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New Zealand’s financial oversight framework has come under renewed scrutiny following revelations surrounding Worldclear Limited, a specialized payment service provider accused of operating with severe anti-money laundering deficiencies while processing nearly NZD 500 million in annual transactions. The controversy emerged after the Department of Internal Affairs conducted an on-site inspection of the Hamilton-based firm in March 2018 and uncovered systemic failures in the

Gaming giant Entain has called on the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) to take immediate action against English football clubs accepting sponsorship agreements from gambling operators that are not licensed in the United Kingdom. The owner of the Ladbrokes and Coral betting brands issued a formal statement on Thursday in response to the IFR’s Second Licensing Consultation, which concluded on Tuesday after gathering feedback on the introduction of a new club licensing fra

The Monegasque financial regulator has imposed a substantial €6 million fine on the Monaco subsidiary of UBS following a lengthy investigation into serious anti-money laundering and compliance deficiencies spanning several years. The sanction, issued by the Autorité Monégasque de Sécurité Financière, stems from repeated failures involving the monitoring of high-risk transactions, inadequate controls surrounding politically exposed persons, and weak oversight of internationa

Italy’s Council of Ministers has given preliminary approval to a new legislative decree designed to simplify and modernize tax compliance and assessment procedures, with major implications for the country’s slot machine and video lottery terminal (VLT) sectors. The draft decree, introduced by Economy and Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, seeks to reorganize and consolidate regulatory measures that were introduced in 2023. While the legislation does not alter the under

Austria’s Financial Market Authority has imposed a financial penalty of 60,000 euros on Sparkasse Oberösterreich Bank AG after identifying significant shortcomings in the institution’s anti-money laundering due diligence framework. The enforcement action followed a comprehensive regulatory review of the bank’s internal controls, compliance procedures, and risk management systems designed to prevent financial crime within the Austrian banking sector. The matter was resolved th

Canadian authorities have intensified their efforts to strengthen the country’s anti-money laundering framework by issuing more than $118,000 in administrative monetary penalties against three separate businesses found to be in violation of national financial security regulations. The enforcement actions, carried out by the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), targeted VersaBank, RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc, and Birks Group Inc after regulat

A prominent Italian businessman based in Dubai was arrested at Venice Marco Polo Airport in connection with a major cross-border financial crime investigation involving alleged value-added tax fraud and international money laundering activities. The arrest was carried out through a coordinated operation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in collaboration with Italy’s Guardia di Finanza, which intercepted the suspect before he could depart European territory and re

The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority, known as Finanstilsynet, has formally referred Nordea Finans Danmark A/S to the National Unit for Serious Crime for investigation over serious suspected violations of the country’s Money Laundering Act. The referral stems from an extensive inspection carried out in June 2023, which uncovered major shortcomings in the institution’s customer due diligence procedures. Regulators concluded that the company lacked sufficient understandin