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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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FCA consults on the Application of Consumer Duty to cryptoasset firms, urging them to protect retail consumers, ensure clear disclosures, vet high-risk cryptoassets, and act swiftly against fraud and FC – comments by 12 Mar 2026

January 23, 2026

The FCA’s GC26/2 guidance sets out how cryptoasset firms should apply the Consumer Duty — Principle 12 and its supporting rules — to their regulated activities, helping them deliver good outcomes for retail customers in a high‑risk, fast‑evolving market by embedding customer interests across products, pricing, communications and support, while recognising differences between crypto and traditional finance; the guidance supplements existing Duty guidance and is part of the UK’s broader framework to protect consumers and…

MONEYVAL’s 2nd Follow-up report finds Estonia has strengthened its AML/CFT framework with tougher sanctions and crypto‑risk measures, but notable gaps persist, keeping it under heightened scrutiny

January 22, 2026

MONEYVAL’s follow-up re-assessment shows that Estonia has made measurable progress in strengthening its anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing measures, notably upgrading compliance with targeted financial sanctions related to terrorism and terrorist financing. However, Estonia remains subject to enhanced follow-up, with a mix of compliant, largely compliant and partially compliant ratings across the 40 FATF recommendations and an expectation to report further progress by the end of 2025…

INTERPOL leads a major South American crackdown on illegal gold mining, with 198 arrests and seizures of gold, cash, and weapons, exposing environmental harm, and cross-border smuggling 

January 22, 2026

The operation seized cash, unprocessed gold, mercury, firearms, mining equipment, and drugs, and targeted organised crime networks involved in gold smuggling and money laundering. Authorities highlighted that soaring gold prices are fueling criminal activity, causing serious environmental damage and social harm in the Amazon, while follow-up investigations will focus on tracking…

CPS orders money launderer who facilitated the movement of proceeds from a large-scale investment fraud in China to repay £5.6M or face additional jail time

January 22, 2026

Qian transferred a total of 67.7 Bitcoin to wallets controlled by Ling in February 2024 and then a further 16 Bitcoin were transferred to him in April 2024. After receiving the cryptocurrency, he then converted these into other cryptocurrencies, including Tether, the price for which is linked to the price of the US Dollar. Some of these funds were then transferred abroad and paid into bank accounts in the United Arab Emirates. Some of the cryptocurrencies held by Ling were sent to third parties and converted into cash…

AUSTRAC introduces AML/CTF transitional rules, giving firms until Mar 2029 to meet new CDD requirements and delaying some crypto obligations to July 2026, easing reforms while managing FC risks

January 22, 2026

Key measures include a three-year period (March 2026–March 2029) for moving to new customer due diligence requirements, extended deadlines for appointing AML/CTF compliance officers, staggered timing for independent evaluations, rollover of existing digital currency exchange registrations to the new virtual asset regime, and delays of certain obligations for virtual asset service providers until July 2026 or 2029. These arrangements aim to balance strong anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism protections…

Europol and partners issue a joint report providing financial services firms with a practical, risk-based approach to prioritise post-quantum cryptography migration for critical systems as quantum threats emerge

January 21, 2026

The report offers a structured methodology that helps financial institutions assess quantum-related risks, categorise systems by sensitivity and determine migration priorities for post-quantum cryptography based on impact and complexity. It also highlights “no-regret” actions such as adopting hybrid cryptographic solutions, retiring outdated algorithms and coordinating across organisations and vendors to build resilient, future-proof encryption practices.

CFATF Follow-Up Report on the BVI shows it is ‘Compliant’ or ‘Largely Compliant’ on all 40 FATF Recs, marking major progress in AML/CFT, BO transparency, and financial supervision

January 21, 2026

The Second Enhanced Follow-Up Report acknowledges substantial reforms to the British Virgin Islands ‘ AML/CFT/CPF regime, leading to upgraded technical compliance ratings on multiple FATF Recommendations. While this technical progress positions the territory as compliant with all 40 FATF standards, the jurisdiction remains under enhanced follow-up due to outstanding work on effectiveness outcomes and will continue reporting on further implementation…

CFATF’s Follow-Up Report finds Suriname has bolstered AML/CFT laws and risk assessments but remains under enhanced scrutiny for persistent financial crime vulnerabilities

January 21, 2026

The third enhanced follow-up report assesses Suriname’s implementation of the FATF 40 Recommendations, documenting legislative and policy reforms that have led to multiple technical compliance re-ratings from Partially Compliant/Non-Compliant toward Compliant or Largely Compliant. While progress is significant in many areas of the AML/CFT regime, certain gaps remain (such as full risk coverage of new technologies and detailed understanding of some sectors), and Suriname continues to be monitored through the enhanced follow-up process until remaining deficiencies are addressed…

MONEYVAL’s 1st Enhanced Follow‑up Report on Azerbaijan finds progress in AML/CFT reforms and FATF compliance, but the country remains under enhanced monitoring to address ongoing FC risks

January 21, 2026

MONEYVAL concludes that Azerbaijan has made meaningful improvements to its AML/CFT preventive measures, including enhancements to customer due diligence, supervision, and risk understanding across obliged sectors. It nonetheless calls for continued efforts to ensure these reforms translate into consistent, effective implementation and stronger outcomes in practice…

UK Treasury Committee’s ‘AI in Financial Services’ Report warns AI is outpacing regulation, putting consumers and markets at risk and calling for clearer rules, stress testing and stronger oversight of tech providers

January 20, 2026

The report highlights concerns around opaque decision-making, fraud, cybersecurity, market concentration and heavy reliance on major tech and cloud providers, concludes that regulators have been overly reactive, and calls on the FCA, Bank of England and HM Treasury to issue clear AI guidance, introduce AI-specific stress testing and strengthen oversight of critical third-party providers to ensure innovation does not undermine trust or stability in the financial system…

EC proposes a new cybersecurity package to bolster EU’s digital resilience, enhancing security-by-design standards, streamlining certification, and strengthening ENISA’s role amid growing cyber threats

January 20, 2026

The Commission’s cybersecurity proposal includes a revised Cybersecurity Act and related measures to improve the protection of information and communication technology (ICT) products and services, address risks from high-risk suppliers and make cyber-security certification more effective and accessible. It also aims to simplify compliance, bolster cooperation and information-sharing across the EU, and empower the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) to support national authorities and stakeholders in preventing and responding to cyber incidents…

LSRA’s Gibraltar ‘Risk Scoring Policy’ introduces a refined risk-based methodology, clearer supervisory guidance, and stronger alignment with AML/CFT/CPF standards to better detect and mitigate FC risks

January 20, 2026

The policy explains how the LSRA applies a risk‑based approach—combining assessments of technical compliance (quality of policies, procedures, client due diligence, SARs, etc.), effectiveness in preventing financial crime and sanctions evasion, and materiality (the likelihood and impact of failures)—to assign an overall risk score to each firm. These risk scores help the LSRA categorize firms by risk level and determine appropriate supervisory actions, ensuring targeted oversight of legal practices engaged in relevant financial activities…

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