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.
Click a bar to drill down one level.
Where?
by countryWhat for?
by area of lawAll areas of law
- Bribery and corruption €372.7m 53 % · 3 cases
- Competition law €186.4m 26 % · 13 cases
- Money laundering and terrorist financing €73.7m 10 % · 18 cases
- Data protection €59.8m 8 % · 15 cases
- Capital markets and financial supervision €13.7m 2 % · 10 cases
- Health and safety and employment law €746,231 0 % · 4 cases
- Information security and cyber €870 0 % · 1 case
- Consumer protection and online retail €500 0 % · 6 cases
- Sanctions and export control — 0 % · 2 cases
- Environment and sustainability — 0 % · 1 case
Who?
by sectorAll sectors
- Energy and utilities €233.8m 33 % · 2 cases
- Steel and metals €138.9m 20 % · 2 cases
- Financial services and insurance €83.5m 12 % · 18 cases
- Construction and real estate €79m 11 % · 10 cases
- Retail and e-commerce €78.1m 11 % · 8 cases
- Telecoms, IT and software €66.4m 9 % · 5 cases
- Other €13.1m 2 % · 6 cases
- Automotive €12.1m 2 % · 3 cases
- Manufacturing and mechanical engineering €1.35m 0 % · 5 cases
- Food and agriculture €520,000 0 % · 3 cases
- 3 more€325,023
When?
per quarter, by date of decision| Period | Cases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2023 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2023 | 4 | €24.5m |
| Q1 2024 | 5 | €95.2m |
| Q2 2024 | 6 | €9.31m |
| Q3 2024 | 2 | €140.4m |
| Q4 2024 | 7 | €12.9m |
| Q1 2025 | 6 | €214.4m |
| Q2 2025 | 7 | €65.4m |
| Q3 2025 | 9 | €11.2m |
| Q4 2025 | 5 | €45.4m |
| Q1 2026 | 7 | €1.4m |
| Q2 2026 | 6 | €13.6m |
| Q3 2026 | 9 | €73.3m |
73 cases
19 Aug 2026 WH Media GmbHKommAustria penalises person responsible for W24 over advertising in news programme €500
On 29 May 2024, the Vienna broadcaster W24 aired advertising in split screen within the programme ‘24 Stunden Wien’, did not adequately separate advertising from programming and, at around 50 minutes, significantly exceeded the permitted 12 minutes of advertising per hour. The Austrian Communications Authority (Kommunikationsbehörde Austria, KommAustria) imposed fines totalling 500 EUR (plus 50 EUR in costs) on the body authorised to represent the company externally; the GmbH is jointly and severally liable under § 9 (7) VStG (Austrian Administrative Penal Act).
Advertising time limits and the separation requirement also apply to small regional broadcasters – management is personally liable via § 9 VStG.
- Authority / court
- Kommunikationsbehörde Austria (KommAustria)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- § 64 Abs. 2 Z 9 i. V. m. §§ 43 Abs. 2, 44 Abs. 1, 45 Abs. 1 AMD-G; § 9 VStG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Media and online platforms
- Culpability
- negligent
- Mitigating circumstances
- No previous record, duration of proceedings, remorseful confession and remedial measures initiated.
- Liability of senior managers
- Fine imposed on the body responsible externally (§ 9 (1) VStG); the company is jointly and severally liable.
- Published
- 19 Aug 2026
- KommAustria, Straferkenntnis KOA 05.910 / 2025-0.418.178-6-A (W24) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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6 Aug 2026 AS Asphaltstraßensanierung GmbH, BITUNOVA GmbH, Kutter Spezialstraßenbau GmbH & Co. KG, Possehl Construction GmbH (inkl. VSI), Liesen…alles für den Bau GmbH, OAT GmbH/Otto Alte-Teigeler GmbHBundeskartellamt: 60.3 million EUR against DSK road repair cartel €60.3m
From around 2010 to September 2019, six suppliers of thin cold-laid asphalt surface layers (Dünne Asphaltdeckschichten in Kaltbauweise, DSK) allocated customers – primarily public contracting authorities – and contracts among themselves nationwide and coordinated prices. Germany's Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) imposed fines of around 60.3 million EUR; all proceedings ended in settlements.
Anyone who "shares out" public contracts regionally risks fines running into millions – calculations and bids must always be prepared independently.
Customer allocation and bid rigging in public contracts
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 GWB, Art. 101 AEUV
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Mitigating circumstances
- Leniency bonus for Possehl/VSI, Bitunova, Kutter and AS; settlement
- Published
- 6 Aug 2026
- Bußgelder wegen Kartellabsprachen im Bereich Straßenreparatur mit DSK Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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29 Jul 2026 Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF)KommAustria finds unlabelled product placement in ORF's ‘Sport aktuell’ Order
In the programme ‘Sport aktuell’ on ORF 1 on 29 July 2025, a logo wall was visible as product placement without being labelled. The Austrian Communications Authority (Kommunikationsbehörde Austria, KommAustria) found, with final effect, a violation of the ORF Act (ORF-Gesetz).
Product placements must be identified and labelled by the editorial team – including logo walls in the background.
Labelling of advertising and product placement
- Authority / court
- Kommunikationsbehörde Austria (KommAustria)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- § 16 Abs. 5 Z 4 ORF-G
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Media and online platforms
- Published
- 29 Jul 2026
- KommAustria, Entscheidung 2025-0.606.040-3-A (ORF, Sport aktuell) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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21 Jul 2026 Maxxis International GmbH, Best4Tires Berlin GmbH, Reifen Müller GmbH & Co. KGBundeskartellamt: 11.9 million EUR over resale price maintenance in tyre distribution (Maxxis/CST) €11.9m
Maxxis guaranteed wholesalers fixed margins per tyre sold of the Maxxis and CST brands, monitored prices in particular on the Tyre24 platform and intervened when prices were too low. Germany's Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) imposed fines totalling 11.9 million EUR on three companies and one responsible individual.
Margin guarantees and price controls vis-à-vis dealers constitute prohibited resale price maintenance – sales teams need clear rules for price discussions.
Influencing resale prices and price monitoring on platforms
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 GWB (vertikale Preisbindung)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Automotive
- Mitigating circumstances
- Settlement with Maxxis and Reifen Müller
- Liability of senior managers
- Fine imposed on one responsible natural person (not named)
- Published
- 21 Jul 2026
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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16 Jul 2026 TeamViewer SETeamViewer: cyberattack not disclosed as inside information without delay €240,000
Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht, BaFin) imposed a fine of 240,000 EUR on the software company because it had not disclosed the information about a cyberattack it had suffered as inside information without delay. The fine notice is final.
Put serious IT security incidents immediately before the ad hoc disclosure committee as well – the incident response process must take capital market disclosure into account.
