Who was sanctioned, and for what?

Following an on-site inspection, the Finantsinspektsioon (Estonian Financial Supervision Authority) issued an order requiring the payment institution Wallester to remedy, by 31 December, deficiencies in governance and control functions (separation of the lines of defence, internal rules), in safeguarding customer funds and in the staffing of its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing function. Date = publication of the press release.

Authority / court

Finantsinspektsioon (Estnische Finanzaufsicht)

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls

Legal basis

Aufsichtsrechtliche Anordnung (ettekirjutus) der Finantsinspektsioon

Action

Order

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Published

16 Sep 2026

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

Following a 2023 inspection, the supervisor found inadequate customer due diligence and inadequate enhanced and ongoing due diligence in sampled files, no ongoing training for sampled employees and gaps in the risk management and compliance programme, such as name and payment screening manuals that had not been approved by management before being implemented, and inadequately documented arrangements for terrorist property reporting and financial sanctions. Five cautions and penalties of 28 million ZAR were imposed, of which 5.5 million ZAR is suspended for 36 months from 13 October 2025; the bank had already been sanctioned with 56.25 million ZAR in December 2024. The amount and the facts have not been confirmed against the primary source.

Authority / court

Prudential Authority (PA) der South African Reserve Bank

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence

Legal basis

Sections 21, 21A und 21C i. V. m. 42(1), 42(2)(d), (e), (g) sowie Sections 42 und 43 Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Repeat case

yes

Mitigating circumstances

Cooperation in remedying the deficiencies; 5.5 million ZAR suspended for 36 months.

Published

11 Sep 2026

Original amount 28,000,000 ZAR, converted at the ECB reference rate of 11 Sep 2026.

Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link

The financial institution did not deliver on time the data due every seven days to the Centralised Bank Account Register (CBAR). The Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) set a fine of 162,704 EUR, which was reduced by 40% to 97,622 EUR under a settlement pursuant to its 2026 settlement policy.

Authority / court

Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU)

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing

Legal basis

Reg. 4(2), 8, 9 CBAR Regulations (S.L. 373.03)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Mitigating circumstances

Settlement with 40% reduction

Published

4 Sep 2026

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

At the payment institution, the customer risk assessment had only been introduced after business had started, some customers remained unassessed, and customer profiles were based on transaction thresholds rather than on risk. The Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) set a fine of 266,833 EUR and a follow-up directive; under a settlement, the fine was reduced by 40% to 160,099 EUR.

Authority / court

Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU)

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence

Legal basis

Reg. 2(1), 5(5)(a)(ii), 7(1)(c), 7(2)(a), 21, 22 PMLFTR

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Mitigating circumstances

Settlement with 40% reduction; remediation demonstrated

Published

2 Sep 2026

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

The Banque nationale de Belgique (National Bank of Belgium) found serious anti-money laundering due diligence failures at Wise Europe SA, including in identifying and verifying customers and beneficial owners, ongoing monitoring of business relationships, analysis of atypical transactions and intra-group information sharing. It made public that Wise Europe had not complied with an order of 8 July 2025 to meet these obligations by 31 March 2026, and ordered full compliance by 31 January 2027 at the latest; no fine was published.

Authority / court

Banque nationale de Belgique / Nationale Bank van België (BNB/NBB)

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence

Legal basis

Art. 13 § 1, 23, 26, 27, 35 § 1 und 45 Gesetz vom 18. September 2017 zur Verhinderung von Geldwäsche; Anordnung nach Art. 93 § 1 1°, Veröffentlichung nach Art. 93 § 2 1° und Art. 98/1 i. V. m. 135 § 3

Action

Order

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Repeat case

yes

Published

25 Aug 2026

Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link

The Finanzmarktaufsicht (FMA, Liechtenstein Financial Market Authority) fined an unnamed legal person CHF 50,000 for breaches of the Sorgfaltspflichtgesetz (Due Diligence Act) – business profiles not established or updated as required, group-wide application of the due diligence standard not ensured – and of the Gesetz über die Durchsetzung internationaler Sanktionen (ISG, Act on the Enforcement of International Sanctions). The ISG provision relied on makes it an offence punishable by a fine not to carry out the sanctions screening of customer and transaction documents, or to carry it out improperly or late.

