Trump’s pivot on crypto leads SEC to seek settlement with Gemini
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s pivot in favor of crypto took another step as the agency indicated it wants to resolve a long-standing lawsuit against the crypto exchange Gemini.
OFAC, FinCEN tighten screws on Sinaloa Cartel’s money laundering network
The Trump administration has taken two actions to attack money laundering rings operating in Mexico, highlighting the U.S. government’s focus on curbing the fentanyl trade and the illegal profits it generates.
Treasury reversal of OFAC sanctions against Tornado Cash signals eroding AML scrutiny
The U.S. Treasury Department lifted its sanctions against cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash on Friday after a federal appeals court ruled in November the penalty levied by the agency’s Office of Foreign Assets Control was an overreach.
FinCEN drops BOI requirement for U.S. companies, persons
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued a final interim rule that eliminates beneficial ownership information reporting obligations for U.S.-based companies and persons.
Expert: Treasury’s move to ‘narrow’ BOI requirements would gut AML law
The U.S. Treasury’s effort to dramatically narrow the focus of the Corporate Transparency Act through “emergency” rulemaking would gut the law’s anti-money laundering efforts, a transparency expert said.
Robinhood pays $30M in fines, restitution for faulty AML program, customer disclosures
Robinhood will pay nearly $30 million in penalties for violating Financial Industry Regulatory Authority rules with shortcomings in its anti-money launderingprogram, as well as supervisory and disclosure violations.
Two senators want to know: What’s the legal basis for suspending enforcement of the CTA?
Two senators behind the Corporate Transparency Act have demanded that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent justify his suspension of one of the law’s anti-money laundering requirements.
Regs name TD Bank’s compliance monitor; so far, bank has spent $138M improving AML program
TD Bank leadership called its response to anti-money laundering program lapses its “top priority” as federal regulators named their choice of a compliance monitor to oversee a top-to-bottom rebuild of its AML program.
Treasury announces plan to narrow CTA's scope; FinCEN says no fines, penalties for failure to report BOI
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network notified businesses that fail to report or update their beneficial ownership information before the agency’s March 21 deadline will not face fines or penalties. The agency further said it would not enforce the Corporate Transparency Act against U.S. citizens and domestic businesses.
FinCEN announces FATF watchlist update: Laos, Nepal added, Philippines removed
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced two countries have been added to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) watchlist, while another has been removed.
Crypto exchange OKX latest target of DOJ, hit with $505M penalty over AML, KYC failures
One of world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges agreed to pay more than $500 million in penalties and plead guilty to AML and KYC violations, along with failing to register as a money transmitting business with the U.S. Treasury Department, the DOJ said.
FinCEN issues new BOI compliance date, but experts say unlikely to hold
Uncertainty continues to swirl around a requirement that small businesses and foreign entities file beneficial ownership information with the U.S. Treasury Department.
FCA fines Mako $2.1M for ineffective financial crime monitoring program
Mako Financial Markets Partnership will pay $2.1 million (1.7 million pounds) in penalties to the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority to settle allegations that its financial crime prevention program was ineffective.
Experts question effectiveness of new enforcement tool SFO is finally wielding
The U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office has made its first use of an enforcement tool that was meant to bring oligarchs and kleptocrats to book. But lawyers are unsure whether the move signifies either a change in direction or fortune for the agency.
Financial crime in the shadows of the dark web
The dark web has been depicted as a long-standing hub for crimes, where illegal activities such as drug dealing, financial fraud, weapon sales, murder for hire, stolen credit cards, and ransomware gags are easily accessible to the public.
BSA failures lead to $42M fine for Brink's over unregistered cash shipments to Mexico
Armored car company Brink’s Global Services will pay $42 million in penalties to settle charges laid by federal regulators for violating anti-money laundering provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act.
FCA dings Infinox in first fine under U.K. capital market reforms of 2018
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority issued a landmark fine against trading platform Infinox Capital for failing to report “high-risk” transactions, the first-ever enforcement under a 2018 law.
KuCoin latest crypto firm to pay hefty price for violating BSA with $297M penalty
The Seychelles-based owner of cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin has agreed to pay nearly $300 million in penalties–and cease doing business in the U.S. for two years–to settle charges that it failed to properly monitor potential criminal activity on its network.