Recognising security incidents as potential inside information and reporting them to the ad hoc disclosure committee
- Authority / court
- Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)
- Area of law
- Capital markets and financial supervision · Disclosure and reporting obligations
- Legal basis
- Art. 17 Abs. 1 UAbs. 1 MAR (EU) Nr. 596/2014
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Telecoms, IT and software
- Published
- 20 Jul 2026
- TeamViewer SE: BaFin setzt Geldbuße fest Decision of an authority
- Bekanntmachung der BaFin zur TeamViewer SE (Maßnahmenansicht mit Rechtskraftvermerk) Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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16 Jul 2026 BGH: online cancellation page must not offer a "pause contract" alternative Order
On the confirmation page of its online cancellation process, a gym operator displayed a highlighted notice with the button "Pause contract via self-service"; in addition, the confirmation button was labelled "Find contract", which the defendant had already acknowledged. In an action brought by the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband), the BGH ruled that the confirmation page may only contain the information required for the cancellation and the confirmation button, set aside the judgment of the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf (OLG Düsseldorf) dismissing the action to that extent and ordered the operator to cease and desist.
Keep retention or pause offers off the confirmation page of the online cancellation process.
Design of the cancellation process (cancellation button, retention offers)
- Authority / court
- Bundesgerichtshof (I. Zivilsenat), Az. I ZR 200/25
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Information duties in online retail
- Legal basis
- § 312k Abs. 1 Satz 1, Abs. 2 BGB (Kündigungsbutton)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Other
- Published
- 16 Jul 2026
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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15 Jul 2026 CalPlus GmbH, Elektronik-Kontor Messtechnik GmbH, TVW Meßtechnik GmbHBundeskartellamt: 453,000 EUR against distributors of test and measuring equipment €453,000
From 2016 to 2022, three distributors of test and measuring equipment coordinated discounts as essential price components and informed each other of customer contacts, usually with a request for "restraint". This was evidenced by more than 400 emails; the proceedings ended in settlements.
Small distributors are liable too: merely asking a competitor to "hold back" with a customer is a prohibited customer allocation agreement.
Email contacts with competitors about customers and discounts
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 GWB
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Manufacturing and mechanical engineering
- Mitigating circumstances
- Settlement; cooperation by Elektronik-Kontor Messtechnik taken into account
- Published
- 15 Jul 2026
- Bundeskartellamt verhängt Bußgelder wegen Preisabsprachen beim Vertrieb von Prüf- und Messgeräten Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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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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10 Jul 2026 Brown Capital Management LLCBrown Capital Management: voting rights notifications not submitted on time €187,500
The Baltimore-based US asset manager had not submitted voting rights notifications to the issuer and BaFin in time; the deadline is four trading days after reaching a notifiable threshold. BaFin imposed a fine of 187,500 EUR; the notice is final.
Anyone investing in German issuers needs automated threshold monitoring with clear responsibility for the four-day deadline.
Threshold monitoring and notification deadlines for shareholdings
- Authority / court
- Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)
- Area of law
- Capital markets and financial supervision · Disclosure and reporting obligations
- Legal basis
- § 33 Abs. 1 Satz 1 WpHG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Published
- 22 Jul 2026
- Brown Capital Management LLC: BaFin setzt Geldbußen fest Decision of an authority
- Bekanntmachung der BaFin zur Brown Capital Management LLC (Maßnahmenansicht mit Rechtskraftvermerk) Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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24 Jun 2026 Ö Aktiengesellschaft (in der Entscheidung abgekürzt; Adressverlag und Direktwerbeunternehmen)VwGH sets data protection fine for party affinities definitively at 13 million EUR €13m
The company had stored statistically calculated ‘party affinities’ for around 2.2 million people and in some cases sold them to advertising clients – special categories of personal data without consent; in addition, parcel frequency data was further processed for incompatible purposes. The Austrian Data Protection Authority (Datenschutzbehörde, DSB) had imposed 18 million EUR in 2019 and the Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht, BVwG) 16 million EUR in 2024; Austria's Supreme Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof, VwGH) has now set the fine with final effect at 13 million EUR (plus 100,000 EUR in procedural costs).
Calculated characteristics such as political leanings are themselves special categories – companies that derive them for advertising need explicit consent.
- Authority / court
- Verwaltungsgerichtshof (Ausgangsbescheid: Datenschutzbehörde)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Marketing and consent
- Legal basis
- DSGVO Art. 5 Abs. 1 lit. a und b, Art. 6 Abs. 4, Art. 9 Abs. 1 (VwGH Ro 2025/04/0007)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- reduced
- Sector
- Other
- Culpability
- negligent
- Mitigating circumstances
- Comprehensive cooperation, deletion of the party affinities, settlements with data subjects, long duration of proceedings (5 years, 10 months).
- Published
- 16 Jul 2026
- VwGH 24.06.2026, Ro 2025/04/0007 Court decision
- VwGH bestätigt unrechtmäßige Verarbeitung von Partei-Affinitäten und setzt Geldbuße mit EUR 13 Mio. fest Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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23 Jun 2026 VARTA AGVARTA: late ad hoc announcement and missing half-yearly financial report €620,000
BaFin imposed fines on the battery manufacturer because it had not disclosed inside information without delay and had not published the half-yearly financial report for the 2024 financial year.
Ad hoc assessments and periodic disclosure require fixed responsibilities and deadline controls so that neither inside information nor mandatory reports are left pending.
- Authority / court
- Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)
- Area of law
- Capital markets and financial supervision · Disclosure and reporting obligations
- Legal basis
- Art. 17 Abs. 1 UAbs. 1 MAR; § 115 Abs. 1 Satz 1 WpHG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Manufacturing and mechanical engineering
- Published
- 1 Jul 2026
- VARTA AG: BaFin setzt Geldbußen fest Decision of an authority
- Bekanntmachung der BaFin zur VARTA AG (Maßnahmenansicht mit Rechtskraftvermerk) Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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22 Jun 2026 Inkasso-Team AGFederal Administrative Court upholds FDPIC: Inkasso-Team was not allowed to publish debtor data Order
The debt collection company posted personal data of alleged debtors on the internet, some of it particularly sensitive, in order to obtain information on their whereabouts and to warn third parties. The Swiss Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht, A-3891/2025) upheld the ruling of the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (EDÖB) of 28 April 2025, according to which this constitutes an unjustified violation of privacy.
Publicly naming and shaming debtors cannot be justified under data protection law – debt collection must use less intrusive means.
- Authority / court
- Bundesverwaltungsgericht (A-3891/2025) auf Verfügung des EDÖB vom 28.04.2025
- Area of law
- Data protection · Data subject rights and transparency
- Legal basis
- DSG Art. 6, Art. 19, Art. 31
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Published
- 20 Aug 2026
- Bundesverwaltungsgericht bestätigt Entscheid des EDÖB Press release of an authority
- Urteil des Bundesverwaltungsgerichts A-3891/2025 vom 22. Juni 2026 Court decision
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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9 Jun 2026 Deutsche Wohnen SELG Berlin I confirms GDPR infringement by Deutsche Wohnen through tenant archive without deletion function Fine
In 2019, the Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BlnBDI) had imposed 14.5 million EUR on the housing group because tenant data such as salary statements, bank statements and social security data were held in an archive system with no means of deletion. Following the 2023 CJEU judgment on direct corporate liability, the Berlin Regional Court (Landgericht Berlin I) confirmed on 9 June 2026 infringements of data minimisation and storage limitation; the press release does not state the amount of the fine set by the court.
Ensure that archive and filing systems can technically implement deletion periods from the outset – ‘privacy by design’ is subject to fines.
