AML | Certain Risk

The Wirecard booth at WebSummit Lisbon. — Web Summit, “WebSummit Lisbon 2019, Pavilion 2, Day 4 – WireCard,” Flickr (photo taken November 6, 2019), https://www.flickr.com/photos/websummit/49055066212, licensed under CC BY 2.0 (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

Fugitive Ex-Wirecard Exec Jan Marsalek Tied to Multibillion-Dollar Laundering Ring

Fugitive former Wirecard executive Jan Marsalek has been linked to a sprawling, multibillion-dollar money laundering network that British investigators say connects street-level drug dealers in the UK to sanctioned Russian oligarchs and the Kremlin’s security services, the Financial Times reported.

TD Bank branch. — Image: “TD Bank, Chinatown, DC” by Matthew Bisanz, via Wikimedia Commons (original: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TD_Bank,_Chinatown,_DC_by_Matthew_Bisanz.JPG), licensed under a Creative Commons license as specified on the original file page. Image has been edited from the original.

Chinese American Ex-Employees Sue TD Bank Over Money Laundering Fallout

A group of former Chinese American employees has filed a class-action lawsuit against Toronto-Dominion Bank in the United States, alleging they were unjustly fired after being linked to a major money laundering scandal involving Chinese money brokers and Mexican drug cartels, the Financial Post reported.

Lisbon Web Summit, Altice booth. — Image: “Lisbon Web Summit 2017” by Carlos Rodrigues / Web Summit, via Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Image has been edited from the original.

French Raids Escalate Probe in Altice Fraud and Money-Laundering Allegations

French investigators have stepped up their probe into alleged corruption at Patrick Drahi’s Altice telecoms group with a series of coordinated raids across the country, seizing cash, luxury goods and other assets, Bloomberg reported.

Singapore Seen as Destination for ‘Scam Farm’ Proceeds

Singapore is facing renewed scrutiny over its defenses against dirty money after police seized hundreds of millions of dollars in assets linked to the Prince Group, a conglomerate labelled by U.S. and UK authorities as a “transnational criminal empire,” according to the Financial Times.

Male elephant tucking its trunk into its mouth. — “Tanzanian Elephant” by Schuyler Shepherd, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5.

Wildlife Trafficking’s Ties to Guns, Drugs and Human Smuggling

Wildlife traffickers are funneling dirty money through the same financial pipelines used for such illicit activity as human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and the illegal sale of weapons around the world, according to new University of Waterloo research cited by CBC News.

Exterior of Banco Central do Brasil — “Banco Central do Brasil” by Egil Fujikawa Nes for Connection Consulting, Flickr, CC BY 2.0. Edited from the original. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/connectionconsulting/4558286198

Brazil Imposes AML Rules on VASPs, Stablecoins

Brazil’s central bank unveiled long-awaited rules for virtual assets on Monday, extending anti–money laundering (AML) and counterterrorism financing (CTF) obligations to crypto firms and classifying fiat-pegged crypto transactions as foreign-exchange operations, Reuters reported.

Edi Rama walking along a red carpet. — Edi Rama, “NATO Summit 2025 (54611571007) — Dinner at Huis ten Bosch during the NATO Summit” (24 June 2025) by Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken (photographer: Bart Maat), via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Albanian Organized Crime Seen as Growing Threat in Europe

Albanian organized crime groups have tightened their grip at home and expanded across Europe while drawing minimal pushback from Brussels, according to a Follow the Money investigation conducted with media partner BLAST.

“14 Childers Street office building in Civic” (16 August 2015) by Nick-D, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). Edited from the original

Ex-NAB Staffer Charged as Alleged ‘Gatekeeper’ for $200mn Fraud Syndicate

Australian authorities charged a former National Australia Bank employee they allege acted as the “gatekeeper of funds” for a Sydney crime syndicate accused of defrauding “all financial institutions,” according to a Reuters report.

Didier Reynders sitting at a microphone, smiling. — “EU2024BE 240126: Informal Meeting of Justice Ministers, Egmont Palace — JNZT0078” (26 January 2024) by Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union / Julien Nizet, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0).

Ex-EU Commissioner Charged with Money Laundering

Belgian authorities have officially charged former European commissioner Didier Reynders with money laundering, a person familiar with the case confirmed to Follow the Money. He is not being held in custody.

A Third of Inspected Law Firms Break UK’s AML Rules

A third of inspected law firms in England and Wales are breaching anti-money laundering (AML) requirements, according to a report on new figures from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).