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SFO accelerates its economic-crime caseload with five new investigations, 14 arrests and ten suspects charged while expanding its use of asset-freezing and recovery powers

July 16, 2026

The agency conducted seven search operations across 24 premises and made its first use of new powers to freeze cryptocurrency during 2025–26. It also secured its first Unexplained Wealth Order, recovering £1.1 million from a property sale, while preparing investigators for the failure-to-prevent-fraud offence and issuing new guidance on corporate self-reporting.

NCA secures convictions against three defendants who used forged documents and a fraudulent escrow arrangement to obtain payments for PPE that was never supplied

July 15, 2026

The case concerned false claims that the defendants could source protective equipment during the pandemic, when intense international demand created opportunities for procurement fraud. The proceeds were spent on house renovations, luxury vehicles and other personal expenditure, illustrating how fraud investigations can connect deceptive commercial arrangements with the subsequent laundering and enjoyment of criminal proceeds.

TI UK warns of corruption risks after the COVID Inquiry found the PPE “VIP lane” favoured politically connected suppliers, with weak controls and nearly £10B in wasted public funds

July 14, 2026

The inquiry found that almost £10 billion of the £14.9 billion spent on PPE was wasted, with concerns over weak transparency, insufficient due diligence and procurement processes that increased corruption risks. The findings reinforce concerns around public sector corruption risks, conflicts of interest and lack of safeguards during emergency procurement, with calls for stronger transparency, accountability…

TI UK warns against reintroducing the UK’s “golden visa” scheme, arguing that previous investor visa routes created significant ML and national security risks with limited economic benefit

July 8, 2026

TI UK argues that any new investor visa programme would require far stronger safeguards, including robust source-of-wealth checks, effective AML controls and oversight mechanisms, warning that poorly designed schemes could allow illicit funds and high-risk individuals to gain access to the UK…

UKFIU’s podcast ‘Inside the Fight Against Bribery and Corruption’ explores how UK authorities are tackling bribery and corruption through intelligence, investigations, and inter-agency collaboration

July 7, 2026

In this Episode, experts from the NCA. SFO and CoLP discuss the evolving bribery, corruption and fraud landscape in the UK and internationally. They explore key red flags, the importance of robust due diligence and suspicious activity reporting, and how law enforcement agencies are collaborating with the private sector to detect, investigate and combat financial crime. It opens with an introduction from Baroness Margaret Hodge, the UK Government’s Anti-Corruption Champion…

NCA publishes its Prescribed Person Reporting 2025–26 report, revealing that it received 6 qualifying whistleblowing disclosures relating to ML, bribery and corruption, and TF during the reporting period

July 2, 2026

The prescribed person report covers 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 and records six qualifying whistleblowing disclosures to the NCA across money laundering, bribery and corruption, and terrorist financing. Five disclosures were referred or shared with relevant law enforcement, regulatory or partner bodies, while one was closed after assessment because there was insufficient information to progress…

UK SFO launches a criminal investigation into suspected fraud and ML linked to Internet Mobile Communications Limited (IMC), a UK-based telecoms company that collapsed in 2024

June 22, 2026

The investigation focuses on allegations that the company may have misled investors and engaged in fraudulent financial activity during its operations as an international telecoms platform. The SFO is examining suspected offences including fraud, false accounting and money laundering, with investigators working alongside international law enforcement partners due to the cross-border nature of the alleged activity, including a related…

UK SFO secures a further £491,968 confiscation order against a Jakarta-based investment fraudster after uncovering hidden properties, luxury vehicles, and bank accounts

June 19, 2026

The uplift adds to a 2009 confiscation order against Alan Gardner, who was convicted after defrauding British expatriates in Indonesia through a fictitious investment scheme that falsely claimed funds were being invested through UBS. Gardner previously paid £186,151 under the original order, and the additional recovered funds will return to the public purse…

UK SFO Director outlines plans to build a more proactive, intelligence-led agency through stronger cooperation and international partnerships

June 3, 2026

The speech sets out three priorities for the Serious Fraud Office: working with responsible corporates, becoming a more active enforcer and strengthening its role in the international justice system. McNulty highlights revised corporate co-operation guidance, the Ultra Electronics DPA, investment in intelligence capabilities, greater use of surveillance, support for whistleblower incentivisation and deeper collaboration with US, French and Swiss partners…

Spotlight on Corruption argues that the Illicit Finance Summit delay should not be seen as a setback, but as an opportunity for the UK to reset and demonstrate stronger leadership in tackling dirty money

May 21, 2026

It urges the government to use the additional time to set out a more ambitious and coordinated national strategy against money laundering and wider illicit finance risks, including stronger transparency measures, improved enforcement capacity, and tighter controls on the UK’s exposure to global dirty money flows. The briefing also highlights…

Spotlight on Corruption briefing warns UK police reforms could either strengthen or weaken economic crime enforcement depending on safeguarding specialist capability, resources, and independence

May 20, 2026

It argues that consolidation of police structures and new governance arrangements could create an opportunity to improve coordination, intelligence-sharing, and overall effectiveness in tackling complex financial crime. However, the briefing also raises concerns that without strong safeguards, the reforms risk weakening specialist economic crime capabilities, reducing resources, and diluting operational independence…

FCA reports that whistleblowing disclosures increased significantly in Q1 2026, supporting supervisory and enforcement action across a range of compliance, conduct, and consumer harm issues

May 8, 2026

The FCA received 355 whistleblowing reports containing 906 allegations between January and March 2026, with many relating to compliance, fitness and propriety, systems and controls, and consumer protection concerns. The regulator closed 265 reports during the quarter, taking significant action in 9% of cases and harm-reduction measures in a further 30%, demonstrating the continued role of whistleblower intelligence in informing FCA supervisory and enforcement priorities.

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