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EU launches InvestAI, a €200bn initiative, including a €20bn fund for AI gigafactories, to drive AI innovation and establish Europe as a leading AI hub

The EU is providing financial support through Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe programme to advance generative AI. Additional initiatives focus on strengthening the EU’s AI talent pool through education, training, and reskilling. The EU is also encouraging more public and private investments in AI start-ups and scale-ups via venture capital and equity support. Efforts are being made to accelerate the creation and deployment of Common European…

Europol warns of extremist groups exploiting minors on gaming & social platforms

These communities, dedicated to normalising violence and abuse, function as cult-like networks driven by charismatic leaders who control victims through psychological manipulation, blackmail, and coercion….

FCA flags major AML gaps in latest ML through Capital Markets Review, calling for enhanced systems, controls, risk awareness, and training to combat ML effectively

Key vulnerabilities identified include firms’ overreliance on third parties for due diligence, insufficient transaction monitoring, and evolving laundering techniques that exploit complex financial products and high-speed trading environments…

MONEYVAL Mutual Evaluation urges Guernsey to enhance ML investigations, prosecutions, and convictions while praising its strong risk awareness and effective use of financial sanctions

The report commended Guernsey’s Financial Intelligence Unit for producing high-quality analytical products and strategic analysis, while acknowledging the limited extent to which they are used by law enforcement authorities to initiate investigations. The quality of suspicious activity reports also remains a concern…

 

A £4bn fraud scheme led by Michail Roerich used 1,000+ UK shell companies, forged audits, and fake documents in an attempt to seize a Ukrainian gold mine, prompting Companies House reform

The fraud scheme exposed major weaknesses in the UK’s company registration system, as Roerich fabricated a mining empire using false financial claims, a phantom bank, and fake endorsements. His tactics highlighted the urgent need for stricter oversight, leading to Companies House reforms…

FinCEN imposes $37m civil money penalty against Brink’s Global Services USA, for BSA violations over bulk cash shipments lacking effective AML controls

Brink’s failed to register as a money services business, lacked an effective AML program, and did not file suspicious activity reports. These violations enabled hundreds of millions in bulk currency to be transmitted across the Southwest Border for high-risk entities, including a Mexican currency exchanger involved in illicit activities. This is FinCEN’s first action against an armored car company, highlighting its commitment to protecting the U.S. financial system from money laundering.

 

 

 

GFSC proposes amendments to its Financial Crime Returns Rules, which will make mandatory the filing of periodic returns for accountants, lawyers and estate agents

Key proposed changes, among others, include mandatory annual financial crime risk and prescribed business returns for prescribed businesses, mandatory quarterly financial flows reporting for MSBs, clarifications on reporting requirements for insurance managers, insurers, and incorporated cell companies…

 

US FDIC urges FinCEN to revise customer identification program rules, allowing banks to collect partial social security numbers for account opening to align with fintech verification methods

Acting Chairman Travis Hill has sent a letter to the (FinCEN) advocating for greater flexibility in certain Customer Identification Program requirements for bank-fintech partnerships. Specifically, Hill supports allowing the collection of just the last four digits of a Social Security number from customers, as is currently allowed for credit card users. Federal authorities have already permitted this approach for credit card customers, and I believe it should be…

Nigeria EFCC charges 53 individuals, 40 of them Chinese nationals in a crackdown on a multinational cybercrime ring linked to Ponzi schemes, crypto fraud, and cyber-terrorism

Authorities have also temporarily seized digital assets worth $222,729, which they claim are proceeds from unlawful activities. According to the EFCC, these assets will be permanently forfeited to the Nigerian government unless challenged by any interested party within 14 days of the court order’s publication in a national newspaper…

HKMA alerts the public to HSBC’s press release warning about fraudulent websites and fake internet banking login screen

The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks’ websites to carry out transactions.  They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or One-Time Password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks)…

US DOJ fines Global Cryptocurrency Exchange BitMEX $100m for violating the Bank Secrecy Act, and failing to establish, implement, and maintain an adequate AML/KYC programme

BITMEX and its executives knowingly violated U.S. laws by failing to implement mandatory AML and KYC programs, instead allowing U.S. customers to access their platform with minimal verification, prioritising revenue over compliance…

EBA’s ‘Peer Review’ evaluates AML/CFT and prudential supervisors’ roles in ensuring FIs manage tax crime risks in tax integrity and dividend arbitrage schemes

The findings were based on four key benchmarks: Integration of tax integrity into AML/CFT supervision of financial institutions, Consideration of tax integrity in ML/TF risk assessments, Review of tax integrity in institutions’ internal governance, Assessment of tax integrity in evaluating the reputation and integrity of senior management…

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