Our extensive knowledge at your fingertips

On the Web

Over 40 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 subselection.

Latest editions

Search

Reuters: Former Swedbank CEO Bonnesen sentenced to prison in money laundering case

Swedbank’s CEO Birgitte Bonnesen, denied all charges related to a ML scandal in its Baltic operations and was acquitted by a district court in 2023. The Court of Appeal found her guilty on one count but acquitted her of six others. The CEO who led the bank from 2016 to 2019, has denied the charges.

 

 

Reuters: US regulator orders Wells Fargo to overhaul its efforts to combat illicit funds

The California-based bank, which has been under intense scrutiny since a 2016 fake accounts scandal, saw its stock close down 4%, paring a 6.5% loss after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced the action earlier in the day…

Nordea to pay $35 Million for Anti-Money-Laundering Violations

The bank’s AML compliance programs were found to be inadequate, with weak internal controls, insufficient transaction monitoring, and failure to properly vet high-risk customers. The bank pledged to strengthen its AML frameworks by investing in more robust systems, increasing staff training, and improving customer due diligence to prevent future violations…

Guardian: Oligarchs have successfully challenged the UK’s fraud squad and emerged victorious

A former police officer was at home by the South African coast when he received a call about the suspicious death of geologist. After Bekker’s charred body was discovered in his burned Audi Quattro in Johannesburg, Jackson agreed to investigate the case initially considering the possibility of suicide. However, evidence suggested the fire was intentionally set leading Jackson to believe it was a murder…

Antiquities Coalition: Loopholes in the art market once again pose risks to US economic integrity and national security

The US Department of Justice charged dual US-Russian citizens, with using art and antiques to launder over US $1 million and violate sanctions related to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The couple allegedly exploited the unregulated global art market to provide services to sanctioned Russian entities, This case highlights the growing scrutiny on financial crimes in the US art market, which remains largely exempt from AML regulations…

The Telegraph: Chinese investors were deceived by schemes involving point running and cryptocurrency ML

Point Running scams in China deceive victims by promising rewards for transferring cryptocurrency, but often involve them unknowingly laundering funds. In some cases victims are tricked into depositing crypto into fraudulent platforms, as seen in a case where a resident lost over 280,000 yuan. Authorities warn that these scams are rising with the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies, linking them to both financial loss and ML…

BBC: A corruption review has identified ‘red flags’ in over 130 Covid contracts

Anti-corruption charity Transparency International UK has raised serious concerns about £15.3 billion in Covid contracts awarded by the Conservative government revealing 135 “high-risk” contracts with multiple corruption red flags. The review found that £4.1 billion in contracts went to politically connected firms, and £4 billion were allocated through a “VIP lane” deemed unlawful by the High Court…

Reuters: Glencore’s former head of oil has appeared in a UK court on bribery charges related to the Swiss commodity trader’s operations in Africa

Alex Beard faces two counts of conspiracy for making corrupt payments to government and state-owned oil company officials in Nigeria and Cameroon. As the most prominent commodity trader charged with alleged corruption in Britain he led Glencore’s oil division from 2007 to 2019, helping establish the company as a top oil trader. Four other former Glencore employees are also charged with related corrupt payments involving Nigeria, Cameroon…

BBC: The UK has suspended all flights to Iran as allied nations intensify sanctions

The US, UK, France, and Germany have imposed new sanctions on Iran for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine. These sanctions include restrictions on Iran Air’s flights to the UK and Europe as well as travel bans and asset freezes on Iranians linked to military support for Russia. US Secretary of State during his visit to London revealed that Iranian-trained Russian forces could deploy short-range ballistic missiles against Ukraine…

Cointelegraph: China’s supreme court and public prosecutor have revised their interpretation of the country’s AML laws to recognise “virtual asset” transactions for the first time

The country adopted its existing AML law on Jan. 1, 2007, making the latest revision its first significant update in almost two decades. In an Aug. 19 conference, the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate said under their new interpretation of the law, “virtual asset” transactions are now listed as one of the recognized money laundering methods….

Aljaazeera: Australia’s biggest listed casino operator suspended from stock exchange

Star Entertainment Group was delisted from the Australian Securities Exchange as the group faces scrutiny over a series of scandals related to criminal activity and unethical conduct at its casinos…

Reuters: The UK financial watchdog has charged a man with operating illegal cryptocurrency ATMs

London-based Olumide Osunkoya is charged with running illegal crypto ATMs and handling £2.6 million in transactions from December 2021. FCA’s warned that illegal crypto ATMs contribute to global ML and emphasized that there are no legally operating crypto ATMs in the UK. Britain’s FCA has consistently cautioned that cryptocurrencies are extremely risky, poorly regulated  and investors should be prepared to lose their entire investment…

No results found.