Compliance Radar
Who was sanctioned, and for what?
Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe and North America: 756 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- Bundesverwaltungsgericht (BVwG); Straferkenntnis der Finanzmarktaufsicht (FMA) vom 19.11.2024 €588,000 62 % · 1 case
- Bundesverwaltungsgericht (BVwG); Straferkenntnis der Finanzmarktaufsicht (FMA) vom 17.12.2024 €356,000 38 % · 1 case
- Wirtschafts- und Korruptionsstaatsanwaltschaft (WKStA); Landesgericht Eisenstadt — 0 % · 1 case
What for?
by area of lawAll areas of law
Who?
by companyWhen?
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 | 1 | — |
| Q1 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q2 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q3 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q1 2026 | 2 | €944,000 |
| Q2 2026 | 0 | — |
| Q3 2026 | 0 | — |
3 cases
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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25 Nov 2024 Commerzialbank MattersburgCommerzialbank Mattersburg: indictment over paid-for police Christmas parties, diversions Other
According to the indictment by Austria's Central Public Prosecutor's Office for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption (WKStA), the bank, at the instigation of a former member of the management board, paid for the Christmas parties of three police stations over several years in order to influence the way they performed their duties. An indictment (Strafantrag) for granting benefits to exert influence was filed against the former board member; four mostly senior police officers were offered diversion for accepting benefits to exert influence (one probation period, two monetary payments, one further probation period), and the proceedings against two other former board members were discontinued.
Sponsoring celebrations or events for authorities you deal with is not harmless goodwill – it can be punishable as grooming officials (Anfüttern).
Invitations and celebrations for authorities and the police
- Authority / court
- Wirtschafts- und Korruptionsstaatsanwaltschaft (WKStA); Landesgericht Eisenstadt
- Area of law
- Bribery and corruption · Gifts, hospitality and benefits
- Legal basis
- § 307b StGB (Vorteilszuwendung zur Beeinflussung), § 306 StGB (Vorteilsannahme zur Beeinflussung)
- Action
- Other
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Culpability
- intentional
- Liability of senior managers
- Indictment against a former member of the bank's management board; proceedings against two other former board members discontinued.
- Published
- 25 Nov 2024
- Verfahrenskomplex Commerzialbank: Anklage in Causa Polizei-Weihnachtsfeiern Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link