- Authority / court
- Landgericht Berlin I (Bußgeldbehörde: Berliner Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Data breaches and data security
- Legal basis
- Art. 5, Art. 25 Abs. 1 DSGVO
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Liability of senior managers
- According to the CJEU (C-807/21), a breach of duty by a person in a management position need not be proven for the corporate fine.
- Published
- 10 Jun 2026
- Landgericht Berlin bestätigt Verstoß der Deutsche Wohnen SE gegen die DSGVO Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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4 May 2026 Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) AöRBlnBDI reprimands BVG: deletion at service provider not checked, data breach reported too late Reprimand or warning
A processor of Berlin's public transport operator BVG, which had sent customer letters in early 2025, was hacked; around 180,000 customer records were affected, although they should long since have been deleted after the end of the contract. BVG had never checked the deletion, had not agreed any procedure for data breaches in the data processing agreement and reported the incident only after the 72-hour deadline had expired; the Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BlnBDI) issued a reprimand.
Have service providers prove deletion after the end of the contract, and have an internal procedure that immediately turns indications of a breach into a 72-hour notification.
Reporting process for data breaches and management of service providers
- Authority / court
- Berliner Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit (BlnBDI)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Data processors
- Legal basis
- Art. 5 Abs. 2 i. V. m. Abs. 1 lit. c, e, f, Art. 28 Abs. 3 S. 2 lit. f, Art. 32 Abs. 1, Art. 33 DSGVO
- Action
- Reprimand or warning
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Transport, logistics and shipping
- Mitigating circumstances
- BVG has announced measures against similar incidents.
- Published
- 4 May 2026
- Datenschutzbeauftragte verwarnt BVG Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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17 Apr 2026 Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH und Philipp Plein International AGFDPIC ruling: Philipp Plein and Cream della Cream ignored objections to advertising Order
Both companies continued to use e-mail addresses and telephone numbers from online purchases for advertising, although data subjects had objected – in some cases after deletion had been confirmed. The Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (Eidgenössischer Datenschutz- und Öffentlichkeitsbeauftragter, EDÖB) ordered the processing for advertising to cease and the data to be deleted on request.
An objection to advertising must take effect across all systems – a confirmed deletion followed by further advertising violates the principle of good faith.
Handling objections to advertising and deletion requests
- Authority / court
- Eidgenössischer Datenschutz- und Öffentlichkeitsbeauftragter (EDÖB)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Marketing and consent
- Legal basis
- DSG Art. 6, Art. 30 Abs. 2 lit. b, Art. 31
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Retail and e-commerce
- Published
- 26 Jun 2026
- Verfügung des EDÖB gegen Cream della Cream Switzerland GmbH und Philipp Plein International AG Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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4 Mar 2026 Schaeffler AGSchaeffler: deviation of quarterly figures from market expectations disclosed too late €180,000
The automotive supplier's business figures for the first quarter of 2024 deviated significantly from market expectations; this inside information was not disclosed without delay by means of an ad hoc announcement. BaFin imposed a fine.
Make a comparison of internal figures with the analyst consensus a fixed part of the quarterly process, so that significant deviations are immediately assessed for ad hoc disclosure obligations.
Recognising inside information in deviations from market expectations (controlling/IR)
- Authority / court
- Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)
- Area of law
- Capital markets and financial supervision · Disclosure and reporting obligations
- Legal basis
- Art. 17 Abs. 1 UAbs. 1 MAR
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Automotive
- Published
- 26 Mar 2026
- Schaeffler AG: BaFin setzt Geldbuße fest Decision of an authority
- Bekanntmachung der BaFin zur Schaeffler AG (Maßnahmenansicht mit Rechtskraftvermerk) Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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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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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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22 Jan 2026 Logistics business: fines for minimum wage, reporting and foreign employment violations €13,731
Between June and December 2023, a logistics and transport business withheld a total of around 2,000 EUR in minimum wages from several employees, breached reporting and immediate notification obligations, and in July/August 2023 employed a foreign national without a residence permit. The fines: 5,231 EUR (minimum wage), 750 EUR each (reporting obligations) and 7,000 EUR (unauthorised employment of foreign nationals), totalling 13,731 EUR (date = publication).
Even small wage arrears are penalised individually alongside reporting and residence violations – HR processes for new hires need a fixed checklist.
Immediate notification and checking of work permits when hiring
- Authority / court
- Hauptzollamt Karlsruhe (Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
- Legal basis
- § 21 Abs. 1 Nr. 11 MiLoG; § 111 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 SGB IV; § 404 Abs. 2 Nr. 3 SGB III
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Transport, logistics and shipping
- Published
- 22 Jan 2026
- Zoll ahndet Mindestlohn- und Meldepflichtverstöße bei Logistikunternehmen (Hauptzollamt Karlsruhe) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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19 Jan 2026 D*** GmbH (Digitalmarketing- und Recruitingagentur, anonymisiert)Recruitment agency: 25,500 EUR for secretly recorded calls with applicants €25,500
The agency conducted telephone pre-screening interviews with applicants on behalf of client companies, recorded them without valid consent, stored them indefinitely and presented itself as the client company in doing so. The Austrian Data Protection Authority (Datenschutzbehörde, DSB) imposed 25,500 EUR (plus 2,550 EUR in costs) for lack of a legal basis and transparency; the company has lodged an appeal against the amount of the fine with the Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht).
Call recordings in recruitment need a genuine legal basis and clear information about who is actually responsible.
Recording of telephone calls and applicant data
- Authority / court
- Datenschutzbehörde
- Area of law
- Data protection · Data subject rights and transparency
- Legal basis
- DSGVO Art. 5 Abs. 1 lit. a, c und e, Art. 6 Abs. 1, Art. 12, 13
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- under appeal
- Sector
- Other
- Employees
- Under 50
- Mitigating circumstances
- No relevant previous violations, cooperation in the proceedings; adjustment of the starting amount to the company's small size.
- Datenschutzbehörde, Straferkenntnis 2025-1.049.138 vom 19.01.2026 Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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9 Jan 2026 Bulgarian construction subcontractor: 232,500 EUR for paying below the minimum wage €232,500
A Bulgarian construction company that worked as a subcontractor for a German firm on a major construction site in the district of Tuttlingen between January and May 2023 paid below the minimum wage, recorded only the duration of working time rather than its start and end, and did not register the posting. The decisions issued in September 2025, final since the end of 2025, amount to 232,500 EUR – of which 215,000 EUR is disgorgement of the economic benefit and 17,500 EUR is imposed on the managing director (date = publication; exact date of the decision not specified).
General contractors should actively check the minimum wage, working time records and posting notifications of their foreign subcontractors – the economic benefit is disgorged in full.
- Authority / court
- Hauptzollamt Singen (Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
- Legal basis
- Mindestlohngesetz; Arbeitnehmer-Entsendegesetz (Aufzeichnungs- und Meldepflichten)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Liability of senior managers
- Separate fine of 17,500 EUR against the managing director.