Authority / court

Finanzmarktaufsicht Liechtenstein (FMA)

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence

Legal basis

Art. 31 Abs. 1 Bst. e und k Sorgfaltspflichtgesetz (SPG); Art. 11 Abs. 1a Bst. c Gesetz über die Durchsetzung internationaler Sanktionen (ISG)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Original amount 50,000 CHF, converted at the ECB reference rate of 21 Aug 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Direct link

The operator of quinnbet.com will pay £415,986 in lieu of a financial penalty to the Consolidated Fund (the UK Government's general account) under a settlement and contribute to the Commission's investigation costs. The settlement also includes a disgorgement of £193,118, which is not included in the amount shown. A compliance assessment found breaches of the anti-money laundering licence condition LC 12.1.1 paras. 2 and 3 (March 2023 to August 2025) and of the customer interaction requirements under SRCP 3.4.3; following an error during a platform migration, some of the required financial vulnerability checks under SRCP 3.4.4 were also not carried out between February and May 2025. It is the first enforcement action against the company.

Authority / court

Gambling Commission

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls

Legal basis

s. 116 Gambling Act 2005; LC 12.1.1 Abs. 2 und 3, SRCP 3.4.3 und SRCP 3.4.4 Abs. 1 der Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Other

Repeat case

no

Mitigating circumstances

No previous enforcement action, a swift action plan, full cooperation, early voluntary reporting of some of the failings, voluntary divestment of the funds gained from them and early acceptance of the failings.

Published

20 Aug 2026

Original amount 415,986 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 20 Aug 2026.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

The Comitê de Decisão de Processo Administrativo Sancionador (COPAS, sanctions decision committee) of the Banco Central do Brasil (Brazilian central bank) fined Banco Genial S.A. a total of BRL 21,560,000.00: BRL 4,200,000.00 for inadequate anti-money laundering policies, procedures and controls, BRL 8,920,000.00 for failing to verify the credentials of foreign exchange clients and BRL 8,440,000.00 for failing to file suspicious activity reports with the financial intelligence unit Coaf in the proper form and on time. According to the case documents, the reporting charge concerned 1,364 foreign exchange transactions for the acquisition of virtual assets with five clients between November 2020 and October 2021, totalling USD 744,341,982.45.

Authority / court

Banco Central do Brasil (Comitê de Decisão de Processo Administrativo Sancionador – COPAS)

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence

Legal basis

Lei nº 9.613/1998, Art. 10 III, Art. 11 und 12; Lei nº 13.506/2017; Circular BCB nº 3.978/2020; Resolução CMN nº 3.568/2008

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Liability of senior managers

Measures against individuals are not set out here.

Original amount 21,560,000 BRL, converted at the ECB reference rate of 12 Aug 2026.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

Finanstilsynet (Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority) fined the accounting firm Panzer Norge AS, based in Alta, NOK 100,000 under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. The inspection found shortcomings in the firm-wide risk assessment and in customer due diligence, as well as further breaches in risk and quality management and in engagement agreements; the company, which had five employees, essentially did not dispute the breaches.

Authority / court

Finanstilsynet

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence

Legal basis

§§ 7, 8, 9, 12 Abs. 4, 13 Abs. 1, 3 und 4, 14, 24 und 49 hvitvaskingsloven

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Other

Employees

Under 50

Culpability

negligent

Published

17 Sep 2026

Original amount 100,000 NOK, converted at the ECB reference rate of 11 Aug 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Direct link

According to FINTRAC, Your Neighbourhood Credit Union Limited is a provincially regulated credit union based in Kitchener, Ontario. Canada's anti-money laundering regulator FINTRAC imposed an administrative monetary penalty of CAD 16,500 on the company on 10 August 2026. According to FINTRAC's findings, made during a compliance examination, the company committed one violation of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA) and its regulations. As described by the regulator, the violation concerned written compliance policies and procedures. According to FINTRAC, the penalty has been paid in full and the case is closed. Source: FINTRAC (Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada), "Administrative monetary penalty on Your Neighbourhood Credit Union Limited", published 24 September 2026, https://fintrac-canafe.canada.ca/pen/amps/pen-2026-09-24-2-eng; summarised in our own words; not an official version and not a reproduction of the original.

