NZ Central Bank Asks Court to Fine ASB for AML Shortcomings
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has filed civil proceedings in the High Court against ASB Bank, alleging breaches of core requirements under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act dating from at least December 2019.
U.S. Treasury Seeks ‘Gatekeeper’ Role Over AML Penalties
The Trump administration is moving to give the U.S. Treasury Department’s financial intelligence unit a decisive say over how banks are punished for anti–money-laundering (AML) failures, according to new reporting by The Wall Street Journal.
In U.S. Migrant Crackdown, a Renewed Focus on Cross-Border Remittances
The United States is tightening its oversight of the tens of billions of dollars resident and undocumented migrants send home each year through Western Union, MoneyGram, and other money services businesses (MSBs), according to a recent U.S. Treasury Department warning.
Coinbase Fined €22mn for Failing to Monitor Europe Payments
The Central Bank of Ireland has fined cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase €21.5 million for failing to properly monitor transactions, including activity potentially linked to child sexual exploitation, drug trafficking, money laundering and other crimes.
Germany’s BaFin Hits JPMorgan with Record €45mn AML Fine
Germany’s financial watchdog BaFin has imposed a record €45-million penalty on JPMorgan Chase for shortcomings in anti-money laundering (AML) controls, the Financial Times reported, citing the supervisory body.
Mexico’s Banks Look to Tighten AML Controls after U.S. Crackdown
Mexico’s banking lobby is urging lenders to adopt tougher rules on illicit finance that go beyond current law, after U.S. authorities moved to sever three Mexican firms from the American financial system for allegedly laundering money for fentanyl traffickers, according to Bloomberg.
Rise in SARs Straining Switzerland’s Anti-Money Laundering Office
Switzerland’s Money Laundering Reporting Office (MROS) says it is hitting capacity limits as banks and other firms flood the agency with record numbers of suspicious activity reports, according to SWI swissinfo.ch.
Senate GOP Bill Would Raise BSA Reporting Thresholds and Tie Them to Inflation
Proposed legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate would increase dollar-thresholds triggering reporting requirements under the Bank Secrecy Act for the first time since 1970 and require periodic adjustments to account for inflation, Republican lawmakers said. The “Streamlining Transaction Reporting and Ensuring Anti-Money Laundering Improvements for a New Era Act”, or STREAMLINE Act, would raise the […]
Bank of America, BNY Mellon Sued for Alleged Compliance Failures Linked to Epstein
New class-action lawsuits allege that Bank of America and BNY Mellon enabled Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking of underage girls, in part by failing to report suspicious activity linked to the financier until after his death in 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Bessent Says FinCEN’s New SAR Guidance Will Ease ‘Pain Points’ for Banks
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said new federal guidance on Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) is intended to ease banks’ “pain points” and shift U.S. anti-money laundering oversight toward measurable effectiveness.