- Published
- 9 Jan 2026
- Zeit, Geld, Meldepflicht – Zoll ahndet Verstöße mit sechsstelligem Bußgeld (Hauptzollamt Singen) Press release of an authority
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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13 Nov 2025 BSG: company car does not replace the minimum wage – additional contribution claims upheld Order
Two employers remunerated part-time workers solely by providing a company car. Germany's Federal Social Court (Bundessozialgericht, BSG) upheld the German pension insurance's claims for additional contributions: the benefit in kind does not satisfy the minimum wage entitlement, and contributions must be paid on the minimum wage owed (B 12 BA 8/24 R, B 12 BA 6/23 R).
Remuneration models involving benefits in kind should be checked for minimum wage compliance before they are introduced – otherwise additional contribution claims going back years may follow.
Minimum wage in money only – benefits in kind in payroll
- Authority / court
- Bundessozialgericht, 12. Senat (Betriebsprüfung: Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Minimum wage and undeclared work
- Legal basis
- § 1 MiLoG; § 28p SGB IV (Betriebsprüfung)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Published
- 14 Nov 2025
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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28 Oct 2025 Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale (Helaba)BaFin: fine against Helaba over inadequate monitoring systems for money laundering prevention €20,000
By decision of 28 October 2025 (final since 7 November 2025), Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) imposed a fine of 20,000 EUR because, from October 2022 to September 2023, the Landesbank operated data processing systems for money laundering prevention that were only partially adequate. Under the German Banking Act (KWG), the criteria by which monitoring identifies suspicious transactions must be documented, and the systems must be checked regularly by an independent auditor.
Transaction monitoring needs documented indicators and a regular independent quality review – the mere existence of software is not enough.
- Authority / court
- Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls
- Legal basis
- § 56 Abs. 2 Nr. 11b KWG (Betrieb angemessener Datenverarbeitungssysteme zur Geldwäscheprävention)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Published
- 10 Dec 2025
- Mangelhafte Geldwäscheprävention: BaFin setzt Bußgeld gegen die Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale fest Press release of an authority
- Bekanntmachung zur Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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13 Oct 2025 J.P. Morgan SEBaFin: 45 million EUR against J.P. Morgan SE over late suspicious activity reports €45m
By decision of 13 October 2025 (final since 30 October 2025), Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) imposed a fine of 45 million EUR on J.P. Morgan SE because the institution had culpably breached its duty of supervision in the internal processes for filing money laundering suspicious activity reports; from 4 October 2021 to 30 September 2022, suspicious activity reports were systematically not filed on time. BaFin points out that, in the case of systematic infringements, the amount of the fine can be based on the institution's total turnover.
File suspicious activity reports without delay – systematic backlogs in the reporting process are themselves an infringement, and the fine can then be calculated on the basis of the institution's total turnover.
Filing money laundering suspicious activity reports without delay
- Authority / court
- Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Suspicious activity reports
- Legal basis
- § 130 Abs. 1 OWiG (Aufsichtspflichtverletzung) i. V. m. Pflichten nach dem GwG (Verdachtsmeldungen); Bekanntmachung nach § 57 Abs. 1 GwG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Employees
- 10,000 or more
- Published
- 6 Nov 2025
- Mängel in der Geldwäscheprävention: Bußgeld in Höhe von 45 Millionen Euro gegen J.P. Morgan SE Press release of an authority
- Bekanntmachung zur J.P. Morgan SE (§ 57 GwG) Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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9 Oct 2025 BGH: price reduction only permissible with a clearly legible 30-day lowest price Order
A food discounter advertised a coffee with a price reduction without stating the lowest total price of the previous 30 days unambiguously, clearly recognisably and legibly. In an action brought by the Wettbewerbszentrale (Centre for Protection against Unfair Competition), the BGH upheld the injunction issued by the lower courts (Regional Court of Amberg, Higher Regional Court of Nuremberg).
In all discount advertising, state the 30-day lowest price as clearly as the discount itself.
Price information in discount advertising (30-day lowest price)
- Authority / court
- Bundesgerichtshof (I. Zivilsenat), Az. I ZR 183/24
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- § 11 Abs. 1 PAngV; § 5a Abs. 1, § 5b Abs. 4 UWG
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Retail and e-commerce
- Published
- 9 Oct 2025
- Unzulässige Werbung mit einer Preisermäßigung (Nr. 184/2025) Court press release
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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30 Sep 2025 HmbBfDI: 195,000 EUR against retailer over ignored data subject requests €195,000
A retail company (name not published) had advertising letters sent via service providers and, in several cases, failed for an extended period to respond in time to the data subject rights that recipients then asserted. The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HmbBfDI) imposed a fine of 195,000 EUR; the measure was published in the interim report of 30 September 2025 (exact date of the decision not stated).
Companies that send advertising must have a working process for access and objection requests – even if the mailing is outsourced.
Timely handling of access requests
- Authority / court
- Hamburgischer Beauftragter für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit (HmbBfDI)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Data subject rights and transparency
- Legal basis
- DSGVO (Betroffenenrechte)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Retail and e-commerce
- Published
- 30 Sep 2025
- Zwischenbilanz 2025: HmbBfDI verhängt Bußgelder von insgesamt 775.000 Euro Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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4 Sep 2025 A*** GmbH (Werbeagentur, im Bescheid pseudonymisiert)Austrian advertising agency: 870 EUR – alert about security gap dismissed as spam €870
Customer data (including names, e-mail addresses, dates of birth, telephone numbers) could be retrieved via an unprotected development server of the advertising agency. An employee took the first alert from an external party in January 2025 to be spam; only a second alert in February reached management, which closed the gap but only notified the incident on 2 May 2025 after being requested to do so by the Datenschutzbehörde (Austrian Data Protection Authority, DSB). The authority attributed the employee’s conduct to the company.
External alerts about security gaps need a clear intake channel – what ends up in spam still counts as known.
Recognising and escalating alerts about security gaps
Missing or inadequate training played a role in the decision.
- Authority / court
- Datenschutzbehörde (DSB)
- Area of law
- Information security and cyber · Incident reporting obligations
- Legal basis
- Art. 33 Abs. 1 iVm Art. 83 Abs. 4 lit. a DSGVO
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Media and online platforms
- Culpability
- negligent
- Mitigating circumstances
- No previous infringements and cooperation in the proceedings; gap closed immediately after the second alert, employees trained subsequently.
- DSB, Straferkenntnis GZ 2025-0.699.550 vom 04.09.2025 (RIS) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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25 Aug 2025 PAUPE HOLDING SA, Bitusag S.A., Bitusag Neuchâtel SA, Wyss Fils SA, Prodo SA, Duckert SAWEKO fines road maintenance firms in Jura/Neuchâtel over bid rigging Fine
Regional suppliers of surface treatments and chip sealing in road maintenance colluded on bids and allocated territories. Switzerland's Competition Commission (Wettbewerbskommission, WEKO) imposed sanctions on Bitusag/Paupe (jointly and severally, CHF 640,000–990,000, exact amount redacted), Wyss Fils (CHF 44,000–74,000), Prodo (CHF 760) and Duckert (CHF 0) and approved amicable settlements; the investigation against Colas Suisse was discontinued.
Small regional road builders are also sanctioned – cover bids and territorial protection must disappear from corporate culture.
