Compliance Radar
Who was sanctioned, and for what?
Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe and North America: 718 cases from 32 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 countryWhat for?
by action- Fine €4.74m 100 % · 7 cases
- Order — 0 % · 1 case
Who?
by sectorAll sectors
When?
per quarter, by date of decision| Period | Cases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2023 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2023 | 0 | — |
| Q1 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q2 2024 | 2 | €12,866 |
| Q3 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q1 2025 | 1 | €800 |
| Q2 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q3 2025 | 1 | €3.2m |
| Q4 2025 | 1 | €379,504 |
| Q1 2026 | 2 | €944,000 |
| Q2 2026 | 0 | — |
| Q3 2026 | 1 | €210,000 |
8 cases
10 Jul 2026 Volksbank Düsseldorf Neuss eGBaFin: 210,000 EUR against Volksbank Düsseldorf Neuss over monitoring and reporting gaps €210,000
Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) imposed fines totalling 210,000 EUR on the cooperative bank: business relationships were not monitored on an ongoing basis or with enhanced scrutiny, additional information was not obtained and suspicious activity reports were not filed or were filed late. The function of the money laundering reporting officer had been outsourced to an external service provider with several clients.
Institutions that outsource the anti-money laundering function remain responsible themselves for ongoing monitoring and timely suspicious activity reports.
Ongoing monitoring of business relationships and suspicious activity reporting
- Authority / court
- Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence
- Legal basis
- § 56 Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 20, 36, 38 und 69 GwG; Bekanntmachung nach § 57 GwG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Published
- 17 Sep 2026
- Volksbank Düsseldorf Neuss eG: Bafin setzt Bußgelder fest Press release of an authority
- Bekanntmachung zur Volksbank Düsseldorf Neuss eG (§ 57 GwG) Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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20 Feb 2026 BVwG reduces FMA penalty against private bank over unclarified beneficial owners €356,000
From 2017 to 2020, an Austrian bank specialising in private and investment banking had not adequately examined the ownership and control structure of an offshore holding client despite the lack of evidence on shareholders, trust arrangements and beneficial owners. The Austrian Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht, BVwG) confirmed the infringement but reduced the additional penalty imposed by the Financial Market Authority (Finanzmarktaufsicht, FMA) in its penalty decision of 17 December 2024 from 476,000 to 356,000 EUR (total penalty 436,000 EUR less FMA penalties already paid), because the FMA had taken the seriousness of the offence into account twice and the bank had cooperated, admitted its errors and terminated the client relationship; an appeal on points of law has been permitted.
For offshore holdings with trustees, prove the beneficial owner with supporting documents – a self-declaration is not enough.
Identifying beneficial owners in holding and trust structures
- Authority / court
- Bundesverwaltungsgericht (BVwG); Straferkenntnis der Finanzmarktaufsicht (FMA) vom 17.12.2024
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence
- Legal basis
- § 9 Abs. 1 erster Satz i. V. m. § 6 Abs. 1 Z 2 FM-GwG; § 35 Abs. 1 und 3 i. V. m. § 34 Abs. 1 Z 2 und Abs. 2 FM-GwG; § 22 Abs. 9 FMABG (Zusatzstrafe)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- reduced
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Culpability
- negligent
- Mitigating circumstances
- Reduction by the court because the wrongfulness of the offence had been counted twice, cooperation, admission of the facts and of guilt, and termination of the client relationship
- BVwG W204 2306222-1 vom 20.02.2026 Court decision
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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17 Feb 2026 BVwG upholds 588,000 EUR FMA penalty against major bank over incorrect risk classification €588,000
The Austrian Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht, BVwG) dismissed the appeal of a listed major Austrian bank and upheld the fine of 588,000 EUR (plus 58,800 EUR in procedural costs) imposed by the Financial Market Authority (Finanzmarktaufsicht, FMA) in its penalty decision of 19 November 2024. From 2017 to 2020, the bank had not adequately risk-classified three business relationships and had disregarded sector risks such as gambling and precious metals trading as well as cash intensity; an appeal on points of law has been permitted.
Customers from gambling or precious metals trading with a high share of cash belong in a higher risk class – otherwise the enhanced obligations are missing.
Risk classification of cash-intensive high-risk sectors
- Authority / court
- Bundesverwaltungsgericht (BVwG); Straferkenntnis der Finanzmarktaufsicht (FMA) vom 19.11.2024
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence
- Legal basis
- § 6 Abs. 5 i. V. m. § 34 Abs. 1 Z 2 und § 35 Abs. 1–3 FM-GwG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- BVwG W204 2304676-1 vom 17.02.2026 Court decision
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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16 Dec 2025 Hardeck Möbel GmbH & Co. KGFurniture retailer Hardeck: 379,503 EUR fine for breach of AML due diligence obligations €379,504
The Arnsberg regional government (Bezirksregierung Arnsberg), as anti-money laundering supervisor for the non-financial sector, imposed a fine of 379,503.50 EUR, final since 16 December 2025, on the furniture retailer as a dealer in goods for breach of due diligence obligations under the German Money Laundering Act (Geldwäschegesetz, GwG). Karl-Ernst Hardeck is named as the person responsible for the company.
