US regulators are examining claims that TD Bank’s anti-money-laundering remediation disproportionately targeted employees of Chinese descent, raising questions about whether corrective compliance processes evolved into patterns of internal bias. As the bank intensified investigative measures in response to major AML failures, internal reviews reportedly focused most heavily on Chinese and Chinese American staff, particularly those working in branches serving New York City’s C

The cryptocurrency market’s dramatic downturn accelerated on Wednesday, with Bitcoin sliding to a seven-month low and pushing total losses across digital assets beyond the $1 trillion mark.   The world’s largest cryptocurrency dropped to $88,522, inflicting fresh pain on investors ranging from retail traders buying the dip to institutional digital asset firms whose valuations have been rapidly eroding.   A modest rebound followed after Nvidia delivered strong earnings, easing

The United States and China have each rolled out major enforcement offensives aimed at sprawling criminal networks that have turned parts of Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand into entrenched hotspots for online scams and illicit gambling. These areas—now deeply embedded in operations powered by forced labour, digital fraud, and crypto-enabled money flows—have become focal points for both countries as they escalate efforts against transnational crime. In one of its most sw

Sri Lanka has confirmed that its newly established Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) will commence full operations on 1 December, taking charge of oversight across the country’s gaming landscape.   The GRA has been designed with what officials describe as a “broad and overarching scope,” assuming responsibility for ship-based, land-based, and online gambling activities. Lotteries and social gaming remain outside its remit. The authority will regulate licensing procedures, i

Binance is redefining global assumptions about crypto crime controls after newly released figures showed a steep decline in illicit activity moving through the exchange. What many once considered an improbable shift has now positioned Binance as a leading case study in large-scale AML transformation, having pushed criminal exposure to levels rarely observed across digital trading platforms. The findings have generated significant global attention because the exchange handles

A sprawling fraud scheme targeting a federal healthcare program and the layered laundering of its illicit proceeds has revealed a major compliance vulnerability in the sector. The case, involving individuals in California, centered on the submission of false claims to a national medical benefits program and the subsequent movement of the funds through complex structures, illustrating how criminal actors exploit healthcare systems to generate and conceal illicit profits. At th

A new wave of reporting by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) indicates that bad actors have been able to channel vast sums of cryptocurrency through exchanges, brokers, and off-ramp services, with similar laundering behaviors recurring even as several platforms operated under U.S. sanctions, plea agreements, or the oversight of court-appointed monitors. ICIJ’s project, titled “The Coin Laundry,” highlights a widening gap between the data permane

Brazil’s latest attempt to sharply raise gambling taxes has stalled once more, as lawmakers postponed the vote on a proposal to double the current rate — and have yet to set a new date for its return.   The delay follows the collapse of an earlier provisional measure that sought to lift the gambling tax rate from 12% to 18%. In October, legislators introduced a new plan to raise the levy on gross gaming revenue to 24%, but despite multiple attempts, it has not advanced.   An

In September 2024, Wynn Las Vegas agreed to surrender $130 million to the US Department of Justice after admitting it had “conspired with unlicensed money transmitting businesses that moved millions of dollars in illicit funds through the casino.”   At the time, the public was given only a broad outline of the violations, with little detail about the mechanics of the underground transfers, the role of casino staff, or how drug cartel proceeds ultimately ended up funding high-

A newly unsealed federal indictment lays out an intricate money laundering conspiracy that used cryptocurrency ATMs, cash deposits, and fast digital-asset transfers to move illicit proceeds across borders under the guise of legitimate business operations. At the center of the case is Firas Isa and his Chicago-based company, Virtual Assets LLC—known commercially as Crypto Dispensers—presented by prosecutors as a clear example of how crypto-enabled laundering can be embedded in

Brussels is considering another round of restrictive actions aimed at those enabling Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” to move oil, as the bloc intensifies efforts to curb Moscow’s capacity to fund its war in Ukraine.   Sources say EU foreign ministers, gathering in Brussels on Thursday, will examine ways to boost cooperation with ship-registering nations in order to disrupt Russia’s methods for evading existing sanctions.   In a document circulated ahead of the meeting, Pola

A prolonged pattern of failures in anti-money-laundering controls has led the ACPR to impose a €250,000 penalty and issue a public reprimand against Banque Chaabi du Maroc, also operating under the name Banque Populaire du Maroc. Inspectors found entrenched deficiencies throughout the bank’s risk-management setup, customer oversight, alert treatment, and internal supervision. The case illustrates how long-standing AML shortcomings, left uncorrected despite warnings and multip

A disciplinary case stemming from the actions of illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer inside Caesars Palace has escalated into one of the Strip’s most consequential financial-crime matters in recent memory. A proposed settlement between Caesars Entertainment, Inc. and Nevada regulators details a mixture of penalties, operational restrictions, and corrective measures aimed squarely at the casino’s failures to detect and prevent money-laundering activity connected to high-risk betti

US prosecutors have opened an investigation into a cluster of telecom companies after BlackRock’s private credit unit, HPS Investment Partners, claimed it lent hundreds of millions of dollars against receivables that appear to be fabricated. The Department of Justice is examining entities connected to Bankim Brahmbhatt, a relatively low-profile executive behind a series of companies that borrowed substantial sums from one of the largest players in private credit, according to

Macau’s Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai has cautioned that the city’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) is continuing to lag behind expectations and is unlikely to hit government projections by year-end, underscoring the sector’s fragility in the face of shifting international forces. Speaking at a press conference after presenting his 2026 Policy Address on Tuesday, Hou Fai admitted, “Until now, GGR has not matched our expectations, and we don’t believe it will do so by November or Dec

A Detroit man has been sentenced for covertly channeling cryptocurrency to the ISIS terror organization, a scheme that laid bare how digital assets can serve as concealed pipelines for extremist financing. The case illustrates how a lone actor can sidestep conventional controls by blending encrypted technologies, anonymous communications, and privacy-driven transaction tools that hinder AML visibility across the digital financial landscape. Investigators uncovered a trail of

FATF’s most recent follow-up review of Vietnam portrays a system that is gradually reinforcing its defences but still grappling with structural shortcomings that shape how banks, intermediaries and designated non-financial professions manage the risks of money laundering and terrorism financing. The evaluation acknowledges visible progress, yet it also confirms that several technical weaknesses continue to prevent Vietnam from reaching full alignment with global AML standards

Across the FATF network, the evaluation machinery has shifted into a noticeably higher tempo, with the fifth round of assessments now running parallel to the final stretch of the fourth. Countries are navigating a denser landscape of expectations that spans technical compliance, effectiveness, follow up obligations and potential ICRG escalation. What were once background procedural documents have effectively become operational blueprints, guiding how supervisors structure ins

VFS Global has cautioned UAE travellers against relying on the widespread belief that applying for a Schengen visa through smaller countries such as Luxembourg or Malta guarantees quicker approval.   According to Monaz Billimoria, VFS Global’s UAE Regional Director, this assumption is incorrect — and, in many cases, leads directly to visa refusals. Billimoria stressed that Schengen visa processing is governed by the EU Visa Code (Regulation 810/2009), which outlines a clear a

The South African Bookmakers’ Association (SABA) has issued a detailed clarification in response to the Supreme Court of Appeal’s recent ruling in the matter of Portapa (Pty) Limited, trading as Supabets, versus the Casino Association of South Africa.   The judgment, which also involved the Gauteng Gambling Board, was handed down on 21 October 2025 and has since generated extensive media coverage and public debate. SABA also noted its awareness of the National Gambling Board’