Cover bids and territorial agreements in regional road construction
- Authority / court
- Wettbewerbskommission (WEKO)
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- Art. 5 Abs. 3 i.V.m. Abs. 1 KG, Art. 49a Abs. 1 KG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Mitigating circumstances
- Amicable settlements; leniency programme (Duckert free of sanctions)
- Enduits superficiels et gravillonnage : Décision du 25 août 2025 Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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22 Aug 2025 Varengold Bank AGBaFin: 3.3 million EUR fine and penalty payment against Varengold Bank €3.8m
By decision of 22 August 2025, Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) imposed a fine of 3.3 million EUR because the bank systematically filed suspicious activity reports late from June 2023 to March 2025; in February 2025, a penalty payment of 500,000 EUR had already been imposed for failure to comply with a 2023 order concerning Iran-related transactions (total 3.8 million EUR). In addition, in July 2025 BaFin ordered comprehensive remediation of the deficiencies in money laundering prevention, with an action plan and reporting obligations.
Failing to implement a supervisory order risks penalty payments and a comprehensive package of measures in addition to the fine.
Suspicious activity reports and handling of high-risk transactions
- Authority / court
- Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Suspicious activity reports
- Legal basis
- Bußgeld: § 56 Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 69, Abs. 3 GwG; Anordnung: § 51 Abs. 2 GwG, § 44 Abs. 1 KWG; Zwangsgeld: § 14 VwVG i. V. m. § 17 FinDAG; Bekanntmachung nach § 57 Abs. 1 GwG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Repeat case
- yes
- Published
- 16 Sep 2025
- Varengold Bank AG: BaFin ordnet umfassende Mängelbeseitigung in der Geldwäscheprävention an und setzt Geldbuße fest Press release of an authority
- Bekanntmachungen zur Varengold Bank AG (§ 57 GwG) Official register or notice
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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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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6 Aug 2025 DSB: fine against news portal that ignored instruction on cookie banner €6,200
In 2023, the Austrian data protection authority (Datenschutzbehörde, DSB) had ordered a local news portal (a media GmbH & Co KG, name pseudonymised) by decision to offer, on the first layer of the cookie banner, an equivalent option to close it without consent. Because the company did not implement this from October 2024 until at least March 2025, the DSB imposed 6,200 EUR for failure to comply with an instruction; the penalty decision is final.
Implement orders of the supervisory authority on time – ignoring them risks a separate fine in addition to the original infringement.
- Authority / court
- Datenschutzbehörde (DSB)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Cookies and tracking
- Legal basis
- Art. 58 Abs. 2 lit. d i. V. m. Art. 83 Abs. 6 DSGVO; Art. 7 DSGVO
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Media and online platforms
- DSB Straferkenntnis GZ 2025-0.276.820 vom 06.08.2025 (RIS) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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31 Jul 2025 BGH: no before-and-after images for nose and chin correction with hyaluronic acid Order
A practice for aesthetic treatments advertised hyaluronic acid filler injections for the nose and chin on its website and on Instagram using before-and-after images. In an action brought by a consumer advice centre (Verbraucherzentrale), the BGH upheld the injunction issued by the Higher Regional Court of Hamm (OLG Hamm): such procedures are deemed to be surgical cosmetic procedures, for which this kind of advertising is prohibited.
Instagram posts are also advertising – the strict limits of the law on advertising for medicinal products and treatments (Heilmittelwerberecht) apply to aesthetic procedures.
Social media advertising for healthcare services
- Authority / court
- Bundesgerichtshof (I. Zivilsenat), Az. I ZR 170/24
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Misleading advertising and pricing
- Legal basis
- § 11 Abs. 1 Satz 3 Nr. 1, § 1 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 Buchst. c HWG; UKlaG
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Healthcare
- Published
- 31 Jul 2025
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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9 Jul 2025 Share buyback disclosed too late: BVwG reduces FMA penalty against real estate company €300,000
On Saturday, 17 December 2022, the management board of a listed real estate company (anonymised in the judgment) approved by email a new share buyback programme including its volume, period and price, but only published it after a formal resolution on Monday, 19 December 2022. Austria's Financial Market Authority (FMA) imposed a penalty of 375,000 EUR; the Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht, BVwG) upheld the breach of the ad hoc disclosure obligation but reduced the penalty to 300,000 EUR.
A final decision by a corporate body triggers the ad hoc disclosure obligation immediately – weekends and outstanding contractual details do not postpone it.
Ad hoc disclosure obligation for decisions of corporate bodies, including at weekends
- Authority / court
- Bundesverwaltungsgericht (Beschwerde gegen Straferkenntnis der Finanzmarktaufsicht FMA)
- Area of law
- Capital markets and financial supervision · Disclosure and reporting obligations
- Legal basis
- Art. 17 Abs. 1 MAR i. V. m. § 156 Abs. 3 Z 2, Abs. 4 BörseG 2018
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- reduced
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Culpability
- negligent
- BVwG W279 2310813-1 vom 09.07.2025 Court decision
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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20 Jun 2025 Saxony: 7,000 EUR fine against art dealer over due diligence obligations and risk management €7,000
The Saxony State Directorate (Landesdirektion Sachsen), as anti-money laundering supervisor for the non-financial sector, imposed a fine of 7,000 EUR on an art dealer, announced in anonymised form, for breaches of the due diligence obligations and risk management requirements under the German Money Laundering Act (GwG). The authority had previously issued several orders on risk management in the art trade, backed by the threat of penalty payments.
Art dealers need a written risk analysis and must identify buyers for transactions of 10,000 EUR or more.
AML obligations in the art trade
- Authority / court
- Landesdirektion Sachsen (Geldwäscheaufsicht Nichtfinanzsektor)
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls
- Legal basis
- Geldwäschegesetz (Sorgfaltspflichten, Risikomanagement); Bekanntmachung nach § 57 GwG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Retail and e-commerce
- Bekanntmachungen gemäß § 57 GwG – Landesdirektion Sachsen (lfd. Nr. 36) Official register or notice
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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3 Jun 2025 Vodafone GmbHBfDI: 45 million EUR against Vodafone over fraud in partner agencies and authentication gaps €45m
Malicious employees in partner agencies that broker contracts for Vodafone had created fictitious contracts and contract changes to the detriment of customers. The German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) imposed 15 million EUR for inadequate vetting and monitoring of the partner agencies (Art. 28) and 30 million EUR for authentication deficiencies in ‘MeinVodafone’ in combination with the hotline, through which unauthorised persons were able, among other things, to retrieve eSIM profiles; in addition, a reprimand was issued under Art. 32.
Companies that outsource sales to partner agencies must audit how those agencies handle customer data and make misuse technically harder.
Insider threats and oversight of sales partners
- Authority / court
- Bundesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit (BfDI)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Data processors
- Legal basis
- Art. 28 Abs. 1 S. 1, Art. 32 Abs. 1 DSGVO
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Telecoms, IT and software
- Mitigating circumstances
- Full cooperation including self-incrimination, modernisation of systems, separation from fraudulent partners; fines accepted and paid, plus donations amounting to millions.
