Compliance Radar
Who was sanctioned, and for what?
Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Middle East: 1,929 cases from 40 jurisdictions, each with an official source and checked against that source before publication. Filter by country, area of law and sector. Click a chart to drill down one level.
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Where?
by authority- Financial Services Regulatory Authority (ADGM) €74,061 100 % · 4 cases
What for?
by topicWho?
by companyWhen?
per quarter, by date of decision| Period | Cases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Q4 2023 | 0 | – |
| Q1 2024 | 0 | – |
| Q2 2024 | 0 | – |
| Q3 2024 | 0 | – |
| Q4 2024 | 0 | – |
| Q1 2025 | 1 | – |
| Q2 2025 | 1 | €12,380 |
| Q3 2025 | 1 | €17,502 |
| Q4 2025 | 1 | €44,179 |
| Q1 2026 | 0 | – |
| Q2 2026 | 0 | – |
| Q3 2026 | 0 | – |
| Q4 2026 | 0 | – |
4 cases
24 Nov 2025 FWS Group LtdADGM: allegedly 51,000 USD fine for business centre operator FWS Group over missing customer checks €44,179
The FSRA (Financial Services Regulatory Authority, the financial regulator of Abu Dhabi Global Market, ADGM) fined the operator of a business centre, registered as a company service provider, allegedly 51,000 USD for anti-money laundering failings between December 2022 and December 2023. The firm had not carried out a business risk assessment and could not show a risk assessment for any of its 104 customers (tenants), nor had it verified any of them, because its outsourced compliance provider treated only the external operator of the centre as a customer; in addition, after the money laundering reporting officer (MLRO) had been absent for a long period, a replacement was only appointed after about ten months and the regulator was not promptly informed. Without the 20% discount for early settlement the fine would have been 63,750 USD.
A firm that outsources operations and compliance remains itself responsible for due diligence on all of its own customers.
Who the customer is: due diligence duties when operations and compliance are outsourced
- Authority / court
- Financial Services Regulatory Authority (ADGM)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence
- Legal basis
- Section 232 FSMR 2015; AML Rules 4.1.1(1), 4.1.1(2)(a) und (d), 6.1.1, 7.1.1(1)(a) und (b), 7.1.2(1)(a), 8.3.1(1)(d), 8.3.2, 8.4.1(c), 12.1.1(1), 15.6.1(d)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Other
- Repeat case
- no
- Mitigating circumstances
- No previous non-compliance, cooperation and a remediation programme; 20% discount for early settlement.
Original amount 51,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 24 Nov 2025.
- FSRA Final Notice an FWS Group Ltd vom 24. November 2025 Decision of an authority
- ADGM FSRA Regulatory Actions and Sanctions (Durchsetzungsliste) Enforcement database of an authority
Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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26 Aug 2025 UHY James Chartered AccountantsADGM: allegedly 20,400 USD fine for audit firm UHY James over unresolved screening alerts €17,502
The FSRA (Financial Services Regulatory Authority, the financial regulator of Abu Dhabi Global Market, ADGM) fined the registered auditor in ADGM, a branch of a foreign company, allegedly 20,400 USD for anti-money laundering failings between February 2022 and February 2024. In seven of 28 customer files reviewed, 397 screening alerts relating to four customers remained unresolved after a change of screening software, positive matches were dismissed without adequate justification, media reports alleging possible evasion of non-UAE sanctions by one customer were missed, the business risk assessment contained no assessment of targeted financial sanctions risk, and the source of funds and wealth of politically exposed persons was not verified. Without the 20% discount for early settlement the fine would have been 25,500 USD.
Screening alerts must be resolved and closed with a documented rationale, especially after a system change.
Name and sanctions screening: resolving and documenting alerts
- Authority / court
- Financial Services Regulatory Authority (ADGM)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls
- Legal basis
- Section 232 FSMR 2015; AML Rules 4.1.1(1), 4.1.1(2)(a) und (d), 6.1.1, 7.1.1, 7.1.2(1)(a), 7.1.3, 8.3.1(1)(b), 8.3.2, 8.4.1(c), 8.6.1, 11.2.1(1); Art. 21 Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2020
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Other
- Repeat case
- no
- Mitigating circumstances
- No previous breaches of the AML rules, cooperation and substantial remediation (15% reduction); 20% discount for early settlement; the failings concerned only the ADGM entity and no other entities of the UHY group.
Original amount 20,400 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 26 Aug 2025.
- FSRA Final Notice an UHY James Chartered Accountants vom 26. August 2025 Decision of an authority
- ADGM FSRA Regulatory Actions and Sanctions (Durchsetzungsliste) Enforcement database of an authority
Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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1 May 2025 MBK Auditing L.L.CFSRA (ADGM): allegedly USD 14,080 on audit firm MBK Auditing for AML failings €12,380
From September 2022 to November 2023 the audit firm registered in ADGM, subject to AML duties as a DNFBP, lacked an adequate business risk assessment, did not sufficiently examine customers' ownership structures and businesses, omitted a customer risk assessment in one case and did not appoint a new MLRO in time. After a 20% discount for early settlement the FSRA allegedly imposed USD 14,080 (otherwise USD 17,600).
Audit firms, as obliged entities, must also maintain their own risk assessment, customer due diligence and an MLRO.
AML duties of audit firms as DNFBPs
- Authority / court
- Financial Services Regulatory Authority (ADGM)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence
- Legal basis
- Section 232 Financial Services and Markets Regulations 2015 (ADGM); AML Rules 6.1.1, 7.1.1, 8.3.1, 8.3.2, 12.1.1 (ADGM AML Rules)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Other
- Mitigating circumstances
- Early settlement (20% discount), full cooperation and substantial remediation.
Original amount 14,080 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 30 Apr 2025.
- FSRA (ADGM): Final Notice an MBK Auditing L.L.C vom 01.05.2025 (PDF) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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27 Feb 2025 Emirates Advocates LLPADGM: law firm Emirates Advocates loses AML registration after years without AML returns Order
The FSRA (Financial Services Regulatory Authority, the financial regulator of Abu Dhabi Global Market, ADGM) withdrew, with effect from 27 February 2025, the law firm's registration as a designated non-financial business or profession (DNFBP) for anti-money laundering purposes, which it needs to operate in ADGM. The firm had not filed its annual AML returns for 2019 to 2023 and, in the regulator's view, lacked adequate systems and controls; fines had already been imposed in 2021 (10,000 USD for the missing 2019 return) and in 2023 (26,000 USD for the missing goAML registration). The Decision Notice of 21 January 2025 was not referred to the Appeals Panel.
A law firm that persistently ignores its anti-money laundering duties risks not only fines but also its registration, and with it its business in the financial centre.
Anti-money laundering duties for law firms and other DNFBPs
- Authority / court
- Financial Services Regulatory Authority (ADGM)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls
- Legal basis
- Section 251 FSMR 2015; AML Rules 4.6.1, 15.2.1(1)(b), 15.7.1(2)(c), 15.7.2(1)(a) und (b)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Other
- Repeat case
- yes
- FSRA Final Notice an Emirates Advocates LLP vom 27. Februar 2025 (Widerruf der DNFBP-Registrierung) Decision of an authority
- ADGM FSRA Regulatory Actions and Sanctions (Durchsetzungsliste) Enforcement database of an authority
Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link