OFAC Targets Hamas-Linked Charities, DPRK-Linked IT Worker Schemes
The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday announced two new sanctions actions targeting financing and revenue-generation networks tied to Hamas and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
UK Fraud Reports Reach Record High, with AI Poised to Worsen the Problem
Fraud in the UK reached a record level in 2025, with 444,993 cases filed to the National Fraud Database, according to Cifas’s latest Fraudscape 2026 report.
HSBC and Standard Chartered to Receive Hong Kong Stablecoin Licenses
HSBC and a joint venture led by Standard Chartered are expected to be among the first companies to receive Hong Kong stablecoin licenses within two weeks, marking a milestone in the city’s effort to regulate the sector and strengthen its position as a global digital asset hub.
Iran-Linked Hackers Hit U.S. Medtech Company with Data-Wipe Attack
Medical technology company Stryker was hit by a cyberattack that caused a global outage across its systems, with staff and contractors reporting that the logo of the Iran-linked hacking group Handala appeared on login pages.
FATF Flags Dirty-Money Risks of Offshore VASPs
Gaps in the international oversight of offshore virtual-asset firms have made it possible for criminals to commit large-scale fraud, money laundering, and terrorism financing beyond the reach of most supervisory bodies, according to FATF.
U.S. Launches New Probe into Binance Transfers Linked to Iran
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Iran’s use of Binance to evade U.S. sanctions, according to new reporting by The Wall Street Journal.
Cambodia’s Scam Trade May Prove Largely Unaffected by Crackdown
Cambodia’s crackdown on cyber scam compounds has disrupted operations in Phnom Penh and elsewhere, but the multibillion-dollar industry is already showing signs of revival.
To Russia, With Postage: How to Ship Banned Goods from Berlin to Moscow
A German logistics company has exploited gaps in European postal and customs rules to move sanctioned goods from Germany to Russia, undermining the EU’s effort to choke off supplies to Moscow.
AI Increasingly Used to Dodge Economic and Trade Sanctions
Artificial intelligence is making sanctions and export-control evasion schemes harder to detect by enabling the creation of realistic fake companies and phony documentation used to obviate international trade restrictions.
U.S., Gulf Banks Brace for Cyberattacks as Iran Conflict Continues
U.S. banks have stepped up monitoring for potential cyberattacks as the U.S. war in Iran grinds on, while Gulf lenders face fresh questions over their preparedness for cyber activity tied to Iran-aligned hacktivists.