Compliance

Castellum AI’s 2025 Sanctions Year In Review reveals that regulators around the world dramatically intensified their attention on digital currencies and Iranian-linked networks over the past year. Banks and other financial institutions found themselves navigating an increasingly intricate compliance environment marked by rapidly shifting enforcement priorities and widening differences between major geopolitical powers. During the period under review, the United States Office

On the 9th of January, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has informed four money transfer companies that they are under federal investigation for alleged fraud, part of a broader crackdown on abuses of social benefits in Minnesota, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Friday. Speaking at a virtual news conference, Bessent also revealed that several banks in the state involved in money transfer operations are being audited by th

The unsealing of a federal indictment in Cincinnati has brought to light an enormous financial scheme designed to funnel the profits of illegal narcotics sales across international borders. Yan Lin, a 41-year-old California resident, has appeared in court to answer charges alleging that he laundered tens of millions of dollars for Mexico-based drug trafficking organizations. Prosecutors say that from early 2022 through late 2024, Lin ran a highly sophisticated operation that

Chen Zhi, founder and chairman of Prince Group, has been arrested in Cambodia and repatriated to China for investigation, according to The Cambodia China Times, a Chinese media outlet operating in Cambodia. The detention represents a major development in a case that has attracted international attention over allegations of large-scale cross-border fraud and money laundering. Cambodian media reports indicated that Chen was taken into custody in Cambodia and transferred to Chin

Indian authorities have successfully brought 49 virtual digital asset service providers into the country’s formal financial reporting system during the ongoing fiscal year, marking a decisive step in tightening oversight of the cryptocurrency sector. This development follows an intensive compliance drive led by the Financial Intelligence Unit, aimed at ensuring that all crypto-related platforms function within the framework of existing transparency and anti–money laundering l

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

Prosecutors in Taipei have concluded one of the most sweeping financial crime indictments in recent regional history, charging thirty-five people for their roles in an elaborate underground banking and gambling operation that funneled more than 30.6 billion New Taiwan dollars, roughly equivalent to $970 million USD, through sophisticated digital channels. At the center of the case is a man who publicly appeared to be running a well-known Hong Kong–style restaurant while cover

Wilfredo Aquinon, formerly an assistant store manager at TD Bank, has admitted to his involvement in a large-scale financial conspiracy that enabled a criminal organization to funnel approximately $474 million through a major U.S. banking institution. Aquinon pleaded guilty to charges stemming from both his failure to uphold professional banking standards and his direct participation in concealing the criminal origins of the funds. Under the terms of his plea, he now faces a