FCA to Take Over AML Supervision for UK Professional Bodies
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will serve as the sole anti-money laundering (AML) and counterterrorist-financing (CTF) supervisor for the UK’s legal, accountancy and trust and company service provider sectors.
France Steps Up Scrutiny of AML Compliance at Crypto Firms
France’s banking supervisor is intensifying on-site anti–money laundering (AML) checks at cryptocurrency firms as it decides which of the country’s more than 100 registered platforms will qualify for EU–wide authorization in the coming months, Bloomberg reported.
UBS Strengthens AML Checks on Wealthy Clients in Asia
UBS Group AG is intensifying scrutiny of how clients in its Asian wealth hubs make and move their money, pressing some to provide more detailed disclosures as the Swiss lender looks to avoid fresh regulatory clashes.
Judge Quashes Effort to Stop Peru’s Ex-President From Leaving Country During Criminal Probe
A Peruvian judge declined a request to restrict former President Dina Boluarte from leaving the country while prosecutors investigate her for corruption and money laundering, Reuters reported.
Sanctioned Shadow Fleet Ships Linked to Assad Corruption and Looted Ukrainian Grain
Three cargo vessels recently sanctioned by the EU for operating in Russia’s “shadow fleet” were quietly sold out of Syria’s state fleet in 2023 for $1 each to an offshore company in the Seychelles, according to new reporting by OCCRP and its Syrian partner SIRAJ.
Bank of America, BNY Mellon Sued for Alleged Compliance Failures Linked to Epstein
New class-action lawsuits allege that Bank of America and BNY Mellon enabled Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking of underage girls, in part by failing to report suspicious activity linked to the financier until after his death in 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported.
U.S. and UK Blacklist Pig-Butchering Scammers, Seize $15 Billion in Bitcoin
U.S. and UK authorities seized roughly $15 billion in Bitcoin and multiple London properties allegedly linked to a sprawling online fraud scheme based in Cambodia.
The Hold-Up on Revolut’s UK Banking License: Risk-Control Worries
UK regulators are holding up Revolut’s full banking license amid concerns that the fintech firm’s risk controls are not scaling fast enough with its rapid overseas growth, the Financial Times reported.
Malaysian Authorities Target $115 Million in UBS, JPMorgan for 1MBD Ties
Malaysia’s anti-graft agency will freeze approximately USD $115.32 million held in Swiss bank accounts linked to Prince Turki Abdullah Abdul Al-Saud, a co-founder of PetroSaudi International and a figure tied to the long-running 1MDB scandal.
In Turkey’s Grand Bazaar, Some See Signs of Large-Scale Sanctions Busting
One of the world’s oldest marketplaces is doubling as a modern hub for sanctions evasion and large-scale money laundering, according to experts who spoke to The New York Post.