Q&A: Hellenic Bank CCO on progress made to fight corruption in Cyprus
Maria Aristidou Demetriou, chief compliance officer at Cyprus-based Hellenic Bank, spoke to Compliance Week about derisking in the Cypriot banking sector since Russian’s invasion of Ukraine and efforts to combat corruption, money laundering, and sanctions evasion.
Inside Cyprus’ efforts to stem money laundering and sanctions evasion
Are there success stories in the international fight against money laundering and sanctions evasion? The island nation of Cyprus is making its case.
SEC fines LPL Financial $18M for failed due diligence on new, high-risk accounts
Broker-dealer LPL Financial will pay $18 million to settle charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission that its anti-money laundering program did not properly vet customers and failed to close or restrict thousands of high-risk accounts.
SEC fines cannabis hedge fund $150K for bogus AML policies, ties to Russian oligarch Abramovich
Cannabis hedge fund Navy Capital Green Management agreed to pay $150,000 to settle charges levied by the Securirties and Exchange Commission that the firm misled investors about its AML/CFT policies and allowed a sanctioned Russian oligarch to invest.
CJEU ruling adds to GDPR liability over unfair competition, AML/CFT
Legal cases and fines for noncompliance with EU’s GDPR could rise sharply after a court found that a breach was a source of unfair competition. The judgment also opens doors to civil cases over companies that ignoring expensive or challenging rules, such as those regarding AML/CFT.
OCC orders Bank of America to shore up BSA/AML, sanctions compliance programs
Bank of America avoided a monetary penalty in agreeing to settle charges with the Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency but was ordered to shore up previously disclosed deficiencies in its Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering (BSA/AML) and sanctions compliance programs.
OCC hits USAA with third order in five years; places limits on new services, products, membership
USAA Federal Savings Bank has been hit with its third cease and desist order from the Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in the past five years for failing to correct unsafe and unsound banking practices.
U.K. can’t shake reputation of being a conduit to individual, institutional money laundering
London has long had the dubious reputation of being the world’s money laundering capital and it looks like it’s a title it is likely to retain for some time yet.
Overabundance of U.K. AML regulators stretching enforcement resources thin, experts say
The U.K. will struggle to shed its reputation as one of the world’s biggest conduits for dirty money due to a combination of patchy intelligence-sharing and poorly resourced enforcement agencies, experts told Compliance Week.
Texas court halts FinCEN beneficial ownership reporting requirements
Business owners can stop preparing their 2025 anti-money laundering reports for the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, according to a Texas court, which ruled the Corporate Transparency Act requirement unconstitutional.
Whistleblower’s defamation case reveals scope of USAA ‘coverup’
A defamation lawsuit filed by a whistleblower against USAA, which a Florida judge recently dismissed on a technicality, revealed in public court records an estimated 400,000 violations of the Military Lending Act by USAA Federal Savings Bank (USAA Bank), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of USAA.
Evolving sanctions rules make continuous screening, due diligence essential in 2025
The EU and U.K. have rushed to commit themselves to intensifying action on sanctions evasion after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, but any compliance managers who believe Trump will make global sanctions compliance easier in 2025 are likely to be disappointed.
U.S. Appeals Court ruling in Tornado Cash case opens door for AML regulatory unwind
In striking down penalties against cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash for violating U.S. sanctions, a federal appeals court may have started to chip away at anti-money laundering regulations established by Democrats even before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Top ethics and compliance failures of 2024
The biggest Compliance Fails of 2024 show the real-world consequences of noncompliance for the companies that faltered, but also for their customers and their employees.
Trump names Scott Bessent to be Treasury secretary, with a clear deregulation agenda
Hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, named by Donald Trump on Friday as his nominee for Treasury Secretary, has a clear mandate to deregulate the financial markets should he take the helm.
Experts explain why red flags can often be ignored due to ‘underlying systematic issues’
Companies spend huge sums on audit, risk management, and compliance to alert them about potential legal issues before they escalate into serious corporate governance failings. There’s only one problem, however–they often misread their own early warning signs or ignore them altogether.