Furniture retailers, as dealers in goods, are also obliged entities under the GwG – breaches of due diligence obligations can trigger six-figure fines.
Identification for cash payments in the trade in goods
- Authority / court
- Bezirksregierung Arnsberg (Geldwäscheaufsicht Nichtfinanzsektor)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence
- Legal basis
- Geldwäschegesetz (Sorgfaltspflichten); Bekanntmachung nach § 57 GwG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Retail and e-commerce
- Liability of senior managers
- The announcement names Karl-Ernst Hardeck as the person responsible for the infringement
- Bekanntmachung nach § 57 GwG – Bezirksregierung Arnsberg Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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22 Aug 2025 J.P. Morgan (Suisse) SAJ.P. Morgan (Suisse): 3 million CHF fine in the 1MDB complex for deficient anti-money laundering controls €3.2m
Between October 2014 and July 2015, around 174 million CHF from predicate offences in the 1MDB complex passed through the bank in 43 transfers, even though negative information about the Petrosaudi managers involved was publicly available. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (Bundesanwaltschaft) convicted the bank by summary penalty order and imposed 3 million CHF; a compensation claim was waived because the 1MDB fund is being compensated as a private claimant.
Publicly available negative information about clients must feed into the risk assessment and be capable of stopping transactions.
Customer due diligence and adverse media screening
- Authority / court
- Bundesanwaltschaft
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence
- Legal basis
- Art. 102 Abs. 2 StGB i. V. m. Art. 305bis Abs. 1 und 2 StGB
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Mitigating circumstances
- Time elapsed since the offence, very good cooperation in the proceedings, compensation of the private claimant (1MDB).
- Published
- 22 Aug 2025
Original amount 3,000,000 CHF, converted at the ECB reference rate of 22 Aug 2025.
- Fall 1MDB: Bank JP Morgan Suisse mit Strafbefehl verurteilt Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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15 Jan 2025 Saxony: fine against estate agent for breach of AML due diligence obligations €800
The Saxony State Directorate (Landesdirektion Sachsen), as anti-money laundering supervisor for the non-financial sector, imposed a fine of 800 EUR on an estate agent, announced in anonymised form, for breach of the due diligence obligations under the German Money Laundering Act (GwG). The list of announcements shows numerous further fines and reprimands against agents ranging from 50 to 5,000 EUR.
Estate agents must identify both contracting parties in good time – even small offices are subject to active anti-money laundering supervision.
Identification of contracting parties in property brokerage
- Authority / court
- Landesdirektion Sachsen (Geldwäscheaufsicht Nichtfinanzsektor)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence
- Legal basis
- Geldwäschegesetz (Sorgfaltspflichten); Bekanntmachung nach § 57 GwG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Bekanntmachungen gemäß § 57 GwG – Landesdirektion Sachsen (lfd. Nr. 29) Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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18 Jun 2024 HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) SAFINMA: HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) breached anti-money laundering rules for two PEPs Order
The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) found that, for two politically exposed persons, the bank insufficiently clarified the origin and purpose of assets – transactions of more than 300 million USD from a Lebanese state institution between 2002 and 2015 – and only reported them to the reporting office in September 2020. It ordered a review of all PEP relationships, a ban on new PEP relationships until the review is completed and the appointment of an audit agent; the decision was not final at the time of publication (date of the announcement used as decision date).
In PEP relationships, document the origin and purpose of large payments; a report made years later is no report.
Dealing with politically exposed persons (PEPs)
- Authority / court
- Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht (FINMA)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence
- Legal basis
- Schweizer Geldwäschereirecht (laut FINMA)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Published
- 18 Jun 2024
- FINMA-Verfahren: HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) SA hat gegen Geldwäschereiregeln verstossen Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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5 Jun 2024 CarXclusive GmbHCar dealer CarXclusive: 12,866 EUR fine for breach of AML due diligence obligations €12,866
A fine of 12,866 EUR, final since 5 June 2024, was imposed on the motor vehicle dealer by the Arnsberg regional government (Bezirksregierung Arnsberg), as anti-money laundering supervisor for the non-financial sector, for breach of the due diligence obligations of the German Money Laundering Act (Geldwäschegesetz, GwG), and the company was publicly named.
Car dealerships must identify and document buyers for cash payments of 10,000 EUR or more – sales staff must know the threshold.
Customer identification when selling vehicles for cash
- Authority / court
- Bezirksregierung Arnsberg (Geldwäscheaufsicht Nichtfinanzsektor)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence
- Legal basis
- Geldwäschegesetz (Sorgfaltspflichten); Bekanntmachung nach § 57 GwG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Automotive
- Bekanntmachung nach § 57 GwG – Bezirksregierung Arnsberg Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link