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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

Cambodia’s National Bank is intensifying measures to combat cross-border crime and money laundering as the country works to avoid being placed on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list for a third time, amid ongoing enforcement against the nation’s notorious scam hubs. According to local Chinese-language media outlet The Cambodia China Times, National Bank of Cambodia Governor Chea Serey revealed at the bank’s annual work summary meeting that the institution is bols

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has levied a $1.1 million fine and issued a censure against three Cetera entities after uncovering systemic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering (AML) controls and oversight of low-priced securities. The regulatory body determined that from March 2019 through August 2021, Cetera Advisors, Cetera Wealth Services, and Cetera Investment Services “operated a compliance program that was not reasonably designed to detect or

The European Union has acknowledged the substantial progress achieved by South African institutions in closing long-standing gaps within the country’s financial and regulatory framework, following a period of close international scrutiny in which the jurisdiction worked to bring its domestic laws into line with the global standards set by the Financial Action Task Force. Through the introduction of stronger oversight structures and greater transparency around beneficial owner

The Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier has imposed an administrative fine of €185,000 on Rakuten Europe Bank S.A. after identifying serious shortcomings in the institution’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing controls. The decision was formally adopted on May 19, 2025, and made public on the regulator’s website in early 2026. The sanction corresponds to approximately one percent of the bank’s annual turnover as reported at the end of the 2022 f

The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), together with its enforcement committee, has concluded a sanction procedure against M Capital Partners, imposing a total fine of 150,000 euros on the portfolio management company and several of its executives. The decision, rendered on December 31, 2025, targets a series of serious regulatory breaches, notably the provision of investment services without proper authorization and long-standing failures in the firm’s anti-money launder

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (KSA) has stepped up its enforcement of anti-money laundering rules in the online gambling sector, issuing a formal warning to TOTO Online after identifying multiple shortcomings in the operator’s compliance with national AML legislation. The regulator said TOTO Online failed to fully comply with obligations under the Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing (Prevention) Act, particularly in relation to the ongoing monitoring of customer r

FINRA has issued a $100,000 fine against Mundial Financial Group after identifying serious and long-running breakdowns in the firm’s anti-money laundering controls. The enforcement action follows years of deficiencies spanning customer identification, transaction surveillance, and internal governance, which regulators concluded left the firm highly exposed to illicit trading and money laundering risks. Investigators also found that these weaknesses were exacerbated by the inv

MP Technology Services Ltd, a key subsidiary of crypto payments firm MoonPay Inc, has been levied an administrative monetary penalty totaling CAD 536,853.35 after regulators concluded the company committed multiple compliance failures within Canada’s financial system. The enforcement decision was finalized on November 20, 2025, and publicly disclosed in mid-December following a detailed compliance review by national financial authorities. The company, which is incorporated