- Published
- 3 Jun 2025
- Pressemitteilung 6/2025: BfDI verhängt Geldbußen gegen Vodafone Press release of an authority
- BfDI – Übersicht Pressemitteilungen (Datum 03.06.2025) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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14 May 2025 SAP SESAP: failure to publish notice on the 2022 annual financial report €1.75m
SAP had not published an announcement stating from when and at which internet address the 2022 annual financial report was publicly available in addition to the company register (Hinweisbekanntmachung). BaFin imposed a fine of 1.75 million EUR; the notice is final.
Even seemingly formal disclosure steps such as the notice announcement need a fixed place in the financial calendar – the range of fines extends up to five per cent of total turnover.
- Authority / court
- Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)
- Area of law
- Capital markets and financial supervision · Disclosure and reporting obligations
- Legal basis
- § 114 Abs. 1 Satz 2 WpHG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Telecoms, IT and software
- Published
- 27 May 2025
- SAP SE: BaFin setzt Geldbuße fest Decision of an authority
- Bekanntmachung der BaFin zur SAP SE (Maßnahmenansicht mit Rechtskraftvermerk) Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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13 May 2025 AS Asphaltstraßensanierung, BITUNOVA, Mainka u. a. (Straßenerhaltungskartell, 7 Unternehmen)Bundeskartellamt: 10.5 million EUR against seven road repair companies €10.5m
From 2016 to 2019, seven road repair companies allocated contracting authorities regionally, determined in advance who should win the contract and set each other minimum prices for cover bids. The Bundeskartellamt imposed fines of 10.5 million EUR; BITUNOVA cooperated as leniency applicant, and all proceedings ended in settlements. Addressees: AS Asphaltstraßensanierung GmbH, bausion Strassenbau-Produkte GmbH, BITUNOVA GmbH, Gerhard Herbers GmbH, Liesen … alles für den Bau GmbH, Mainka GmbH Straßenunterhaltung, MOT Müritzer Oberflächentechnik GmbH.
Cover bids are not only subject to fines but, for the employees involved, a criminal offence of bid rigging.
Cover bids and territorial agreements in tenders
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 GWB
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Mitigating circumstances
- Leniency programme (BITUNOVA), settlement
- Liability of senior managers
- Criminal prosecution of the individuals involved by the Düsseldorf public prosecutor's office
- Published
- 13 May 2025
- Kartellabsprachen zwischen Straßenreparatur-Unternehmen Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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7 May 2025 Sennheiser electronic SE & Co. KG, Sonova Consumer Hearing Sales Germany GmbHBundeskartellamt: almost 6 million EUR against Sennheiser and Sonova over resale price maintenance €6m
Since at least 2015, Sennheiser coordinated consumer prices for premium headphones with dealers, monitored them using price comparison services and specialist software and intervened when prices were too low; Sonova continued this after acquiring the business unit in March 2022 until September 2022. The employees had received competition law training but used this knowledge to conceal their conduct (code language). The Bundeskartellamt imposed fines of almost 6 million EUR on both companies and three responsible employees (settlement).
Price monitoring software is no licence: anyone who responds to deviations by putting pressure on dealers is engaging in prohibited resale price maintenance – and employees are personally liable.
Price discussions with dealers and price monitoring
Missing or inadequate training played a role in the decision.
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 GWB (vertikale Preisbindung)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Retail and e-commerce
- Mitigating circumstances
- Extensive cooperation and settlement
- Liability of senior managers
- Fines imposed on three responsible employees (not named)
- Published
- 7 May 2025
- Bundeskartellamt verhängt Bußgelder gegen Audioprodukte-Hersteller Sennheiser und Sonova Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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11 Apr 2025 OGH: gyms may not impose fee increases by way of deemed consent Order
Two gym operators announced a fee increase of 6 EUR a month and treated silence or the failure to exercise a special right of termination as consent. In an action brought by the Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour (Bundesarbeitskammer), the OGH upheld the prohibition of such increases without express agreement and the publication of the judgment; it dismissed claims for repayment and information.
Price increases in ongoing consumer contracts require genuine consent – silence is not enough.
- Authority / court
- Oberster Gerichtshof (OGH), GZ 4 Ob 51/25s
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail · Information duties in online retail
- Legal basis
- § 6 Abs. 1 Z 2, § 28a KSchG; §§ 1a, 14 UWG
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Other
- OGH 4 Ob 51/25s vom 11.04.2025 (RIS Justiz) Court decision
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
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3 Feb 2025 Customs investigators: machinery manufacturer allegedly declared Indian steel as British Incident
From March 2021, a machinery manufacturer from the Rhein-Neckar district is alleged to have declared steel products worth more than 2.9 million EUR as being of British origin in more than 100 customs clearances, although the steel came from India and was only imported via the UK; correctly, 25% higher import duties would have been payable. In December 2024, the Stuttgart customs investigation office (Zollfahndungsamt Stuttgart), acting on behalf of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), searched business premises in Germany and at the British seller; the damage is estimated at several hundred thousand euros.
For steel, the actual origin determines the customs burden – check supplier declarations from intermediaries for plausibility.
Preferential and origin rules when buying steel via intermediaries
- Authority / court
- Zollfahndungsamt Stuttgart im Auftrag der Europäischen Staatsanwaltschaft (EPPO)
- Area of law
- Sanctions and export control · Customs
- Legal basis
- Verdacht der Steuerhinterziehung (Einfuhrabgaben nach EU-Zollrecht, falsche Ursprungsangaben)
- Action
- Incident without known action
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Steel and metals
- Published
- 3 Feb 2025
- Zollfahndungsamt Stuttgart: Verdacht der Steuerhinterziehung bei der Einfuhr von Stahl (03.02.2025) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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31 Jan 2025 Trafigura Beheer B.V.Swiss Federal Criminal Court (Bundesstrafgericht) convicts Trafigura of bribery in Angola €143.3m
Between 2009 and 2011, more than 4 million EUR and more than 600,000 USD were paid to a senior employee of the Angolan state oil distributor in order to promote ship chartering and bunkering business of the Trafigura group. The court convicted the then parent company for lacking rules on the supervision of intermediaries, imposing a fine of 3 million CHF and a compensatory claim (Ersatzforderung) of 145,634,268 USD (amount converted at the ECB rate of 31 January 2025: 148,933,982 USD in total); three individuals received prison sentences. It was the first judgment of the Federal Criminal Court on corporate criminal liability for foreign bribery; it is not final.
In Switzerland, companies are liable if their organisation fails to prevent bribery – and the compensatory claim can exceed the fine many times over.
Payments via intermediaries to employees of state-owned oil companies
- Authority / court
- Bundesstrafgericht (Strafkammer); Anklage durch die Bundesanwaltschaft
- Area of law
- Bribery and corruption · Bribery of public officials
- Legal basis
- Art. 102 StGB i. V. m. Art. 322septies StGB (Bestechung fremder Amtsträger); SK.2023.49
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Energy and utilities
- Employees
- 10,000 or more
- Culpability
- intentional
- Liability of senior managers
- A former senior manager of the group received a prison sentence of 32 months (12 of them unsuspended), the intermediary 24 months suspended, and the Angolan public official 36 months (names anonymised).
- Published
- 31 Jan 2025
Original amount 148,933,982 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 31 Jan 2025.
