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The United Kingdom has introduced legislation to expand its sanctions regime against Iran, with new restrictions covering financial services, trade, energy, transport and shipping. The measures are intended to address Iran’s nuclear programme and other activities identified by the UK government as hostile or destabilising. The new legislation, the Iran (Sanctions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, amends both the Iran (Sanctions) Regulations 2023 and the Iran (Sanctions) (Nuclear

The United States has imposed sanctions on a Turkish investment bank and two of its subsidiaries, accusing the institutions of helping Iran maintain access to international financial channels and facilitating transactions connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force (IRGC-QF). The action, announced on September 4, represents a significant escalation in Washington’s campaign to restrict Iran’s access to the global financial system. The measures target Istanbu

Newly examined financial records from Tether's early years have raised questions about the effectiveness of customer due diligence surrounding the issuance of USDT, after several entities and individuals that purchased the stablecoin directly from the company were later connected to sanctions evasion, money laundering, drug trafficking and other financial crimes. The records provide an unusual look at Tether's primary customer base during a period in which USDT was undergoing

The United Arab Emirates is strengthening coordination between its gaming and financial regulators as the country continues to build its emerging commercial gaming industry. The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), the UAE's federal gaming regulator, has entered into a formal memorandum of understanding with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), establishing a framework for regulatory cooperation, information

The European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) have published their inaugural annual report on major information and communication technology (ICT)-related incidents affecting the European Union’s financial sector, warning that cross-border digital disruptions are becoming more frequent and that increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) technologies could amplify cybersecurity threats across the industry. The report, jointly released by the European Banking Autho

The newly created Anti-Money Laundering Authority, known as AMLA, has completed its first major conference, marking a significant step toward building a unified continental framework for combating illicit financial activity. The gathering signaled a decisive move away from fragmented national approaches and toward a cohesive, legally enforceable system intended to strengthen the economic security of the European single market. During the meeting, participants examined the inc

Financial compliance systems are facing increasing pressure as decentralized technologies continue to blur the distinction between straightforward payment processing and sophisticated financial engineering. A recent study released by the Bank for International Settlements under Working Paper Number 1359 examines the operational mechanics of digital dollar derivatives within distributed ledger environments. By analyzing hundreds of millions of events recorded across public blo

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) continues to evaluate how jurisdictions around the world are adapting their legal and regulatory systems to meet international standards aimed at combating money laundering and terrorist financing. Recent regional assessments indicate that several Eastern Caribbean nations have made notable progress in addressing deficiencies identified during previous evaluations. Given their dependence on international finance, tourism, investment flow

Financial institutions across the world are confronting an unprecedented rise in sophisticated identity fraud schemes driven by automated technologies circulating on encrypted communication platforms. The rapid expansion and accessibility of artificial intelligence tools have enabled criminal actors with minimal technical expertise to compromise traditional identity verification systems with alarming efficiency. Automated programs distributed through digital messaging network

The Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has approved a new notice of proposed rulemaking aimed at imposing comprehensive financial crime compliance standards on permitted payment stablecoin issuers operating under its supervision. The proposal marks a significant step toward integrating digital asset companies into the same anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework that governs traditional banking institutions. Federal regul

Federal authorities have carried out coordinated enforcement actions disrupting two major financial and narcotics trafficking networks linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, with regulatory measures including strict blacklisting designations and potential enforcement penalties exceeding 1,000,000 dollars. The Office of Foreign Assets Control led the sanctions effort, moving to freeze assets and disrupt cryptocurrency-based systems used to transfer illicit proceeds across international

A newly released ethics disclosure has shed light on the enormous scale of stock trading connected to US President Donald Trump, revealing that more than 3,600 transactions worth between $220 million (€188 million) and $750 million (€641 million) were carried out during the first quarter of 2026. The disclosure, filed Thursday with the US Office of Government Ethics through two OGE Form 278-T reports, provided an unusually detailed glimpse into the trading activity associat

The Anti-Money Laundering Authority has launched an extensive consultation process on three draft implementing technical standards intended to reshape the way financial intelligence is exchanged across borders within the European Union. The proposed measures introduce standardized templates for the transmission of information between national financial intelligence units and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, with the objective of strengthening the detection and prosecu

A recent assessment conducted by international monitoring bodies has underscored the extensive steps taken by Austria to reinforce financial safeguards and protect the integrity of its domestic economy. The wide-ranging evaluation concludes that Austria’s legal and regulatory architecture now aligns with nearly all global benchmarks for transparency and accountability. Notable advancements in areas such as digital asset oversight and corporate registration systems have contri

The European Union is facing an increasingly intricate threat landscape as digital fraud converges with advanced money laundering techniques, creating new challenges for law enforcement and financial regulators. According to recent findings from the Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2026, the growing professionalization of laundering services has made criminal networks more durable and harder to dismantle. These groups are now deploying automated systems that enable

The Department of Internal Affairs has wrapped up a major investigation into a Hamilton-based legal practice, resulting in a total penalty of 60,000 dollars for criminal breaches of regulatory obligations. Foster and Milroy acknowledged a series of compliance failures spanning from 2022 through 2025, including deficiencies in their internal control systems and risk management processes. Among the violations were the absence of proper risk assessments and the failure to mainta

On 23 April 2026, the Financial Action Task Force published its mutual evaluation of Italy, assessing the country’s anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, and counter-proliferation financing framework, alongside its compliance with FATF Recommendations. The review reflects an on-site assessment conducted between June and July 2025 and examines both effectiveness and technical compliance across Italy’s system for combating illicit finance. The evaluation concludes

The United States Department of Justice has announced a formal indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), accusing the organisation of involvement in wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering tied to more than 3 million dollars allegedly directed to white nationalist extremists and groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. The eleven-count indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in Montgomery following a joint investigation conducted by the Federal B

The Financial Intelligence Unit–India (FIU-IND) remains a pivotal force in safeguarding the integrity of the country’s financial system, playing a central role in efforts to combat money laundering and related illicit activities. Established under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, FIU-IND serves as the national agency tasked with receiving, analysing, and disseminating financial intelligence linked to suspicious financial behaviour. Its core mandate is to detect a

On April 16, 2026, CBUAE, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, introduced an updated regulatory package designed to reinforce the integrity of the national financial system against illicit activity. The comprehensive guidance supports the National Strategy for 2024 to 2027 and aligns the UAE more closely with international standards established by the Financial Action Task Force. Under the updated framework, licensed financial institutions and registered hawala provi