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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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UK and Cambodia sign a new agreement to strengthen data sharing, coordinate investigations and target criminal networks operating illegal online scam centres

September 24, 2026

Through the UK–INTERPOL Global Fraud Taskforce, authorities will identify suspects, support operations to dismantle scam centres and trace and disrupt the illicit financial flows funding them. The UK will also strengthen Cambodian law-enforcement capabilities through training in cyber investigations and digital forensics, while addressing the trafficking and exploitation of people forced to conduct scams…

FCA review highlights evolving mule activity and cash-out patterns, with 238,396 suspected mule accounts closed in 2025, up 28.9% from 2023, with 47.1% closed within their first year

September 23, 2026

Money-mule activity remains a major focus for the FCA, with new figures showing just how extensively financial firms are now identifying and closing accounts suspected of being used to move criminal funds. Firms closed 238,396 suspected mule accounts in 2025, compared with 184,935 in 2023 and 233,269 in 2024. The FCA’s review found that criminals are increasingly moving money rapidly through chains of accounts before cashing out, with card…

UAE Central Bank prohibits Bank Melli Iran’s UAE branches from conducting financial transactions to and from Iran, including trade finance and fund transfers, over AML/CFT/CPF violations

September 23, 2026

The action follows regulatory examinations that identified breaches of UAE requirements on AML, counter-terrorist financing and counter-proliferation financing. The restrictions were imposed under the UAE’s banking law following the identified regulatory non-compliance. The action highlights heightened supervisory scrutiny of Iran-related banking activity and the need for robust financial crime controls…

FATF’s 2026 Mutual Evaluation highlights Türkiye’s stronger financial intelligence and international cooperation, but reveals weaknesses in complex ML investigations, supervision and BO controls

September 23, 2026

The assessment calls for greater focus on drug trafficking, smuggling, professional ML, illegal betting and cross-border financial crime, with authorities urged to pursue more complex and high-value ML cases. Türkiye has been placed in enhanced follow-up and given a 3-year roadmap to strengthen ML/TF investigations and prosecutions, improve risk-based supervision and address weaknesses in asset tracing, seizure and confiscation…

MONEYVAL 2025 Annual Report highlights 6th-round evaluations and emerging financial crime risks, with Latvia and Serbia among the first jurisdictions assessed under the new approach

September 23, 2026

The report also highlights emerging risks involving virtual assets, sanctions evasion and proceeds linked to conflicts, alongside continued AML/CFT compliance monitoring across the region. Looking ahead, MONEYVAL will focus on delivering its 6th-round evaluation programme and strengthening the effectiveness of AML/CFT/CPF frameworks under its 2023–2027 Strategy…

FCA sets out next steps for major UK AML supervisory reform that would bring legal, accountancy and trust and company service providers under its supervision

September 22, 2026

The UK’s AML supervisory landscape is set for a significant shake-up, with the FCA providing further detail on plans that would substantially expand its responsibilities beyond financial services. Under the proposed reforms, the FCA would take responsibility for AML supervision of legal service providers, accountancy service providers and trust and company service providers, replacing the current system involving multiple professional-body supervisors and HMRC. The Government hopes the change will create a more consistent supervisory approach, although legislation is still required and existing arrangements remain in place for now.

Seventeen arrested as the FCA, Metropolitan Police and HMRC target an alleged organised-crime network involving suspected money laundering, false accounting and links to regulated firms

ECB publishes response to EC’s MiCAR review, calling for stronger AML/CFT safeguards, greater AMLA oversight of crypto firms and tighter controls on self-hosted wallets

September 22, 2026

It recommends a greater role for AMLA in supervising crypto firms, stronger safeguards for stablecoins and measures to address the ML/TF risks associated with self-hosted wallets. The ECB also calls for the EU’s crypto framework to better reflect evolving risks, including DeFi, crypto lending and staking, while ensuring consistent AML/CFT obligations across the sector…

UK Govt publishes its Anti-Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Strategy 2026–2029, setting out a 3-year plan to strengthen the fight against ML and recover more criminal assets

September 21, 2026

The strategy estimates that more than £100 billion may be laundered through the UK or UK-linked structures each year and commits £500 million from the Economic Crime Levy and 500 additional officers to tackle the threat. Asset recovery is also a key priority, with nearly £350 million stripped from criminals, more than £1 billion denied and £26 million returned to victims during a recent year-long crackdown. The strategy shifts the focus towards disrupting…

AMLA moves towards standardised suspicious-activity reporting across member states, with common templates intended to improve the quality, consistency and automated analysis of information submitted to FIUs

September 20, 2026

Efforts to create a more consistent AML framework across the EU are beginning to reach the practical mechanics of how firms report suspicious activity to national authorities. A consultation by the EU’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) on technical standards for reporting suspicions and providing transaction records to Financial Intelligence Units closed on 20 September. The proposals would introduce common reporting templates for obliged entities and standardised transaction-record formats for financial institutions across the EU. Greater consistency should make reports easier for FIUs to process and compare, while supporting more automated submission and analysis.

UN Sanctions List last updated

September 20, 2026

INTERPOL’s AI-powered Operation Shams II identified 126 Foreign Terrorist Fighters from more than 108,000 facial images, while cryptocurrency tracing probed potential terrorist-financing flows

September 18, 2026

The operation, involving 28 experts from 11 countries, has so far identified 126 Foreign Terrorist Fighters, with the intelligence being added to INTERPOL databases to support investigations into their locations and networks. Investigators also used cryptocurrency tracing tools to identify potential terrorist-financing flows, prompting three urgent requests to a virtual asset service provider for customer information…

FT investigation: A7 moved $6.9bn through the international banking system using forged trade documentation and a large network of front companies

September 18, 2026

FT obtained internal A7 records showing how the Kremlin-backed payments operation allegedly used forged invoices and more than 200 front companies, including entities in the UAE, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan and Indonesia, to make Russian-linked payments appear to be ordinary trade. Payments ultimately passed through major international banks.

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