Authority / court

Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls

Legal basis

PCMLTFA s. 9.6(1); PCMLTF Regulations 156(1)(b); Verwaltungsgeldbuße nach Teil 4.1 PCMLTFA

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Published

24 Sep 2026

Original amount 16,500 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 10 Aug 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link

The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) imposed 125 million USD on the broker-dealer – the highest BSA penalty against a broker-dealer to date. UBSFS admitted wilful infringements: the AML programme was inadequate, more than 50,000 foreign currency transfers totalling more than 10 billion USD were not adequately monitored and suspicious activity reports were not filed; it is already the second enforcement action after 2018.

Authority / court

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls

Legal basis

Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Employees

10,000 or more

Culpability

intentional

Repeat case

yes

Mitigating circumstances

Up to 15 million USD (remaining amount due by 31 May 2028) may be waived to the extent that UBSFS bears the costs of the independent review of its AML programme and implements its recommendations

Published

3 Aug 2026

Original amount 125,000,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 3 Aug 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

The Bundesstrafgericht (Federal Criminal Court) found Banque Lombard Odier & Cie SA guilty of failing to take adequate organisational measures against aggravated money laundering by a former relationship manager who in 2011 and 2012 handled accounts of a criminal organisation holding proceeds of corruption in the Uzbek telecommunications market; despite warning signs, the bank's anti-money-laundering functions did not sufficiently ensure that the origin and purpose of the funds were investigated and documented. The bank was fined CHF 3,000,000 and bears procedural costs of CHF 24,561.49; it was acquitted on the remaining charges, and proceedings for acts before 27 July 2011 were dismissed as time-barred. The judgment is not final.

Authority / court

Bundesstrafgericht (Strafkammer), Anklage der Bundesanwaltschaft

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls

Legal basis

Art. 102 Abs. 2 StGB i.V.m. Art. 305bis Ziff. 1 und 2 StGB (Urteil SK.2023.42)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Mitigating circumstances

The long time elapsed since the offences (2011/2012) was taken into account as mitigating.

Published

27 Jul 2026

Original amount 3,000,000 CHF, converted at the ECB reference rate of 27 Jul 2026.

Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link

According to FINTRAC, The New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation is a reporting entity in the casino sector based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Canada's anti-money laundering regulator FINTRAC imposed an administrative monetary penalty of CAD 399,712.50 on the company on 24 July 2026. According to FINTRAC's findings, made during a compliance examination, the company committed one violation of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA) and its regulations. As described by the regulator, the violation concerned suspicious transaction reporting. According to FINTRAC, the penalty has been paid in full and the case is closed. Source: FINTRAC (Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada), "Administrative monetary penalty on the New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation", published 3 September 2026, https://fintrac-canafe.canada.ca/pen/amps/pen-2026-09-03-2-eng; summarised in our own words; not an official version and not a reproduction of the original.

Authority / court

Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Suspicious activity reports

Legal basis

PCMLTFA s. 7; Verwaltungsgeldbuße nach Teil 4.1 PCMLTFA

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Other

Published

3 Sep 2026

Original amount 399,712.5 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 24 Jul 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link

Despite a cease-and-desist notice and enforcement action of 2 January 2025, the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA, Dubai's virtual assets regulator) found that Shelbit General Trading L.L.C (Shelbit Exchange) continued to provide virtual asset services in and from Dubai without a licence, onboarded users without the mandatory KYC checks and promoted its services without authorisation. VARA again imposed fines of an undisclosed amount and ordered it to cease immediately; according to the regulator, the risk identified also concerned cross-border transactions with possible consequences for the integrity of the UAE financial system.

