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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has unveiled a new slate of growth initiatives for 2026, with a major focus on enabling UK-issued stablecoins to deliver quicker and more convenient payment options. As part of this effort, the regulator plans to open its sandbox to allow firms to test stablecoin issuance in a controlled environment, promoting both safe experimentation and forward-looking policymaking. In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the FCA noted that nearly

Eurobank and National Bank of Greece (NBG) have emerged at the top of European banking rankings for return on equity, according to a pan-European report by UBS, underscoring the sustained profitability and resilience of the Greek banking sector. The findings, shared by Greek business outlet Newmoney, place both Eurobank and NBG firmly in the upper echelons of the European ranking for return on equity, reflecting gains that are “not a cyclical phenomenon but is instead the res

While the European Union continues to push for greater banking consolidation across the continent, Italy’s banking landscape tells a far more complicated story. The attempted takeover of Mediobanca by Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), involving two of Italy’s most prominent financial institutions, has unfolded as a complex interplay of financial manoeuvres, political decisions, and judicial scrutiny. Government support for the creation of a new banking powerhouse has ignited i

Gaming Corps has confirmed a new content partnership with UK operator MrQ, bringing its portfolio of slot and instant-win titles to the platform as the Swedish supplier continues to expand its footprint among licensed British brands. MrQ, which entered the UK market in 2018, now offers a catalogue of more than 1,000 games and has positioned its platform around simplified play conditions, distinguishing itself as one of the few UK casinos that do not impose wagering requiremen

Spanish banking heavyweight Santander has agreed to pay a hefty €22.5 million fine in France, drawing to a close a protracted money laundering investigation centered on its French subsidiary, BPI Paris. The settlement was reached through a judicial public interest agreement, or Convention Judiciaire d’Intérêt Public (CJIP), a mechanism that enables corporations suspected of financial crimes to resolve proceedings by paying a substantial monetary penalty. This brings an end to

In its latest Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Supervision Report for 2024–25, HM Treasury delivers an expansive evaluation of the UK’s financial defenses against illicit activity, covering the work of 25 supervisory bodies and detailing wide-reaching structural reforms. The document highlights the government’s intention to overhaul the existing supervisory landscape by assigning the Financial Conduct Authority sole responsibility for overseeing professio

European football has been pulled into an extraordinary compliance conflict after a series of FIFA rulings — compounded by the existence of the FIFA Clearing House as a centralised payment system — placed clubs under pressure that closely resembled the dynamics typically associated with sanctions-evasion exposure. These decisions arrived while EU, UK, and US sanctions regimes barred payments to a range of Russian clubs and their banking partners, shutting down all lawful paym

Gold prices remained largely unchanged on Friday, with stronger U.S. Treasury yields countering the support typically provided by a softer dollar, while market participants looked ahead to key inflation data that could shape expectations for the Federal Reserve’s next policy moves.   As of 0524 GMT, spot gold was steady at $4,215.92 per ounce, positioning the metal for a 0.3% weekly decline. U.S. gold futures for December delivery inched 0.1% higher to $4,245.70 per ounce.  

Gustaf Hoffstedt, secretary general of the Sweden Trade Association for Online Gambling (BOS), has sharply criticised AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) CEO Hasse Lord Skarplöth’s call for Sweden to raise taxes on online gambling operators. Hoffstedt characterised the proposal as an act of “self-harm” that would damage the country’s regulated market.   Skarplöth’s suggestion, made earlier this week, urged Sweden to mirror the UK’s recent decision to increase tax levels on licensed onli

Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court has placed all municipal lotteries across the country on immediate hold, casting significant uncertainty over their future.   The precautionary suspension follows a filing from the Solidarity Party, which argued that these locally run lotteries were violating national betting regulations.   The decision, issued on Wednesday by Minister Nunes Marques, freezes every municipal law and decree that establishes, authorises, or governs lottery and spor

