FCA to Expedite Approval of Defense Funds as Europe Aims to Rearm
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will fast-track approvals for defense-focused investment funds in an effort to make it easier for investors to access stocks and bonds tied to Europe’s accelerating rearmament.
Trump Imposed Terrorist-Grade Sanctions on U.N. Rapporteur and ICC Staff
The Trump administration placed a U.N. human-rights expert and multiple International Criminal Court officials on a U.S. sanctions blacklist typically reserved for terrorists and major criminals, according to a Reuters investigation.
Binance’s Ties to Trump’s World Liberty Have Only Grown Since Zhao Pardon
Last month, the dollar-pegged stablecoin created by the Trump family’s crypto firm, World Liberty Financial, reached an important milestone: the total circulation of USD1 exceeded $5 billion for the first time, ranking it among the world’s top cryptocurrencies, according to recent reporting by The New York Times.
Brazil Looks to Close Two Loopholes Used to Dodge Asset Freezes
Brazil’s Finance Ministry has urged the country’s central bank to tighten regulation around pooled and escrow accounts that authorities say are being used by bad actors to circumvent asset freezes, according to Reuters.
France’s Lang Faces Money-Laundering Probe after Epstein Revelations
Jack Lang, a former French culture minister and long-time president of the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) in Paris, has resigned from the post after Mediapart reported new details about financial and business ties between his family and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
A Landmark Turks-and-Caicos Trial Ends in Conviction of Ex-Premier
A massive corruption trial that spanned a decade ended last week in Turks and Caicos with the convictions of the jurisdiction’s former premier, his brother, and a one-time governmental minister, the Miami Herald said.
UBS Managed Maxwell’s Wealth Long After JPMorgan Cut Ties with Epstein
UBS AG opened accounts for Ghislaine Maxwell in early 2014 and went on to manage as much as $19 million for her in the years before she was convicted for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually traffic teenage girls, Reuters reported.
Cyber Group Spent the Last Year Hacking into Critical Networks in 37 Nations
An Asian cyber-espionage group spent the past year breaking into computer systems linked to governments and critical infrastructure organizations in more than 37 countries, according to new research from Palo Alto Networks Inc. cited by Bloomberg.
How Funny Money Helps Russia Skirt Western Sanctions
Fake banknotes resembling Monopoly money are being used to move rubles over borders as part of an effort to circumvent Western sanctions on the Russian Federation, according to new reporting by the Financial Times.
U.N. Exempts 17 Humanitarian Aid Projects from Sanctions on North Korea
A United Nations committee has approved exemptions from North Korea sanctions to allow a new round of humanitarian aid projects to proceed, Reuters reported on Friday, citing an unnamed diplomatic source.