- Bundesstrafgericht: Verurteilung einer juristischen und drei natürlicher Personen wegen Bestechung fremder Amtsträger (SK.2023.49) Court press release
- TRAFIGURA BEHEER BV und drei natürliche Personen vor Bundesstrafgericht angeklagt Press release of an authority
- Bundesstrafgericht, Dispositiv SK.2023.49 vom 31.01.2025 Court decision
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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29 Jan 2025 Cembra Money Bank AGFDPIC ruling: Cembra Money Bank answered access requests too late and in generic terms Order
From December 2023 to September 2024, Cembra answered 9 of 13 access requests after the 30-day deadline had expired, and responded to all 13 people only with standard letters instead of the data actually processed about them. The Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (Eidgenössischer Datenschutz- und Öffentlichkeitsbeauftragter, EDÖB) required the bank to provide the data subsequently.
Access requests need a process with resources and deadline monitoring – boilerplate text is no substitute for genuine disclosure of data.
Handling access requests
- Authority / court
- Eidgenössischer Datenschutz- und Öffentlichkeitsbeauftragter (EDÖB)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Data subject rights and transparency
- Legal basis
- DSG Art. 25 Abs. 2 lit. b, Art. 25 Abs. 7
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Published
- 1 Jul 2025
- Verfügung des EDÖB gegen die Cembra Money Bank AG Press release of an authority
- Verfügung des EDÖB vom 29. Januar 2025 gegen Cembra Money Bank AG Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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28 Jan 2025 OGH raises gun-jumping fine against food retailer from 1.5 to 70 million EUR €70m
A food retail group anonymised in the decision (R*) had, through its subsidiary, implemented a notifiable concentration without merger control clearance by means of a long-term lease of store space in a shopping centre (1 July 2018 to 20 September 2022). The Cartel Court (Kartellgericht) imposed a fine of 1.5 million EUR; Austria's Supreme Court (Oberster Gerichtshof, OGH) upheld the appeals of the Federal Competition Authority (Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde, BWB) and the Federal Cartel Prosecutor (Bundeskartellanwalt) and set the fine at 70 million EUR, taking into account the group turnover of 92.3 billion EUR and an earlier fine for prohibited implementation.
Taking over stores by way of a lease or tenancy agreement can also be a notifiable concentration – expansion departments must check merger control requirements.
Notification requirement for site takeovers through leases or tenancy agreements
- Authority / court
- Oberster Gerichtshof als Kartellobergericht (Antrag der Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde)
- Area of law
- Competition law · Merger control
- Legal basis
- § 29 Z 1 lit a iVm § 17 Abs 1 KartG 2005
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Retail and e-commerce
- Repeat case
- yes
- OGH 16 Ok 5/24g vom 28.01.2025 Court decision
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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12 Dec 2024 Leonteq AG (Finanzgruppe Leonteq)Leonteq: distribution via unregulated partners – confiscation of 9.3 million CHF in profits €9.98m
The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) found serious breaches of risk management obligations and of the requirement to guarantee irreproachable business conduct: the financial group monitored its distribution chain inadequately and in some cases worked with dubious, unregulated distributors that sold products in countries not intended for them without authorisation. FINMA ordered governance requirements, the termination of these relationships, the appointment of an audit agent and the confiscation of 9.3 million CHF in profits; the ruling was not yet final at the time of publication.
Anyone who distributes via third parties is liable for their regulatory status – sales partners require due diligence just like customers.
- Authority / court
- Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht (FINMA)
- Area of law
- Capital markets and financial supervision · Organisational requirements
- Legal basis
- Finanzmarktaufsichtsgesetz (FINMAG)
- Action
- Disgorgement of profits
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Mitigating circumstances
- Good cooperation in the proceedings; Leonteq had already strengthened compliance and distribution controls of its own accord and terminated relationships with suspicious distributors
Original amount 9,300,000 CHF, converted at the ECB reference rate of 12 Dec 2024.
- FINMA schliesst Verfahren gegen Leonteq ab Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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18 Nov 2024 Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd.BGH: loss of control after Facebook scraping is compensable damage (VI ZR 10/24) Other
In April 2021, data on around 533 million Facebook users from 106 countries was made public, which unknown persons had previously linked to telephone numbers and harvested via the contact import function. Germany's Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) ruled that the mere loss of control over data already constitutes non-material damage under Art. 82 GDPR, considered around 100 EUR appropriate and referred the case back to the Higher Regional Court of Cologne (OLG Köln), among other things to examine the default searchability setting in the light of data minimisation.
Data breaches trigger compensation claims even without proven misuse – with millions of data subjects, this adds up to a mass risk.
- Authority / court
- Bundesgerichtshof (VI. Zivilsenat)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Data breaches and data security
- Legal basis
- Art. 82 Abs. 1 DSGVO
- Action
- Other
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Media and online platforms
- Employees
- 10,000 or more
- Published
- 18 Nov 2024
- BGH Pressemitteilung Nr. 218/2024 – Leitentscheidung zum Scraping Court press release
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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7 Nov 2024 Seven years' imprisonment: machine tools for sniper rifles to Russian arms manufacturer Custodial sentence
In 2015, despite the Russia embargo, the 56-year-old managing director of a Baden-Württemberg machine tool company and a Swiss holding company supplied six machine tools with accessories to a Russian arms manufacturer for the series production of sniper rifles, and concealed the recipient and intended use. The 2nd Criminal Division of the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht Stuttgart, Ref. 2 St 3 BJs 48/22) imposed an aggregate sentence of seven years' imprisonment; around 3 million EUR was confiscated from the holding company and 2.1 million EUR from the defendant (of which 674,000 EUR jointly and severally). Not final.
Embargo breaches with a defence connection are prosecuted as state security cases – even years later and with confiscation from foreign holding companies.
- Authority / court
- Oberlandesgericht Stuttgart, 2. Strafsenat (Az. 2 St 3 BJs 48/22)
- Area of law
- Sanctions and export control · Breaches of sanctions and embargoes
- Legal basis
- §§ 17, 18 Außenwirtschaftsgesetz i. V. m. Beschluss 2014/512/GASP und Verordnung (EU) Nr. 833/2014
- Action
- Custodial sentence
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Manufacturing and mechanical engineering
- Culpability
- intentional
- Liability of senior managers
- Managing director personally sentenced to seven years' imprisonment.
- Published
- 7 Nov 2024
- OLG Stuttgart, 2. Strafsenat: Angeklagter wegen vier Verstößen gegen das AWG i. V. m. dem Russland-Embargo zu 7 Jahren verurteilt (07.11.2024) Court press release
- Generalbundesanwalt: Anklage wegen mutmaßlicher Verstöße gegen das Außenwirtschaftsgesetz erhoben (13.11.2023) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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6 Nov 2024 Strabag AG (Köln); Kemna Bau Andreae GmbH & Co. KG als Kronzeuge ohne BußgeldBundeskartellamt: 2.79 million EUR against Strabag over collusion on Cologne's Zoobrücke €2.79m
In the tender for the refurbishment of the Zoobrücke bridge in Cologne in early 2017, employees agreed that one company would submit a cover bid so that the other would win the contract, in return for a later compensation payment. Strabag received a fine of 2.79 million EUR (settlement); the proceedings against Kemna were discontinued as it was the leniency applicant.