FCA slaps Metro Bank with $21M fine for inadequate AML monitoring
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority has fined Metro Bank 16.6 million pounds (U.S. $21 million) for an alleged failure by its automated system to adequately monitor money laundering risks.
Underfunding of BSA/AML compliance made TD Bank an unwitting partner to cross-border crime
Law enforcement officials stumbled on TD Bank’s role in money laundering while investigating a Mexican drug cartel. They found that the bank’s corporate culture considered compliance, particularly BSA/AML compliance, a low priority. As they dug deeper, authorities discovered that multiple money laundering schemes had infiltrated the bank’s network.
Real estate firm JLL fined by Canada’s FINTRAC for AML, KYC failures
Canada’s anti-money laundering regulator fined Toronto-based real estate firm Jones Lang Lasalle $107,827 Canadian dollars (U.S. $77,632) for six violations of its anti-money laundering rules, after discovering gaps in recordkeeping and reporting requirements for know your customer rules.
TD Bank fined nearly $3.1B by U.S. regulators for AML compliance failures
TD Bank will pay nearly $3.1 billion in penalties to four U.S. regulators to settle charges that it “chose profits over compliance” when it allowed three money laundering networks to filter more than $670 million in dirty money through the company.
FinCEN, OFAC sanction crypto platforms linked to Russia, cybercrime
U.S. and European law enforcement agencies have announced sanctions against two Russia-linked cryptocurrency platforms in their ongoing chase to snuff out Russian-linked financial platforms that assist cybercriminals.
Wells Fargo agrees with OCC to shore up BSA/AML, sanctions program deficiencies
The Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ordered Wells Fargo to make “comprehensive corrective actions” to its Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering and U.S. sanctions programs, along with receive permission from the OCC to offer new products and services or enter new geographic markets with “medium or high” ...
An Amsterdam discussion on increased role of CCOs
Compliance Week and its sister organization the International Compliance Association will bring together more than 200 GRC professionals for Compliance Week Europe Oct. 15-16 in Amsterdam to discuss how they’re making sense of the constantly changing regulatory landscape.
CPE Webcast: The acronyms that changed the finance industry: from AML and BSA to KYC and BaaS
In the ever-evolving landscape of finance, governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) have emerged as critical pillars that underpin the stability and growth of financial institutions.
DOJ orders Wynn Las Vegas to forfeit $130M over BSA/AML violations
Wynn Las Vegas agreed to forfeit $130 million to settle a range of criminal allegations, including allegedly helping foreign customers hide money transfers and shielding patrons from Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering rules, the Department of Justice said.
Experts warn U.K. money laundering cases to ‘significantly increase’
The U.K. has an ongoing problem with money laundering, but recent changes to economic crime law and corporate registration requirements could bring more cases to court, according to consultancy KPMG.
Strengthening BSA/AML defenses: Critical role of ERTs in modern day compliance
Enforcement actions in the first half of of 2024 by the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network highlight the importance of proactive measures in Bank Secrecy Act compliance rather than just being compliant.
Ian Sherr joins Compliance Week as its new editor-in-chief
New Compliance Week Editor-In-Chief Ian Sherr shares his thoughts on where compliance is headed as businesses meet the realities of not just following the rules, but staying ahead of the pace of regulatory change at a global scale.
FinCEN finalizes AML rules for investment advisers, cash real estate transactions
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network released new anti-money laundering requirements for U.S. investment advisers and real estate professionals that attempt to close loopholes that criminals and kleptocrats have long exploited.
Nordea Bank to pay $35M to resolve NYDFS probe into AML shortcomings
Finland-based Nordea Bank will pay $35 million to resolve an investigation by the New York Department of Financial Services into “significant compliance failures” in its anti-money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act program.
TD Bank discloses liabilities over AML probes in U.S. balloon to $2.6B
TD Bank has set aside $2.6 billion to settle allegations made by U.S. regulators that deficiencies in its anti-money laundering program allowed fentanyl traffickers to launder money on its platform.
Banks avoid penalties in OCC deals, agree to shore up AML/BSA, board oversight
Among the enforcement actions issued by the Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in August, two banks were separately penalized for deficiencies in anti-money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act compliance and board oversight.