Log in/out

Our extensive knowledge at your fingertips

Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing

Over 20 years of articles and reference material

A page dedicated to global, regional, UK and US anti-money laundering developments and initiatives.

Browse the resource database or make a sub-selection:

Menu

Latest editions

Search

U

APG’s 2nd Follow-Up Report on Nepal finds that while legal and supervisory AML/CFT reforms have progressed, significant gaps remain in effective enforcement, investigations, and BO transparency

May 1, 2026

The follow-up report reviews Nepal’s efforts to address deficiencies across Recommendations 6, 7, 24, 25, 26, 28, 34, and 40, concluding that reforms and implementation measures do not yet justify technical compliance upgrades. APG also highlights broader concerns around risk assessment updates, supervision of non-financial sectors, beneficial ownership transparency, and the operational effectiveness of Nepal’s AML/CFT framework, resulting in continued intensified monitoring…

APG’s Follow-Up Report on Lao PDR notes modest progress in AML/CFT reforms, but enforcement weaknesses and implementation gaps still hinder full compliance with global standards

May 1, 2026

The report assesses technical compliance progress since Laos’ 2023 mutual evaluation and notes that deficiencies remain in the implementation of measures relating to enhanced due diligence and countermeasures for high-risk jurisdictions. APG also confirms that Laos continues to face significant AML/CFT weaknesses requiring intensified monitoring, with broader concerns persisting around supervision, financial intelligence, investigations, and enforcement effectiveness…

FATF Mutual Evaluation Report commends Austria’s AML/CFT framework while flagging weaknesses in BO transparency, enforcement and cross-border illicit finance controls

April 30, 2026

The report identifies weaknesses including insufficient resources and operational independence for the Financial Intelligence Unit, restrictive interpretations of money laundering offences, and low levels of corporate sanctions and asset confiscation. FATF also highlights inconsistent risk understanding across authorities and calls for stronger coordination, resourcing, and enforcement action to improve the effectiveness of Austria’s AML/CFT regime within the next three years…

EP urges the EC to enforce the Digital Markets Act more strongly, faster, including through tougher scrutiny of AI-driven services and more effective penalties for non-compliance

April 30, 2026

MEPs warn that external political pressure must not undermine the EU’s ability to enforce its digital competition rules and call on the Commission to fully use investigative, compliance, and sanctioning powers against designated gatekeepers. The resolution also highlights concerns around self-preferencing, anti-steering restrictions, cloud market concentration, and manipulative consent practices, emphasising that DMA compliance should be judged by real-world outcomes for competition, innovation, and consumer choice…

CBUAE, ICP, and ADCB launch a digital “Tourist Identity” system enabling visitors to open bank accounts on arrival using biometric verification for instant access to banking services

April 30, 2026

The initiative enables tourists to open bank accounts digitally upon arrival, using a secure biometric-based digital identity system linked to official travel credentials. This removes traditional onboarding barriers such as lengthy paperwork and in-branch verification. By integrating identity verification with banking services, the platform allows tourists to access financial services and cashless payments almost immediately, supporting the UAE’s broader push toward a digital-first, cashless economy and enhancing the visitor experience…

FCA opens Pre-application support service for crypto firms ahead of the UK’s new FSMA crypto regime, with authorisation applications launching on 30 Sept 2026 before full implementation in Oct 2027

April 30, 2026

From 11 May 2026, firms planning to carry out regulated crypto activities will be able to request free pre-application meetings with the FCA to discuss their business models, regulatory expectations, compliance requirements, and authorisation process before formally applying. The move forms part of the UK’s broader effort to bring crypto firms under a more comprehensive financial regulatory framework aimed at strengthening consumer protection, market integrity, financial crime controls, and oversight of the rapidly growing crypto sector…

EBA publishes its final Guidelines on supervisory independence, reinforcing safeguards that keep regulators independent, impartial, and free from conflicts of interest or external influence

April 29, 2026

The Guidelines require competent authorities to implement stronger controls around declarations of interest, ownership and trading of financial instruments, and post-employment restrictions for staff and governance body members. The framework also clarifies expectations relating to appointments, tenure, and transparency to reinforce supervisory integrity, consistency, and public trust in EU financial oversight…

Europol dismantles a €50M online fraud network operating call centres across Europe, arresting 10 suspects and seizing assets linked to large-scale investment scams targeting victims globally

April 29, 2026

Authorities estimate that the network caused at least €50M in losses, targeting victims across multiple European countries and beyond through coordinated social engineering and investment fraud tactics. During the raids, law enforcement also seized cash, electronic devices, and financial assets linked to the criminal operation, while the investigation continues to trace additional assets and identify further participants in the wider network…

OECD warns that record-high export restrictions on critical raw materials are straining global supply chains and raising risks to energy transition and industrial security amid geopolitical tensions

April 28, 2026

The report identifies particularly high exposure to restrictions for cobalt, manganese, graphite, and rare earth elements, with a growing number of resource-rich countries in Africa and Asia adopting export controls. OECD also highlights that around 16% of global trade in monitored critical raw materials faces at least one export restriction, raising concerns over economic security, industrial competitiveness, and geopolitical fragmentation…

AMLA Chair Bruna Szego signals stricter EU AML oversight of football from July 2029, targeting opaque ownership, high-value transfers, and cross-border flows through enhanced transparency controls

April 28, 2026
Football has become a global, high-value industry with complex ownership structures, cross-border transfers, and large financial flows, which can be exploited for money laundering or illicit finance. AMLA argues that this makes stronger oversight necessary. She emphasises that this new regime will require greater transparency, robust due diligence, and tighter control measures across the football industry as part of a harmonised European approach to combating illicit finance…

Europol supports a coordinated Swiss–German operation targeting the Black Axe criminal network, a Nigeria-linked organised crime group heavily involved in cyber-enabled fraud and ML

April 28, 2026

The operation led to 10 arrests, including a suspected regional leader based in Southern Europe, following raids across several Swiss cantons. Investigators say the group is linked to romance scams, online fraud schemes, and laundering of illicit proceeds, causing millions of Swiss francs in losses to victims…

Europol’s IOCTA 2026 report warns of a fast-moving cybercrime landscape where AI-driven fraud, cybercrime-as-a-service, and encryption are industrialising attacks and outpacing law enforcement

April 28, 2026

The report underscores that online fraud now represents one of the most dominant threats, with criminals exploiting artificial intelligence to create more convincing scams, while ransomware continues to expand through “as-a-service” models and multi-layered extortion tactics. It also stresses the central role of encrypted communications, dark web marketplaces, and cryptocurrencies in facilitating illicit operations and laundering proceeds, alongside the growing challenge for law enforcement posed by jurisdictional fragmentation and rapidly adapting…

No results found.