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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.

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NCA and UK Policing leads warn child sexual abuse is increasing in severity, complexity, and accessibility, driven by online platforms, generative AI, and end-to-end encryption making detection harder

February 17, 2026

Offenders are using online communities to share and normalise abusive material, while livestreamed abuse and financially motivated sexual extortion are rising, particularly against boys. Despite NCA’s Child Sexual Exploitation Referrals Bureau receiving around 1,700 reports per week and police making about 1,000 potential offender arrests monthly, the scale of abuse remains high, highlighting the ongoing challenges of safeguarding children in the digital age…

NCA’s Cyber Prevent Reoffending report shows that early intervention can cut cybercrime and financial offending by redirecting young offenders’ technical skills toward lawful, constructive opportunities

February 16, 2026

The Cyber Prevent Reoffending report analyses outcomes of the NCA’s intervention aimed at diverting young people from cybercrime, showing an average relative reduction in proven reoffending for participants compared with similar offenders outside the programme. The findings support the value of prevention and diversion strategies — alongside enforcement — in tackling cyber offending and reducing future harm…

 

GITOC’s 2026 report on Europe’s Illicit Tobacco Trade reveals that organised crime is rapidly shifting to local production, online sales, and new nicotine products, outpacing enforcement

February 16, 2026

The Smoke Rings report explains how disruptions from the pandemic, war and sanctions reshaped Europe’s illicit cigarette market, with domestic “guerrilla” factories producing much of the illicit supply and traditional Eastern European sources adapting to changing conditions. It documents evolving trafficking routes, diversified smuggling techniques (from drones to transshipment hubs), rising digital sales and the multifaceted harms of the illicit market, from tax loss to exploitation and organised-crime financing…

FinCEN issues Exceptive relief for FIs from the requirement to identify and verify beneficial owners at each account opening – reducing repetitive checks while keeping full AML safeguards in place

February 13, 2026

FinCEN’s order relieves covered financial institutions from having to identify and verify beneficial owners each time a legal entity opens a new account, requiring this only at initial onboarding, when prior information becomes unreliable, or under risk-based procedures. It aims to reduce duplicative compliance burdens while preserving core AML/CFT safeguards such as ongoing monitoring and risk-based due diligence under the Bank Secrecy Act…

FATF appoints Mr. Giles Thomson, Director at UK HM Treasury as its next President (2026–2028), succeeding Ms. Elisa de Anda Madrazo on 1 July 2026, after serving as Vice-President since July 2025

February 13, 2026

Mr Thomson is currently the Director of the Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation and Economic Crime at HM Treasury and Head of the UK delegation to the FATF. He has over 20 years of experience in the UK civil service and previously served as co-chair of FATF’s Global Network Coordination Group. His appointment was confirmed during the FATF Plenary held in February 2026…

CBUAE and HKMA deepen financial cooperation and market connectivity, focusing on cross-border debt markets, digital assets, tokenisation, digital currencies, stablecoin oversight, and supply chain finance

February 12, 2026

A key outcome is the CBUAE’s formal membership in Hong Kong’s Central Moneymarkets Unit (CMU), the city’s core debt securities depository, giving UAE investors direct and cost‑effective access to Chinese Mainland capital markets via Hong Kong’s infrastructure and advancing financial integration between the regions…

DFSA publishes Crypto Token FAQs, guiding DIFC firms on authorisation, token suitability, and stablecoins while strengthening investor protection and promoting robust oversight of crypto activities

February 12, 2026

The FAQs clarify when authorisation is required, firm-led token suitability assessments and monitoring, treatment of stablecoins, funds investing in crypto tokens, and application across different business models. Designed to enhance regulatory clarity, market integrity, and investor protection, the FAQs reflect extensive market engagement and will be updated periodically alongside the DFSA Rulebook…

FINTRAC imposes a $107,250 penalty on Manor Windsor Realty Ltd. for serious AML compliance lapses, exposing vulnerabilities in real estate financial crime controls

February 12, 2026

Manor Windsor Realty Ltd. was found to have committed multiple administrative breaches, including failing to maintain senior-approved, up-to-date compliance policies and procedures, properly assess and document ML/TF risks, implement an ongoing written training programme, and conduct the required effectiveness review of its compliance framework…

Luxembourg CSSF launches a standardised AML/CFT data collection exercise using AMLA templates, requiring FIs and VASPs to submit their 2025 risk questionnaires by 15 Apr 2026, streamlining reporting

February 12, 2026

This approach reduces reporting burden, ensures consistency, and supports preparation for the new common EU AML/CFT supervision methodology. Entities selected for AMLA’s 2026 calibration exercise must report specific quantitative and qualitative risk data to the CSSF by 15 April 2026 through the CSSF’s eDesk platform. Other supervised entities (except specialised professionals) will also use the AMLA templates to report on 2025 ML/TF risks and mitigation measures starting 2 March 2026…

EC launches a public consultation and call for evidence to boost EU banking competitiveness, seeking input on performance, financing capacity, and regulatory framework simplification – 12 Mar & 19 Apr 2026

February 11, 2026

Building on a decade of reforms that strengthened bank resilience and financial stability, the initiative aims to ensure banks play a stronger role in supporting growth, innovation, and investment. Feedback will inform the Commission’s 2026 report under the Savings and Investments Union (SIU) strategy, with Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque stressing that resilience must now be matched by greater competitiveness, simpler rules, and stronger cross-border activity…

MONEYVAL’s Typologies Report on Virtual Assets and VASPs warns that weak enforcement, uneven Travel Rule adoption, growing use of crypto for sanctions evasion leave the sector exposed to FC

February 10, 2026

The report finds that while most MONEYVAL member jurisdictions have made substantial progress in regulating and supervising virtual asset service providers (VASPs)—with around 81% requiring licensing/registration and over 90% designating supervisors—significant weaknesses persist in enforcement, Travel Rule implementation (operational in only about 46% of jurisdictions), data quality, and action against unlicensed operators. It highlights growing risks of virtual assets being used for money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion…

Europol coordinates a cross-border takedown of a South America–to–Iceland cocaine pipeline, exposing a network that preyed on vulnerable mules and laundered profits through Lithuanian real estate

February 10, 2026

New video outlines how authorities uncovered and broke up a criminal syndicate that transported large quantities of cocaine from South America into Europe and on to Iceland, using maritime and air routes to move the illicit drugs. The network increasingly adapted concealment methods to evade detection and relied heavily on vulnerable drug mules to transport cocaine in luggage, internally or in liquid form…

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