Authority / court

Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), Dubai

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence

Legal basis

Federal Decree-Law No. (10) of 2025 (AML/CFT/PF); Cabinet Resolution No. (111) of 2022; Dubai Law No. (4) of 2022 Regulating Virtual Assets in the Emirate of Dubai; VARA Regulations and Rulebooks

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Repeat case

yes

Published

24 Jul 2026

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

The games supplier will pay £4,750,000 in lieu of a financial penalty under a regulatory settlement, contribute to the Commission's investigation costs and accept an additional licence condition requiring an independent audit within twelve months. Five genuine Evolution games were accessible at scale to consumers in Great Britain via six websites of two operators not licensed by the Gambling Commission; between April 2024 and January 2025, its risk assessment and its anti-money laundering policies and controls did not adequately address risks arising from business partners in particular (LC 12.1.1, LC 12.1.2). After the Commission notified it in December 2024, Evolution immediately and permanently blocked the games for users in Great Britain.

Authority / court

Gambling Commission

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls

Legal basis

s. 116 Gambling Act 2005; LC 12.1.1 Abs. 1–3 und LC 12.1.2 der Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP); Reg. 18, 19(1)(a) und 28(1) Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Other

Mitigating circumstances

A swift action plan with progress updates, full cooperation with the investigation and early acceptance of the failings.

Published

23 Jul 2026

Original amount 4,750,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 23 Jul 2026.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

According to FINTRAC, Caisse populaire acadienne ltée is a federally regulated credit union based in Caraquet, New Brunswick. Canada's anti-money laundering regulator FINTRAC imposed an administrative monetary penalty of CAD 676,500 on the company on 23 July 2026. According to FINTRAC's findings, made during a compliance examination, the company committed 3 violations of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA) and its regulations. As described by the regulator, the violations concerned suspicious transaction reporting, written compliance policies and procedures and assessing and documenting money laundering and terrorist financing risks. Specifically, according to FINTRAC, the credit union failed in four instances to report multiple transactions that showed indicators of suspicion. According to FINTRAC, the penalty has been paid in full and the case is closed. Source: FINTRAC (Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada), "Administrative monetary penalty on Caisse populaire acadienne ltée", published 24 September 2026, https://fintrac-canafe.canada.ca/pen/amps/pen-2026-09-24-4-eng; summarised in our own words; not an official version and not a reproduction of the original.

Authority / court

Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Suspicious activity reports

Legal basis

PCMLTFA s. 7, 9.6(1); PCMLTF Regulations 156(1)(b), 156(1)(c), 156(2); Verwaltungsgeldbuße nach Teil 4.1 PCMLTFA

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Published

24 Sep 2026

Original amount 676,500 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 23 Jul 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) imposed 231,826 CAD on the Halifax gaming corporation (casino sector) because it failed to file suspicious transaction reports on attempted transactions despite reasonable grounds for suspicion, did not keep its compliance policies up to date and approved by a senior officer, and did not assess the money laundering risk as required. The penalty was paid in full.

Authority / court

Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Suspicious activity reports

Legal basis

Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, Part 1, und zugehörige Verordnungen

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Other

Published

3 Sep 2026

Original amount 231,826 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 23 Jul 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

The 2022 examination revealed that for more than two years the remote gaming operator had had no proper customer risk assessment for almost its entire player base; the assessments submitted had been prepared specifically for the examination. In addition, once players reached the deposit threshold of 2,000 EUR, it did not check in good time whether they were politically exposed persons. The Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) imposed 80,907 EUR; the fine was still open to appeal at the time of publication.

Authority / court

Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU)

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence

Legal basis

Reg. 5(5)(a)(ii), 11(5), 21 PMLFTR; FIAU Implementing Procedures Part I und II (Remote Gaming)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Other

Published

16 Jul 2026

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

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.

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

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

Following an on-site inspection from February to April 2025, the Bank of Italy (Banca d'Italia) found deficiencies in customer due diligence, active cooperation (suspicious transaction reporting) and anti-money laundering controls, and imposed an administrative fine of 40,000 EUR. The duration of the deficiencies and the corrective measures initiated were taken into account.

Authority / court

Banca d'Italia

Area of law

Money laundering and terrorist financing · Customer due diligence

Legal basis

Art. 62 d.lgs. 231/2007; Verstöße gegen Art. 7, 16–19, 24, 25, 35, 36 d.lgs. 231/2007

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Mitigating circumstances

Corrective measures initiated

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link