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US authorities extradite a high-ranking Sinaloa Cartel member to Atlanta to face federal cocaine trafficking charges for orchestrating major cross-border drug shipments

US authorities have extradited a high‑ranking Sinaloa Cartel member from Mexico to Atlanta, where he has pleaded not guilty to federal cocaine trafficking charges alleging he led and coordinated the transport of multi‑kilogram shipments of cocaine from South America through Mexico into the United States; the indictment reflects a multi‑agency effort to dismantle transnational narcotics networks, underscores the cartel’s designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and highlights sustained international cooperation to hold senior cartel…

CSSF Luxembourg fines Rakuten Europe Bank €185,000 for persistent AML/CFT failings, citing weak transaction monitoring, delayed suspicious activity reporting, and inadequate customer risk controls

The sanction, amounting to about 1 % of the bank’s annual turnover, reflects the gravity and duration of the compliance breaches. The inspection uncovered a number of gaps, including the bank had failed to implement an adequate transaction monitoring system. Monitoring scenarios were outdated, did not cover all transactions and could no longer be properly configured following staff departures…

South Korea’s FIU fines virtual asset operator Korbit Ltd. KRW 2.73BN ($1.9M) for major AML and CTF breaches after inspections expose significant gaps in CDD and transaction monitoring

Korbit failed to properly verify the identities of its customers, especially those considered high-risk. The exchange did not adequately monitor transactions or assess customer risk profiles, which is a legal requirement to prevent money laundering. This gap meant that potentially suspicious or illicit activities could go undetected…

Dutch Gambling regulator (KSA) issues notice to TOTO Online over major AML failings, including poor customer monitoring and fund origin checks, giving six months to comply before a re-inspection

KSA found that TOTO Online failed to continuously monitor customer relationships and transactions after initial due diligence, did not properly document why updated information did not change a player’s risk classification, and conducted inadequate investigations into the origin of player funds. Although the operator cooperated and resolved some issues, the regulator has given TOTO Online six months to fully…

EPPO indicts two individuals and a company in Croatia for alleged EU subsidy fraud involving steel-structure construction projects

EPPO’s office in Zagreb charged the suspects with submitting misleading documentation to secure tens of thousands of euros in EU funding for steel-structure works they did not properly perform or complete. The case reflects coordinated EU action to protect the integrity of the EU budget by targeting fraudulent subsidy claims and financial misconduct.

EPPO launches Investigation ‘Precision’ into suspected EU subsidy fraud in Lithuania, probing claims that a company developing high‑accuracy GNSS receivers may have misrepresented its eligibility to secure EU funding

EPPO’s Vilnius office has launched a pre-trial investigation, code-named Precision, into potential fraud in an EU-funded project to supply High Accuracy Service (HAS) GNSS receivers for precision agriculture after evidence emerged that the company may have misrepresented its ownership and ties to individuals or entities connected with Russian and Belarusian military sectors subject to EU restrictive measures. Three individuals and one company have been informed of suspect status, with at least one suspect held in custody, and the Lithuanian Financial Crime Investigation Service is supporting the ongoing inquiry…

APRA and AUSTRAC take action against Bendigo and Adelaide Bank over serious, potentially systemic ML and risk‑management deficiencies, triggering a $50M capital add-on and enforcement probe

APRA has required the bank to do a root cause analysis to fully understand the breadth of non‑financial risk management issues beyond just AML/CTF. The regulator has imposed a $50 million operational risk capital add‑on — meaning the bank must hold extra capital against operational risk until the issues are fixed. AUSTRAC has commenced an enforcement investigation to examine whether the bank complied with its obligations…

 

U.S DoJ sentences leader of Mexico’s CJNG cartel to over 11 years for laundering millions in drug proceeds, forfeiting assets including cash, luxury vehicles, and real estate tied to the scheme

A federal judge sentenced Joaquin Guerrero-Gaxiola to more than 11 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit international money laundering and related charges tied to laundering millions of dollars for the Sinaloa Cartel. The sentence follows coordinated investigations by federal law-enforcement agencies and highlights efforts to disrupt transnational criminal finance channels…

UK Gambling Commission fines Paddy Power Betfair £2M for serious regulatory failures in AML, customer protection and social responsibility, including slow detection of harmful gambling 

The Commission found that Paddy Power Betfair failed to adequately assess and mitigate customer risk, maintain effective AML systems, and adhere to required controls between 2019 and 2021. As a result, the operator agreed to pay a £2 million settlement and must improve its compliance frameworks to protect players and uphold regulatory standards…

FCA fines Nationwide Building Society £44M over serious lapses in financial crime controls, including inadequate monitoring, detection, and reporting of suspicious activity

The FCA finds that Nationwide’s shortcomings in AML/CFT systems, including ineffective transaction monitoring and inadequate risk assessments persisted over several years, undermining its ability to identify and escalate potential criminal activity. It also highlights failures in governance, oversight and timely remediation, and directs the firm to strengthen controls to protect customers and the integrity of the UK financial system…

US DOJ secures conviction of a Hollywood director and writer for an $11M subscription streaming fraud, exposing investors to deception and fund misappropriation

Prosecutors proved that the defendant solicited millions from investors by falsely claiming he was launching a major streaming service backed by well-known entertainment partners, then diverted the funds for personal luxury spending, debt payments and unrelated ventures. He now faces sentencing after a jury found him guilty of wire fraud, money-laundering conspiracy and related offences, underscoring DOJ’s focus on prosecuting investment schemes that exploit the entertainment industry’s branding and hype…

FinCEN assesses a $3.5M penalty on Paxful for willful BSA breaches, after the crypto platform facilitated over $500M in suspicious, illicit, and sanctions-linked transactions

FinCEN found that Paxful operated for years without an effective AML program, neglecting to verify customer identities, monitor activity or file required SARs, even as its platform was used for fraud, scams, sanctions evasion and transactions linked to child exploitation. The penalty reflects FinCEN’s conclusion that Paxful’s systemic failures enabled high-risk actors to abuse its services and underscores heightened U.S. scrutiny of non-compliant virtual asset service providers…

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