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Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing

United Kingdom

This section covers AML/CTF initiatives by FCA, HMT, HMRC, JMLSG and other related UK organisations.

FCA Financial Crime: Guide for firms
HM Treasury Money Laundering Prevention
HMRC Money Laundering Regulations
JMLSG industry Guidance
FATCA UK Regulations 2013
FATCA UK Regulations Guidance 2013
Gambling Commission Money Laundering
National Crime Agency updates

And many more…

 

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Companies House reports that expanded enforcement and identity-verification work increased its workforce to 2,424 and operating expenditure to £256.1 million in 2025–26

July 16, 2026

The Companies House Annual Report and Accounts 2025 to 2026 sets out how the registrar used its strengthened powers under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act to improve company information and support investigations into suspected fraud and abuse. Companies House spent £15.2 million on penalties and sanctions activity, received £2.1 million from the Economic Crime Levy and increased cooperation with HMRC, the Insolvency Service and other enforcement bodies.

NCA secures convictions against a group that diverted payments from a fraudulent pandemic PPE deal into luxury vehicles, property improvements and personal debts

July 15, 2026

The defendants falsely claimed they could supply protective equipment during the pandemic and were convicted of fraud and money-laundering offences following a five-week trial. Investigators traced the proceeds into personal expenditure and payments to associates, illustrating how opportunistic procurement fraud was converted into apparently legitimate private assets and consumption.

The Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences warns that near-certain impunity has made fraud a low-risk, high-reward crime, with only 1% of reported cases producing a criminal-justice outcome

July 14, 2026

The report says victims whose cases are investigated wait an average of 18 months for a charging decision, while a typical serious fraud case takes 442 days to progress from arrival at the Crown Court to completion. Its 47 recommendations respond to fragmented enforcement, weak corporate and online-platform accountability, shortages of specialist investigators, international offending and the growing use of AI, deepfakes and crypto-assets to perpetrate and launder fraud.

UK Govt publishes Fisher Review’s “Fraud in the Digital Age”, outlining 47 Rec. to strengthen fraud prevention, intelligence sharing, enforcement against digital and cross-border fraud

July 14, 2026

The report identifies weaknesses including fragmented responsibilities, complex digital evidence, limited specialist capability and lengthy investigations. It makes 47 recommendations calling for a shift from a reactive approach to a more proactive and preventative model, including stronger public-private partnerships, improved data sharing, greater corporate accountability, action on emerging technologies…

HMT launches consultation on Modernising UK Payments Regulation, proposing reforms to support Open Banking, tokenised payments and new technologies while enhancing regulatory oversight

July 14, 2026

The proposals consider how responsibilities between regulators and firms should be structured, how emerging payment services should be brought within an appropriate regulatory framework, and how rules can better support competition and innovation without increasing risks to consumers or the wider financial system…

FCA consults on reforms to streamline the UK asset management rulebook, aiming to save the industry £128M a year through simpler reporting and a more proportionate regulatory framework

July 14, 2026

The proposals would simplify Fund Reporting for Asset Management Entities (FRAME), modernise AIFMD-related rules, and introduce a more proportionate remuneration framework, reducing regulatory burdens while improving data quality and maintaining robust regulatory standards. The reforms are intended to create a more flexible, efficient, and risk-based regime for UK asset managers…

HMT designates AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft and Oracle as ‘Critical Third Parties’, bringing them under joint regulatory oversight to strengthen financial sector resilience against cyber & technology risks

July 10, 2026

Effective 13 July 2026, the providers will be subject to joint oversight by the Bank of England, Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), requiring them to meet minimum resilience standards, identify and manage systemic risks, and cooperate with regulators to reduce the impact of technology failures or cyber incidents on financial services….

FCA’s 2025/26 Annual Report highlights stronger enforcement action, including 17 criminal convictions, 650 finfluencer takedowns, 2,329 scam warnings and a £42M AML fine

July 9, 2026

The crackdown resulted in three arrests and 650 social media takedown requests, secured 17 criminal convictions for offences including fraud, insider dealing, ML, and market abuse, and imposed significant enforcement actions, including a £42 million AML fine against Barclays. The report also notes 2,329 scam warnings, £14.4 million in fines for transaction reporting failures, and the removal of 222,173 money mule…

HMRC’s new Estate Agency Business Guidance strengthens AML requirements with earlier CDD, enhanced source of funds and wealth checks, stronger SAR reporting, and updated registration obligations

July 8, 2026

The revised guidance introduces a stronger focus on assessing proliferation financing risk, clarifies the application of risk-based AML controls, and reinforces customer due diligence and governance requirements. It also emphasises that each regulated business involved in a property transaction has an independent legal obligation to report suspected money laundering or terrorist financing…

FCA’s Mills Review explores how AI will reshape retail financial services by 2030, highlighting opportunities alongside growing risks from fraud, cyber threats and consumer harm

July 6, 2026

The report highlights that while AI can improve efficiency, personalisation and access to financial services, it may also increase risks around fraud, cyber resilience, consumer harm and financial crime. It recommends that regulators and firms adapt their approaches to ensure AI is used safely and responsibly, including stronger oversight and improved regulatory capabilities…

HMT, FCA, BoE and PSR issue additional guidance on the UK’s future retail payments infrastructure, providing new detail on consumer protection, fraud prevention and FC safeguards

July 2, 2026

The Payment Vision Delivery Committee (PVDC), comprising HM Treasury, the Bank of England, the FCA and the PSR, has issued new supporting context to the RPIB consultation on the future retail payments infrastructure, providing fresh detail on the proposed commercial model and reinforcing how the next-generation system will strengthen consumer protection and financial crime safeguards under the UK’s National Payments Vision…

UK takes over FATF Presidency for 2026–2028, launching a coordinated global drive to disrupt illicit financial flows and strengthen the global response to fast-evolving, technology-enabled fraud and FC

July 1, 2026
Under President Giles Thomson, the UK will prioritise disrupting criminal financial flows linked to fraud, terrorism and proliferation, enhance the use of the FATF toolkit, improve cross-border intelligence and public-private information sharing, and promote risk-based supervision, while also advancing coordinated global action through FATF-Style Regional Bodies and launching the 2026–2028 Roadmap on Combatting Fraud to support more effective…
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