Money Laundering

JPMorgan Chase will provide U.S.-dollar clearing services in Angola, becoming the first major American lender to reengage with the African nation following major corruption scandals and years of anti-money laundering (AML) compliance restrictions, Bloomberg reported.

Belgium is in danger of evolving into a “narco-state” as organized crime penetrates key institutions and exploits Antwerp’s giant port to smuggle cocaine into Europe, an investigating judge warned in an open letter cited by the Financial Times.

The U.S. Treasury Department designated Colombian President Gustavo Petro and several of his family members and associates, alleging his policies have fueled record cocaine production and benefited narco-traffickers.

A former Citibank relationship manager has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to two years in jail for helping a Chinese criminal network launder money in Singapore, the Financial Times reported. 

President Donald Trump has granted a pardon to Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the founder of Binance, after months of behind-the-scenes efforts by Zhao and his allies to secure clemency.

An unprecedented U.S. Treasury order cutting three Mexican financial institutions off from the American financial system took effect Monday, after already forcing asset sales, client flight and heightened compliance across Mexico’s banking sector, Bloomberg reported.

Canada will launch a new federal financial-crimes agency and change banking laws to clamp down on online fraud and other scams, the country’s Department of Finance announced on Monday. 

French investigators are treating Sunday’s smash-and-grab at the Louvre as a potential money-laundering operation, after four masked thieves stormed the museum’s Galerie d’Apollon and escaped with eight pieces of royal jewelry. 

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 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.