FINMA Finalises AML Ordinance Revision, Effective 1 January
FINMA has published the final partial revision of its Anti-Money Laundering Ordinance, with the changes due to take effect on 1 January 2027.
Read developmentRegulation, Governance & Controls
FinCEN Cuts MEXC Global Off From U.S. Financial System
FinCEN issued an order cutting MEXC Global off from the U.S. financial system, barring U.S. financial institutions from processing funds transfers involving the exchange.
Read developmentSwitzerland Implements EU’s 21st Sanctions Package on Russia and Belarus
Switzerland adopted measures from the EU’s 21st sanctions package against Russia and Belarus, with sanctions-list changes taking effect on 4 November 2026.
Read developmentAustralian Court Orders Sunshine Loans to Pay $5.5 Million Penalty
The Federal Court ordered Sunshine Loans Pty Ltd to pay $5.5 million in civil penalties for charging fees prohibited under Australia’s National Credit Code.
Read developmentMexican Judge Arrested in Colombia on U.S. Bribery-Related Charges
A Mexican judge was arrested in Colombia on a U.S. indictment alleging a $2 million bribe tied to the release of a Canadian drug trafficker.
Read developmentCrédit Mutuel Arkéa Says Attackers Used Provider Platform to Reach Bank
Crédit Mutuel Arkéa said attackers reached the bank through a service provider’s platform and used the group’s own account to make fraudulent transfers.
Read developmentIraq Sentences Former Oil Distribution Chief in $119 Million Contract Case
Iraq’s anti-corruption court sentenced a former oil distribution chief to eight years in prison and ordered repayment of 55 billion dinars. OCCRP reported that the Federal Integrity Commission linked 40 contracts and 29 purchase orders worth 181 billion dinars to affiliated firms at the North Refineries Company.
Read developmentNepal Files Corruption Charges Over Alleged Land Swap
Nepal’s anti-corruption agency filed charges against 97 defendants over an alleged land swap involving property held by a company granted a land-ceiling exemption. Investigators estimate roughly US$4.8 million in government losses. The case was pending court proceedings, and no defendants had been detained when OCCRP reported it.
Read developmentSFO Adds Early Legal Contact Route to Corporate Self-Reporting Guidance
The UK Serious Fraud Office updated corporate self-reporting guidance on 13 October 2026. Company legal representatives can discuss a potential report with the SFO’s Director of Legal Services before submitting it, and the guidance clarifies investigative expectations and when the DPA negotiation period begins.
Read developmentILC Dover and ILC Astrospace Agree to $13 Million Cybersecurity Settlement
ILC Dover and ILC Astrospace agreed to pay $13 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations over cybersecurity requirements in contracts with the Army, Missile Defense Agency and NASA. The Justice Department said the allegations concerned claims submitted between 2018 and 2024.
Read developmentDOJ Announces Charges in 63 Election-Related Cases
The Justice Department announced charges involving 63 individuals in election-related cases across the country. The allegations include illegal voting, false citizenship claims connected to registration or voting, and a fraudulent voter-registration submission. The department said four of those charged were in the United States illegally; charges are not convictions.
Read developmentFormer BizJet Sales Manager Pleads Guilty to FCPA Conspiracy
A former BizJet regional sales manager pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. DOJ says the scheme involved bribes to foreign officials to secure Latin American business and concealed payments through U.S. accounts, including a shell company. Sentencing is expected in 2027.
Read developmentESMA Sets Three-Month Remediation Window for Non-MiCA Stablecoin Exposures
ESMA says MiCA-authorised crypto-asset service providers should stop services related to non-compliant stablecoins for EU clients. National authorities should require remediation of identified existing exposures within three months of the 8 October opinion, with only limited, supervised services permitted during wind-down.
Read developmentDOJ Reaches First “Near-Miss” Non-Prosecution Agreement Under Corporate Policy
The Justice Department said its agreement with Extreme Networks is its first “near-miss” non-prosecution agreement under the 2026 corporate policy. The company agreed to pay $975,721.84 in criminal penalties over sanctions and export-control offenses involving sales to a Russian weapons manufacturer.
Read developmentCanada Draft Rules Cap Stablecoin Redemption Fees at 1%
Canada’s proposed stablecoin regulations would require redemption within three business days, cap redemption fees at 1%, and require eligible reserves at least equal to outstanding tokens. The draft maintains a ban on yield for holding stablecoins while allowing transaction-based rewards. Public comments are due by December 23, 2026.
Read developmentDOJ and HHS Offer Healthcare Companies a False Claims Self-Disclosure Pilot
DOJ and HHS announced a six-month pilot for healthcare companies to disclose potential federal False Claims Act violations. Participants must provide supporting details, describe corrective measures and make repayment at a 1.25-to-1.6 multiplier. The program offers a coordinated civil release under specified federal authorities.
Read developmentHong Kong HKMA Sets Out ART Framework for Responsible Bank AI
Hong Kong’s Monetary Authority announced an Accountability, Resilience and Trust framework for responsible AI adoption in banking. Its initiatives include updated supervisory guidance, a training-data sharing platform and further testing of agentic AI, alongside plans for a governance discussion paper.
Read developmentOCC Drops Proposed Presumption Against Certain Stablecoin Yield Arrangements
The OCC’s final GENIUS Act rule removes a proposed presumption against certain stablecoin yield arrangements but retains the statutory prohibition. The agency says it will assess arrangements through issuer applications and ongoing supervision, applying the law to each arrangement’s facts and circumstances.
