The European Banking Authority (EBA) has published an updated list of indicators used in its risk assessment and risk analysis tools, alongside a revised methodological guide. The update is designed to improve clarity and consistency in how risk indicators are calculated and interpreted across EBA publications, supporting more robust and comparable supervisory risk assessments. Importantly, the changes do not introduce any new reporting requirements for institutions or compet

In the fifteen years since the Bribery Act 2010 entered into force across the UK, corporate-compliance frameworks have adjusted dramatically. Yet despite the zero-tolerance rhetoric and the sophisticated anti-bribery, corruption and facilitation payment programmes now ubiquitous in large firms, the phenomenon of low-value facilitation payments remains surprisingly resilient in global finance. This persistence reveals more than just enforcement gaps: it exposes a deeper cultur

A Chinese national has been sentenced to 46 months in prison in the United States for his role in laundering more than $36.9 million linked to a large scale digital asset investment scam that targeted American victims. Jingliang Su was also ordered to pay $26.8 million in restitution after pleading guilty to conspiracy to operate an illegal money transmitting business. The fraud was orchestrated through scam centres based in Cambodia and affected at least 174 victims across t

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a major forward-looking review to assess how advanced artificial intelligence is likely to reshape retail financial services, consumer behaviour and regulatory oversight over the coming decade. Known as the Mills Review, the initiative underscores the FCA’s intention to remain ahead of rapid technological change while maintaining its principles-based approach to regulation. Led by Sheldon Mills, the review builds on the FCA’s

An indictment unsealed in Washington DC on 26 January 2026 has charged a former NATO procurement official and a Turkish defence contractor with operating a long running bribery scheme linked to US military and NATO construction contracts. The case underscores persistent corruption risks in defence procurement and the vulnerabilities created when insider access intersects with high value international contracts. According to the US Department of Justice, Bahadir Hatipoglu, a T

A former US biotech chief executive has been sentenced to prison after misleading investors about a purported breakthrough drug and selling his own shares at inflated prices. On 26 January 2026, Nader Pourhassan, the former Chief Executive Officer of CytoDyn, received a 30 month prison sentence for securities fraud, wire fraud and insider trading, marking another high profile enforcement action against corporate executives who abuse market trust. Pourhassan, aged 62, was conv

Artificial intelligence has become the new backbone of financial crime compliance. Institutions that once relied on human analysts now lean heavily on machine learning to detect anomalies, flag high-risk clients, and predict suspicious behaviour before it happens. Yet behind the promise of speed and precision lies a growing ethical dilemma. The same systems that claim to reduce bias and human error can just as easily reproduce them, only faster and with greater opacity. The q

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) have issued a joint statement providing important regulatory clarity on open banking pricing models, specifically in relation to commercial Variable Recurring Payments (cVRPs). The statement confirms that, at this stage, the regulators will not prioritise a Competition Act 1998. Investigation into the centralised access fee pricing model being developed by the UK Payments Initiative for cVRPs. Comme

The European Banking Authority (EBA) and the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA) have formally completed the handover of all anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing mandates, effective 1 January 2026. The transition marks the end of the EBA’s standalone AML/CFT role, which began in 2020, and represents a structural shift in how the European Union oversees financial crime risks. The transfer is a core component of

The Upper Tribunal has upheld the Financial Conduct Authority’s decision to ban Darren Antony Reynolds from working in financial services and to fine him £2,037,892, marking one of the most serious enforcement outcomes arising from the British Steel Pension Scheme cases. The ruling, first published on 19 January 2026, represents a decisive endorsement of the FCA’s findings on dishonesty, lack of integrity and deliberate misconduct in pension transfer advice. The Tribunal agre