to circulate undetected. While the Bank of Ghana has implemented a comprehensive new framework for anti-money laundering and counter