Standard Chartered Plc has agreed to settle a long-running investor lawsuit valued at £1.5 billion ($2 billion) that accused the lender of deliberately violating sanctions against Iran to secure new business. The resolution emerged in a London Court of Appeal ruling on disclosure issued Friday, in which the judge noted that the parties had settled the matter after reviewing a draft version of the judgment. “After a draft of this judgment was circulated to the parties, they re

UK Finance has issued its strongest admonition yet to major global tech platforms, with chief executive David Postings urging Silicon Valley to “grasp the scale of the crisis” and significantly ramp up efforts to curb fraud proliferating across their networks. Addressing delegates at the Economic Crime Congress 2025, Postings described an escalating epidemic of financial crime in the UK—one that he argued no single industry can tackle alone.   Although banks are committing re

Griffin Jewellery Designs Inc. has been hit with a CAD 771,000 penalty after FINTRAC uncovered extensive shortcomings in the company’s anti–money laundering controls. Operating across multiple Canadian provinces, the retailer was examined for its adherence to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, and the findings revealed deep-rooted structural failures rather than isolated mistakes. The case, now closed following full payment of the penalty, s

Nigeria’s Senate has officially passed the Central Gaming Bill, 2025, pushing the country closer to repealing the National Lottery Act of 2005 along with its 2017 amendment, despite persistent objections from state-level regulators.   The bill, brought forward by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, successfully completed its third reading on 4 December and now moves to the House of Representatives for concurrence before being forwarded to President Bola Tinubu for his signature.

Netflix has entered exclusive negotiations to acquire Warner Bros Discovery’s film and television studios, along with its streaming operations, after submitting an offer valued at $28 per share, according to a source with direct knowledge of the discussions.   The parent company of HBO had been reviewing strategic alternatives and received a second round of bids this week following initial proposals from Netflix, Paramount Skydance and Comcast.   It was previously reported th

Lawmakers in Estonia have granted final approval to a bill that will gradually lower the tax rate on remote gambling to 4 per cent by 2029. The legislation cleared its third reading in parliament on Wednesday, passing by a vote of 51-31, with one abstention. As first reported in October by Gaming Intelligence, the bill reverses an earlier plan to increase the remote gaming tax in Estonia to 7 per cent in 2026. Under the new legislation, the tax rate will gradually fall from i

Gracetown has been issued a $7,139,305 penalty following an investigation that confirmed the company processed payments connected to a sanctioned Russian oligarch and failed for years to report blocked assets under its control. The enforcement decision underscores the severity of sanctions breaches and the money laundering risks that can surface within real estate structures. The case illustrates how financial activity involving designated individuals can persist when interme

BaFin recently imposed a €35,000 penalty on Leonteq Securities Europe, but unresolved contradictions across audits, supervisory investigations, public statements, and cross-border oversight have raised more questions than the fine itself. The publication accompanying the sanction offered almost no detail, a silence that sharply contrasts with the severity and breadth of findings in Germany, Switzerland, and France. Earlier regulatory findings revealed structural AML failures

A wide-ranging fraud network built around sham crypto investment platforms and extensive money-laundering channels has been brought down following a sweeping Europol intervention, shutting off an ecosystem that had channelled more than EUR 700 million through counterfeit trading dashboards and complex cross-border blockchain movements. Coordinated raids across Europe exposed the full architecture of the operation, showing how digital anonymity, fabricated interfaces, and orga

Brazil has settled on an 18% tax rate for fixed-odds betting operators, marking the latest and most significant fiscal adjustment in the country’s newly formed gambling regime.   The decision follows today’s approval by the Senate’s Committee of Economic Affairs (CAE), which endorsed the plan to lift the gross gaming revenue (GGR) tax from the existing 12% to 18% through a phased process beginning in 2026.   Under the CAE-approved proposal, the tax rate will rise to 15% by 20

The European Central Bank is entering the final stretch before announcing a new package of banking rule simplifications, with ECB President Christine Lagarde confirming that the long-awaited review of supervisory regulations has been completed and is set for publication in the coming days.   Speaking before the European Parliament, Lagarde revealed that “next Thursday, Vice President Luis de Guindos will present very specifically — I think there are 15 different areas for whi