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.
U.S. Charges 777 Partners Co-Founder Over Alleged $500-Million Fraud
Federal prosecutors on Thursday unsealed an indictment charging Josh Wander, co-founder of collapsed investment firm 777 Partners, with wire fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy, alleging he fabricated financial records and misled lenders and investors in a scheme worth up to $500 million. The 17-page filing in Manhattan federal court says Wander used bogus documents and […]
With OCC Approval, Billionaire-Backed Erebor Sets Sights on Tech Sector
U.S. regulators have granted preliminary and conditional approval for Erebor, a new national bank founded this year by technologists Palmer Luckey and Joe Lonsdale in a move pitched as filling the void left by Silicon Valley Bank’s 2023 collapse, the Financial Times reported.
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.
UK Hits Rosneft, Lukoil and 51 Oil Tankers with Sanctions
Britain imposed new sanctions Wednesday on Russia’s two largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, and 51 ships, including 44 “shadow fleet” tankers and seven LNG vessels, Reuters 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.