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The Netherlands has taken a decisive step in strengthening its fight against financial crime by formally expanding its legal framework to grant the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) the authority to temporarily suspend suspicious transactions. This development, set to take effect in July 2026, is designed to prevent the rapid movement and dissipation of illicit funds by obligating reporting entities to comply with postponement requests while detailed investigations are carrie

Scott-Moncrieff and Associates has lost its appeal against a £68,000 penalty imposed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority after a tribunal confirmed serious shortcomings in the firm’s financial crime controls. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruled that the regulator’s original decision was sound, finding that the firm permitted millions of dollars to flow through its client accounts without adequate proof of legitimate legal services underpinning those transactions. Th

A €450,000 penalty handed down by the AMF against Kerdiz Finance et Conseil and its senior managers has brought to light significant shortcomings in anti-money laundering controls, alongside broader regulatory breaches. The ruling targets an investment advisory firm that failed to comply with multiple obligations under French law, with authorities identifying serious weaknesses in due diligence, transaction monitoring, governance structures, and client protection measures. Th

Japan’s Financial Services Agency has issued updated Guidelines for Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism, introducing a more advanced regulatory framework designed to respond to the shifting risks of the global financial system. The revised guidance places strong emphasis on a rigorous risk-based methodology, requiring financial institutions to actively detect and address vulnerabilities specific to their operations. By sharpening expectations around

Merricks Solicitors Limited has reached a regulatory settlement with the Solicitors Regulation Authority following an investigation that revealed substantial weaknesses in its defenses against financial crime. The agreement arises from the firm’s failure to maintain critical records required under national anti-money laundering regulations, a lapse that ultimately led to disciplinary action. By accepting the outcome and agreeing to pay the costs associated with the investigat

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has concluded a regulatory settlement with Ranson Houghton LLP following an extensive investigation into the firm’s anti-money laundering systems, bringing the matter to a close in March 2026. The outcome followed a desk-based review conducted by the regulator’s proactive supervision team, which uncovered persistent and long-running compliance deficiencies. Central to the findings was the firm’s failure to maintain a properly documented fir

The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission is weighing a significant tightening of oversight within its gambling industry, with new proposals that would shift part of the compliance responsibility away from corporate entities and directly onto individuals. Under the suggested reforms, regulators would gain the authority to impose financial penalties on managers and key personnel who are accountable for failures in know-your-customer and anti-money laundering controls. Th

Danish authorities have concluded an extensive regulatory inspection of Merex International AS, culminating in a series of binding enforcement directives aimed at remedying deep-rooted deficiencies in the company’s anti-money laundering framework. The review, carried out by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority, uncovered substantial weaknesses tied to the firm’s business model, particularly its involvement in currency exchange and international money transfers to jurisd

Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre Chief Executive Brendan Thomas delivered a strong message to the legal community during the Law Society of New South Wales 2026 Annual Conference in a keynote speech titled "How Money Laundering Actually Works, Why It Causes Real Harm, and Why the Legal Profession Now Has a Formal Role in Preventing It". In his remarks, Thomas outlined the significant regulatory expansion taking place under the government’s Tranche 2 reforms

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued new technology-driven regulations requiring banks and other financial institutions to deploy automated anti-money laundering (AML) systems to enhance the detection of suspicious financial transactions. In a circular released on March 10, 2026, titled “Baseline Standards for Automated Anti Money Laundering (AML) Solutions for Financial Institutions in Nigeria,” the apex bank explained that the new policy is designed to improve the m

South Korea has formally moved to enforce a strict 20 percent ownership ceiling for digital asset exchanges, a policy change that will significantly reshape a market where leading platforms such as Bithumb and Gopax have historically been dominated by single controlling shareholders holding stakes well above 60 percent. The sweeping reform, led by the Financial Services Commission, is intended to dismantle concentrated ownership structures that have long complicated transpare

The Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS) has published its latest review into how professional body supervisors oversee the legal and accountancy sectors, pointing to measurable improvements since its establishment in 2018 while warning that deep-rooted weaknesses in enforcement remain unresolved. Although supervisory standards have generally improved over the past several years, the regulator continues to express concern about inconsistent d

The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission has released a public enforcement statement detailing serious regulatory violations committed by Shelgeyr Limited, the company behind the Maverick Games brand. The action followed a comprehensive regulatory inspection that uncovered numerous breaches of the Gambling Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Code 2019. Investigators determined that the operator did not sustain adequate safeguards against fin

The international financial sector has been shaken once again by revelations tied to the $4.3 billion settlement that was originally intended to transform how Binance manages high-risk financial activity.   New reporting published in February 2026 indicates that more than $1 billion in funds associated with Iranian actors allegedly flowed through the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange between early 2024 and late 2025. The situation underscores a growing conflict between

The Bank of Thailand has revealed that an unusually sharp rise in cash withdrawals in September 2025 was a direct consequence of expanded anti-money laundering enforcement that resulted in the freezing of accounts tied to online piracy and financial fraud.   Authorities explained that under existing anti-money laundering statutes, anyone convicted of laundering assets faces severe penalties, including prison sentences of up to ten years and fines ranging between 20,000 and 20

The Solicitors Regulation Authority is placing increasing emphasis on supervising smaller legal practices, demonstrated by a recent £1,596 fine issued to a Newcastle-based firm following serious failures in money laundering record-keeping. The enforcement action against Caisson Turner Legal Services reflects a broader shift in regulatory strategy, where smaller firms are no longer shielded from proactive oversight based on their size. The SRA investigation revealed an eight-y

Financial institutions in Japan operate within a highly developed regulatory structure designed to prevent illicit funds from entering and destabilizing the national economy. A central component of this framework is the early identification of transactions that do not match a customer’s established financial behavior or legitimate commercial activity. By maintaining strict monitoring standards, these institutions serve as a primary safeguard against organized crime and cross-

HM Revenue & Customs has released its latest roster of businesses sanctioned for failing to comply with money laundering regulations, revealing that estate agents make up almost half of all penalties issued during the period.   The newly published data, covering enforcement action between 1 April and 30 September 2025, shows that a total of 369 penalties were imposed across all sectors under HMRC supervision, with combined fines amounting to £1,881,237. Of those, 170 penaltie

South Korea has approved a broad package of regulatory changes aimed at reinforcing the credibility of its capital markets and tightening its anti-money laundering framework, with the Financial Services Commission finalizing the revised rules on January 28, 2026. A central feature of the reforms is a significant expansion of mandatory English-language disclosures for listed companies, a move intended to dismantle long-standing linguistic barriers that have limited internation

Banco Santander SA has been ordered to pay a penalty exceeding €40 million following an extensive supervisory review of the anti-money laundering arrangements at its digital subsidiary, Openbank. Spain’s anti-money laundering authority, Sepblac, concluded that there were material weaknesses in the internal procedures and control systems governing Openbank’s operations in Spain. The sanction, one of the largest ever issued by the watchdog, reflects heightened regulatory pressu