FCA fines Monzo digital bank $28 million for AML, KYC failures
By 
Ian Sherr2025-07-08T20:09:00
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined the online bank Monzo the equivalent of more than $28 million for failing to properly collect customer information and protect against financial crimes. The move is the latest in a series of efforts by British authorities to combat chronic money laundering and other crimes that plague the country’s financial sector.
In a statement Monday, the FCA said Monzo had failed to follow rules that prevent it “from opening accounts for high-risk customers” amidst its rapid growth. The FCA said Monzo’s failures stretched into 2022, when its customer base had grown to 5.8 million from around 600,000 in 2018. ”Monzo failed to design, implement, and maintain adequate customer onboarding, customer risk assessment, and transaction monitoring systems to mitigate the risk of financial crime,” the FCA said in its statement.
Related articles
-
ArticleU.K. proposes streamlining regime meant to hold fin serve executives to account
When growth slows, governments often cut rules to attract investment, as the U.K. has in its financial services sector, which contributes 8.8% of GDP, but easing the “compliance burden” raises concerns about oversight, governance, and prioritizing profits over safety.
-
News BriefDOJ targets $14.6B in health care fraud with focus on transnational crime
Emerging enforcement priorities of the U.S. Department of Justice’s health care fraud division align with the Trump administration’s emphasis on prosecuting transnational criminal organizations and ending opioid trafficking.
-
PremiumSupply chain disruptions caused by Republican policies should be managed
If you’re in third-party risk management, handling the latest disruptions brought on by wild gyrations in tariff rates and export control rules by Republican leadership ought to be child’s play.
More from Financial Services
-
PremiumWhy tight controls matter for financial content on social media, says FPC’s O’Shaughnessy
Financial Planning Corporation is a regulated financial planning firm founded 40 years ago, gaining coveted Chartered status in 2008. As the U.K. financial regulator, the FCA promises to clamp down on unregulated “finfluencers” on social media. Moira O’Shaughnessy, managing partner and head of risk and compliance at FPC, explains why ...
-
News BriefFinCEN proposes bar on Cambodian company due to alleged money laundering
A Cambodian financial company, the Huione Group, has laundered billions of dollars for international criminals and those linked to North Korea, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The agency proposes that the company should be severed from having access to the U.S. financial ...
-
News BriefLawsuits filed to save CFPB amid Trump push to shutter financial watchdog
Enforcement and all other operations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have come to a screeching halt under Trump administration directives but a pair of lawsuits aimed at keeping the agency open mean the stoppage could be short-lived.