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 authority- Bundesanwaltschaft €6.92m 100 % · 3 cases
- Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht (FINMA) — 0 % · 1 case
What for?
by action- Fine €6.92m 100 % · 3 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 | 0 | — |
| Q3 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q1 2025 | 1 | €1.06m |
| Q2 2025 | 1 | €2.13m |
| Q3 2025 | 1 | €3.73m |
| Q4 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q1 2026 | 1 | — |
| Q2 2026 | 0 | — |
| Q3 2026 | 0 | — |
4 cases
27 Feb 2026 MBaer Merchant Bank AGFINMA withdraws MBaer Merchant Bank's licence over serious anti-money laundering deficiencies Order
Following enforcement proceedings, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) found serious, systematic deficiencies in anti-money laundering due diligence, organisation and risk management; the bank enabled clients to circumvent official asset freezes and executed transactions for sanctioned persons. FINMA had withdrawn the bank's licence and ordered its liquidation; with the withdrawal of the appeal before the Federal Administrative Court, the orders took effect on 27 February 2026. The day before, FinCEN had proposed designating the bank as an institution of primary money laundering concern.
Systematic anti-money laundering and sanctions deficiencies can cost a bank its licence – not just money.
- Authority / court
- Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht (FINMA)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls
- Legal basis
- Schweizer Geldwäschereirecht und Bankenaufsichtsrecht (laut FINMA)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Employees
- 50 to 249
- Published
- 27 Feb 2026
- FINMA-Verfahren: MBaer Merchant Bank AG in Liquidation Press release of an authority
- Massnahmen bei MBaer Merchant Bank AG Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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22 Aug 2025 Bank J. Safra Sarasin AGBank J. Safra Sarasin: 3.5 million CHF fine for money laundering in the Petrobras complex €3.73m
Between 2011 and 2014, the bank did not take all the necessary organisational precautions, with the result that bribes flowed to Petrobras executives through several account relationships (around 71 million USD in attempted or completed aggravated money laundering). Fine of 3.5 million CHF; because of a settlement of 16 million CHF with Petrobras, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (Bundesanwaltschaft, OAG) waived a compensation claim. A former asset manager was separately given a suspended prison sentence.
Unusual payment flows involving clients close to PEPs must be escalated and, if necessary, rejected – responsibility lies with the bank as an organisation.
Anti-money laundering and PEP clients
- Authority / court
- Bundesanwaltschaft
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls
- 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, organisational corrective measures after the affair became known; no compensation claim because of the payment of 16 million CHF to Petrobras.
- Liability of senior managers
- A former asset manager was separately given a suspended prison sentence of six months for aggravated money laundering (offences committed at another Swiss bank).
- Published
- 22 Aug 2025
Original amount 3,500,000 CHF, converted at the ECB reference rate of 22 Aug 2025.
- Bundesanwaltschaft verurteilt Bank J. Safra Sarasin AG (Strafbefehl) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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17 Jun 2025 Banque Pictet et Cie SABanque Pictet: 2 million CHF fine for laundering Petrobras bribes €2.13m
Between 2010 and 2013, an asset manager at the bank validated 54 transfers through which bribes of around 4.1 million USD connected with SBM Offshore's charter contracts with Petrobras were concealed. The bank had not classified high-risk accounts as such and had inadequately monitored transfers; the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (Bundesanwaltschaft) imposed a fine of 2 million CHF, and the former employee received a suspended prison sentence.
Risk classification and transaction monitoring must take effect before individual relationship managers approve payments.
High-risk clients and transaction monitoring
- Authority / court
- Bundesanwaltschaft
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls
- Legal basis
- Art. 102 Abs. 2 StGB i. V. m. Art. 305bis und Art. 322septies StGB
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Mitigating circumstances
- Time elapsed since the offence, very good cooperation, organisational corrective measures after the Petrobras affair became known.
- Liability of senior managers
- Former asset manager: suspended prison sentence of six months (probation period of two years).
- Published
- 17 Jun 2025
Original amount 2,000,000 CHF, converted at the ECB reference rate of 17 Jun 2025.
- Banque Pictet et Cie SA und ehemaliger Vermögensverwalter per Strafbefehl verurteilt Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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27 Feb 2025 Morgan Stanley (Switzerland) GmbHMorgan Stanley (Switzerland): 1 million CHF fine for organisational deficiency in money laundering case €1.06m
In 2010, the company's legal predecessor did not take all necessary and reasonable organisational precautions to prevent a relationship manager from committing aggravated money laundering with assets derived from bribery offences in Greece. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (Bundesanwaltschaft) concluded the proceedings with a summary penalty order of 1 million CHF.
Under corporate criminal law, organisational deficiencies do not become time-barred when the employee leaves – controls must be demonstrably effective.
- Authority / court
- Bundesanwaltschaft
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls
- Legal basis
- Art. 102 Abs. 2 StGB i. V. m. Art. 305bis StGB
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Published
- 27 Feb 2025
Original amount 1,000,000 CHF, converted at the ECB reference rate of 27 Feb 2025.
- Bundesanwaltschaft schliesst Strafuntersuchung gegen Morgan Stanley (Switzerland) GmbH mit Strafbefehl ab Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link