A single rigged tender is enough for a fine and criminal proceedings – compensation payments between bidders are a clear red flag.
Cover bids and compensation payments in individual tenders
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 GWB
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Employees
- 10,000 or more
- Mitigating circumstances
- Settlement
- Liability of senior managers
- The Cologne public prosecutor's office is prosecuting the individuals involved under Section 298 StGB (German Criminal Code)
- Published
- 6 Nov 2024
- Geldbuße gegen die Strabag AG wegen Absprachen bei der Sanierung der Zoobrücke in Köln Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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16 Oct 2024 OGH: 100,000 EUR gun-jumping fine for premature start of a mask production joint venture €100,000
A textile company started operations with a joint venture (H* GmbH) for the production of protective masks on 24 April 2020, before the notifiable concentration had been cleared; the infringement lasted until 25 May 2020. The Cartel Court imposed a fine of 5,000 EUR; the OGH increased the fine to 100,000 EUR.
The standstill obligation applies even in emergencies such as the pandemic – a joint venture may only start operating after clearance.
Standstill obligation before clearance (gun-jumping), including in crisis situations
- Authority / court
- Oberster Gerichtshof als Kartellobergericht (Antrag der Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde)
- Area of law
- Competition law · Merger control
- Legal basis
- § 29 Z 1 lit a iVm § 17 Abs 1 KartG 2005
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Other
- Culpability
- intentional
- OGH 16 Ok 4/24k vom 16.10.2024 Court decision
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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16 Oct 2024 OGH: 65,000 EUR fine against joinery over cover bids and market sharing €65,000
From February 2011 to October 2016, a construction and furniture joinery anonymised in the decision (J*, together with its general partner GmbH) participated in agreements on successful bidders, cover bids, market sharing and information exchange in tenders in Lower Austria and Vienna. The Cartel Court imposed a fine of 55,000 EUR only for 26 infringements up to June 2016; the OGH upheld the appeals of the BWB and the Federal Cartel Prosecutor and set a fine of 65,000 EUR on a joint and several basis for the entire period.
Even small craft businesses are penalised for cover bids – "courtesy bids" among colleagues are competition law infringements.
Cover bids in tenders for craft trades
- Authority / court
- Oberster Gerichtshof als Kartellobergericht (Antrag der Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde)
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 Abs 1 KartG 2005, §§ 28, 29 KartG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- OGH 16 Ok 6/23b vom 16.10.2024 Court decision
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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16 Oct 2024 DSB: 5,000 EUR against Covid laboratory with managing director as data protection officer €5,000
A limited company operating a diagnostic laboratory (name pseudonymised), which during the pandemic carried out up to 45,000 PCR analyses a day with around 200 employees, had appointed its managing director as data protection officer at the same time. Because of the resulting conflict of interest, the Austrian data protection authority (Datenschutzbehörde, DSB) imposed 5,000 EUR; the penalty decision is final.
Whoever decides on the purposes and means of processing cannot monitor themselves as data protection officer.
- Authority / court
- Datenschutzbehörde (DSB)
- Area of law
- Data protection
- Legal basis
- Art. 37, Art. 38 Abs. 6 DSGVO
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Healthcare
- Employees
- 50 to 249
- Liability of senior managers
- The managing director was also appointed as data protection officer – an impermissible conflict of interest.
- DSB Straferkenntnis GZ 2024-0.641.771 vom 16.10.2024 (RIS) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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16 Aug 2024 DSB: 1.5 million EUR against retail chain over cameras on self-checkouts, PIN pad and surroundings €1.5m
In 2022, a retail company (name pseudonymised) used nine cameras in one branch to film, among other things, the self-service checkouts including the keypad of the card payment terminal, as well as public areas, bus stops and neighbouring properties. The Austrian data protection authority (Datenschutzbehörde, DSB) imposed 1.5 million EUR for lack of a legal basis and infringement of data minimisation; the Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht, BVwG) confirmed the amount on 25 July 2025, and an appeal on points of law is pending.
Align cameras in retail closely with their protective purpose – PIN entries, public spaces and neighbouring properties must not be in the frame.
- Authority / court
- Datenschutzbehörde (DSB)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Video surveillance
- Legal basis
- Art. 5 Abs. 1 lit. a und c, Art. 6 Abs. 1 DSGVO
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- under appeal
- Sector
- Retail and e-commerce
- DSB Straferkenntnis GZ 2023-0.680.196 vom 16.08.2024 (RIS) Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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5 Aug 2024 Glencore International AGOffice of the Attorney General of Switzerland: summary penalty order against Glencore over bribery in Congo €138.9m
Glencore failed to take all reasonable organisational precautions to prevent the bribery of foreign public officials by a business partner in connection with the acquisition of minority stakes in two mining companies in the DR Congo in 2011. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (Bundesanwaltschaft, BA) issued a summary penalty order (Strafbefehl) imposing a fine of 2 million CHF and a compensatory claim of 150 million USD (amount converted at the ECB rate of 5 August 2024: 152,357,266 USD in total); further matters from 2007–2017 were discontinued.
Companies are also liable for bribery by business partners if they have not taken adequate due diligence and control measures.
Corruption risks posed by business partners in acquisitions of stakes
- Authority / court
- Bundesanwaltschaft (BA)
- Area of law
- Bribery and corruption · Bribery of public officials
- Legal basis
- Art. 102 Abs. 2 StGB (Unternehmensverantwortlichkeit) i. V. m. Bestechung fremder Amtsträger; Strafbefehl
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Steel and metals
- Employees
- 10,000 or more
- Culpability
- intentional
- Published
- 5 Aug 2024
Original amount 152,357,266 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 5 Aug 2024.
- Bundesanwaltschaft schliesst Strafuntersuchung gegen Glencore International AG mit Strafbefehl und Einstellungsverfügung ab Press release of an authority
- OM: Geldboete Fleurette Properties Ltd wegens omkoping in Congo (erwähnt Strafbefehl gegen Glencore vom 05.08.2024) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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27 Jun 2024 BGH: advertising with ‘climate neutral’ only permissible with explanation in the advertisement itself Order
A manufacturer of fruit gums and liquorice (not named in the official press release) advertised in a trade journal that it had produced all its products ‘climate neutral’ since 2021, although this was achieved partly through offsetting. Germany's Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) prohibited the advertising following an action brought by the Centre for Protection against Unfair Competition (Wettbewerbszentrale): ambiguous environmental terms must be explained in the advertisement itself, since reduction and offsetting are not equivalent.
Companies advertising with ‘climate neutral’ must explain directly in the advertisement whether emissions are avoided or merely offset.
Legally compliant environmental and climate claims in advertising
- Authority / court
- Bundesgerichtshof (I. Zivilsenat)
- Area of law
- Environment and sustainability · Misleading environmental and sustainability claims
- Legal basis
- § 3 Abs. 1, § 5 Abs. 1, § 5a Abs. 1 und 3, § 8 Abs. 1 Satz 1 UWG (Az. I ZR 98/23)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Published
- 27 Jun 2024
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