Dutch online bank Bunq fined for failures in money laundering controls

Reported by Reuters (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/dutch-online-bank-bunq-fined-failures-money-laundering-controls-2025-08-25/) Dutch online bank Bunq has received a 2.6 million euro ($3.04 million) fine for failures in its money laundering controls, Dutch central bank DNB said on Monday. Bunq said it disagreed with DNB’s decision, to which it has formally objected. DNB said […]

Lies, private jets and a missing $86m: Inigo Philbrick’s art world swindle

Reported by Dalya Alberge (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/aug/22/lies-private-jets-missing-86m-inigo-philbrick-art-world-swindle) As an art dealer in London and Miami, Inigo Philbrick had the Midas touch and lived the high life, with private jets, $5,000 bottles of wine and $7,000 suits. But in 2019 he was exposed as a serial swindler who had created one […]

Why Haven’t Sanctions on Russia Stopped the War? The Money Is Still Flowing.

Reported by Aaron Krolik (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/business/russia-sanctions-ukraine-war.html) What kind of power can the United States exert to punish other countries for their misdeeds? The answer, in the age of nuclear weapons, has been economic power. Impose sanctions and cut off access to the U.S. dollar, the thinking goes, […]

HSBC Swiss unit culls wealthy Middle Eastern clients amid regulator scrutiny

Reported by Laith Al-Khalaf (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.ft.com/content/ab96ebcb-edcd-4537-b1b3-ffce3cc30bfc) HSBC’s Swiss private bank has launched a cull of more than 1,000 wealthy Middle Eastern clients, as it faces ongoing scrutiny from regulators over high-risk clients. The bank will be terminating its relationship with a slew of customers from countries such as Saudi Arabia, […]

Turning the Tables, Robert Menendez’s Wife Now Seeks to Blame Him

Reported by Tracey Tully (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/nyregion/nadine-menendez-blames-robert-menendez.html) During his trial on federal corruption charges, Robert Menendez, the former senator from New Jersey, tried unsuccessfully to blame much of his trouble on his wife, Nadine. But as she seeks to avoid a lengthy prison sentence of her own, Ms. […]

SARs evolved: IRS’ CI-FIRST and the future of financial crime-fighting

Reported by Rabihah Butler (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en-us/posts/government/sars-evolved-ci-first/) The CI-FIRST initiative In early 2025, the CI-FIRST initiative was introduced, aiming to establish a transparent and effective partnership between federal agencies and private financial institutions. This program enhances transparency around SARs filings, providing financial institutions with clearer insight into how their submitted […]

5 tips to successfully embrace agentic AI for AML due diligence

Reported by Iain Armstrong (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://aijourn.com/5-tips-to-successfully-embrace-agentic-ai-for-aml-due-diligence/?utm_campaign=Latest+News&utm_content=004pub7u75s64bh-Image&utm_medium=social&utm_source=LinkedIn) If last year was shaped by the rapid growth in the use of generative AI applications, like GPT or Gemini, then this year’s breakthrough technology is already locked in – agentic AI. From financial services through to the heart of the […]

ING bank probed for role in Didier Reynders money laundering case

Reported by Cynthia Kroet (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/08/20/ing-bank-probed-for-role-in-didier-reynders-money-laundering-case) ING Belgium has come under investigation for its role in the money laundering case that involves former European Commissioner Didier Reynders, Belgian newspaper Le Soir reports. The bank is being probed by the Brussels prosecutor’s office for potential acts of “influence peddling”.  […]

Why Tariffs are Fueling Financial Crime

Reported by Michael Joseph (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.sdcexec.com/software-technology/ai-ar/article/22945695/napier-ai-why-tariffs-are-fueling-financial-crime) Volatile tariff policies are creating new criminal opportunities across global supply chains. The same invoice manipulation and transshipment schemes criminals use to launder money now also help them evade customs duties. Procurement and compliance teams often lack the coordination necessary to […]