Read developmentUS Law Requires Dating Services to Notify Users About Fraud-Banned Accounts
Signed on October 20, 2026, the Romance Scam Prevention Act requires online dating services to alert members who received messages from accounts banned for fraud. Notices must identify the account, warn against sending money or financial information, and provide fraud-prevention resources.
Read developmentAIFC Court Restricts Six Crypto Platforms Over Unlicensed Services
The AIFC Court barred six crypto-platform operators from offering unlicensed digital-asset services in the financial centre. After LBank was removed from the order, the injunctions applied to BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart, Coinbase and WEEX; the decision also addressed app-store access restrictions.
Read developmentUK Sets Three-Year AML and Asset Recovery Strategy
The UK Home Office’s 2026–2029 Anti-Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Strategy sets out three-year priorities for tackling money laundering and recovering criminal assets. The government says it is backed by more than £550 million and will add 500 law-enforcement officers and specialists by the end of 2029.
Read developmentOCC Report Finds Reputation-Risk Policies at Nine Large Banks
The OCC said all nine of the largest national banks it supervises had policies that could influence access to services based on political or religious beliefs or lawful business activities. Its review covered the period from 2020 to September 2025 and examined nearly 100,000 complaints.
Read developmentTreasury Announces More Than $1.21 Billion in Bank of America Penalties
U.S. Treasury announced more than $1.21 billion in enforcement penalties against Bank of America on October 13, 2026. The actions include a $1.2 billion FinCEN assessment, a $750 million OCC penalty and an $11.6 million OFAC settlement concerning 475 apparent sanctions violations.
Read developmentVietnam Resolution Tightens AML Rules on Beneficial Ownership and Customer Checks
Vietnam’s Resolution No. 66.23/2026/NQ-CP amends AML provisions on beneficial ownership, customer due diligence and risk classification. The Government says the temporary measures support international tax-information exchange commitments and apply until February 28, 2027, or until amended legal documents take effect, whichever comes first.
Read developmentNew York Settlement Permanently Bars Former Celsius CEO from Financial Industries
A settlement announced by New York Attorney General Letitia James permanently bars former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky from the securities, commodities and cryptocurrency industries. It provides for up to $35 million in payments to New York, depending on specified forfeiture and prison-sentence conditions.
Read developmentTransparency International Czech Republic Reports Suspected Sanctions Breach Involving Czech Vanadium
Transparency International Czech Republic says it filed a criminal complaint over suspected sanctions violations involving Czech Vanadium. It reported more than 500 shipments of vanadium pentoxide entered the country from June 2022 to March 2025, and raised concerns that a change of supplier may not have changed the material’s Russian source.
Read developmentOCC Fines American Express National Bank $350 Million Over AML Failures
The OCC ordered American Express National Bank to cease and desist and assessed a $350 million penalty over BSA/AML program deficiencies. The agency cited control and monitoring failures and approximately $13 billion in suspected trade-based money-laundering activity that the bank failed to sufficiently report.
Read developmentMontenegro Prosecutors Seek Permanent Confiscation of 54,567 Square Metres of Assets
Montenegro’s Special State Prosecutor’s Office says it has asked the High Court in Podgorica to permanently confiscate at least 54,567 square metres of real estate and two armoured vehicles attributed to a person convicted of criminal-organisation and drug offences.
Read developmentDOJ Directs Fraud Division to Design Whistleblower Incentives
A Justice Department directive orders its National Fraud Enforcement Division to design whistleblower policies for credible fraud tips. The October 1 memorandum also assigns the Corporate Enforcement Section primary responsibility for assessing companies’ compliance with criminal resolutions and sets out corporate enforcement priorities and decision factors.
Read developmentFCA Orders Review of Its Interactions With Whistleblower
The FCA has asked independent non-executive director Lea Paterson to review its interactions with whistleblower Simon Andriesz. The regulator says it plans to share lessons and follow-up early in 2027. It also reported that 42% of 1,252 whistleblowing reports closed last year led to direct action.
Read developmentChina’s Draft Cross-Border Corruption Law Sets Out Corporate Compliance Duties
China’s proposed Anti-Cross-Border Corruption Law received its first legislative review in August 2026. The 47-article draft covers corporate compliance duties, legal liability, case handling and international cooperation. It was open for public comment through September 26 and remains a proposal, not an enacted law.
Read developmentCFTC Seeks Comment on Potential Crypto Transaction and Market Rules
The CFTC is seeking comment on a potential framework for certain retail commodity transactions involving crypto assets. Its October 5 notice also asks about a possible crypto asset market registration subcategory and says feedback may inform future agency action.
Read developmentIrish DPC fines Google €403m over historical location-data GDPR breaches
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission fined Google Ireland Limited EUR 403 million for GDPR breaches over processing of location data between May 2018 and February 2020 across Web & App Activity, Location History and Location Accuracy, ordering compliance within six months; the fine awaits Irish court confirmation.
Read developmentAdaptHealth confirms data of 4.1 million patients stolen in July breach
AdaptHealth told the SEC on July 2 that a social‑engineering compromise of a third‑party session led to exfiltration of PII, PHI and billing password files; a DHHS filing lists 4,115,802 affected individuals.
Read developmentMonaco Regulator Fines Julius Baer Wealth Management Monaco €1.5 Million
Monaco’s AMSF imposed a €1.5 million penalty on Julius Baer Wealth Management Monaco over AML/CFT organisational deficiencies and delayed suspicious-activity reports.
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