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

Dutch AFM tightens crypto AML rules with a new Annex to its AML/CTF Guidelines, enforcing the Travel Rule and enhanced controls and CDD to bolster the fight against financial crime

May 2, 2025

This move follows the formal recognition of CASPs as “financial institutions” under the Wwft, effective from February 4, 2025. The annex outlines targeted compliance expectations and practical guidance for CASPs, including obligations related to customer due diligence, transaction monitoring, and adherence to the EU’s Transfer of Funds Regulation (TFR), notably the Travel Rule…

UK Home Office and Nigeria pledge to boost cross-border fraud enforcement while reinforcing new plan addressing early detection and intelligence sharing

May 1, 2025

This partnership aims to foster closer operational coordination and facilitate timely interventions to disrupt complex fraud networks that span national borders. By pooling resources and expertise, both governments seek to better protect their citizens from increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes, while building capacity within law enforcement and regulatory bodies. This collaboration represents a significant step toward a more unified…

FinCEN alerts FIs of the growing risk of cartel-linked oil smuggling across the US-Mexico border, with criminal organisations profiting from stolen crude oil, fueling corruption and violence in Mexico

May 1, 2025

The alert issued in collaboration with multiple U.S. law enforcement agencies including the DEA, FBI, and DHS, underscores the growing threat posed by Mexico-based transnational criminal organizations, particularly the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Sinaloa Cartel, and the Gulf Cartel. These organizations are deeply involved in smuggling stolen crude oil from Mexico, often facilitated by complicit brokers within Mexico’s oil and gas industry…

FinCEN targets Cambodia’s Huione Group for laundering over $4bn in crypto funds tied to DPRK cyber heists and regional scams, proposing a ban on its access to the US financial system

May 1, 2025

The network which has facilitated the laundering of billions of dollars, is connected to North Korean cybercrime operations and Southeast Asian transnational criminal organizations, which use it to process illicit funds from cyber-enabled frauds, including “pig butchering” scams. FinCEN’s proposed action aims to sever Huione Group’s access to the U.S. financial system by prohibiting American financial institutions from maintaining…

Swiss FINMA 2025 Consumer Protection Report raises alarm over unregulated financial advice on AI platforms and social media, fueling fraud and social manipulation, urging tougher oversight

April 30, 2025

FINMA warns of increasing consumer risks driven by digitalisation and viral financial trends on social media and AI platforms, where unregulated advice from AI tools and “finfluencers” is promoting high-risk investments like crypto and unlisted shares. Fraud cases, particularly those involving social manipulation where consumers are deceived into transferring money, have surged…

RUSI’s policy brief outlines critical gaps in the UK’s response to illicit finance and calls for reforms in governance, coordination, funding, and long-term strategic alignment across Govt

April 30, 2025

Despite the critical nature of combating ML and FC, the government’s approach remains fragmented, with a lack of strategic leadership and effective coordination across key departments. The absence of a unified vision has resulted in an ad hoc system, where the success of efforts against illicit finance relies on personal relationships and informal networks among civil servants rather than clear, long-term planning…

US DoS sanctions 7 entities for facilitating illicit trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products, by falsifying documents and hiding shipment origins to evade sanctions and generate revenue

April 30, 2025

This move is part of the ongoing U.S. strategy to disrupt sanctions evasion networks that enable the Iranian regime to circumvent restrictions and generate revenue for destabilizing activities. The sanctions target entities engaged in the purchase, sale, and transport of Iranian petrochemical and petroleum products, as well as shipping facilitators who obfuscate and deceive in order to move these goods across borders…

US GAO report reveals the key role of BO data in uncovering fraud in Govt programs, exposing use of shell companies, urging FinCEN’s collaboration to bolster fraud detection and curb illicit finance

April 29, 2025

This information is vital for identifying the true owners of entities involved in government contracts or receiving federal benefits, which is crucial in detecting and preventing fraud schemes. The report highlights how criminals and corrupt actors have used shell companies to hide ownership details, enabling them to exploit government resources, steal taxpayer dollars, and evade detection…

HMT’s new draft crypto rules aim to clamp down on fraud ensuring stricter regulatory oversight, transparency and consumer protection while positioning the UK as a global digital asset hub

April 29, 2025

This move comes as part of the government’s broader strategy to position the UK as a global leader in digital finance while ensuring that consumers are safeguarded from the risks associated with unregulated crypto activities. Under these new regulations, firms dealing in crypto assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum will be held to high standards of transparency, operational resilience, and consumer protection, bringing them in line with traditional…

US SEC targets a $91m Ponzi scheme operated by 3 Texans, defrauding 200+ investors with false promises of bond trading profits and misappropriated funds

April 29, 2025

Between May 2021 and February 2024, the trio allegedly ran the scheme through a trust controlled by Alexander, Vanguard Holdings Group Irrevocable Trust (VHG), promising investors guaranteed returns of 3% to 6% per month from international bond trading activities. However, the SEC claims that VHG had no actual source of revenue and that the returns paid to investors were simply Ponzi payments…

UNODC’s latest report exposes how Asian crime syndicates are driving $37bn in global losses through AI-driven cyber fraud and blockchain-based ML schemes

April 28, 2025

The increasing use of technologies like AI, deepfakes, and underground banking has facilitated the growth of these operations, making them more scalable and harder to detect. The UNODC urges enhanced international cooperation and preparedness to combat the rising intensity and geographical spread of these cyber-enabled crimes. The report estimates that hundreds of scam centres generate…

EBA launches an ESG dashboard to provide centralised, comparable climate risk indicators for the EU/EEA banking sector, focusing on transition risks, green financing, and low green asset ratios

April 25, 2025

The dashboard reveals a significant exposure of EU/EEA banks to sectors that contribute heavily to climate change, raising concerns over potential transition risks as these companies may be impacted by policy changes, technological shifts, or evolving consumer preferences. While physical risks are somewhat lower, with most countries showing exposures below 30%, the dashboard emphasizes the growing importance of monitoring…

No results found.