Compliance Radar
Who was sanctioned, and for what?
Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa: 2,207 cases from 44 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 €458.9m 41 % · 5 cases
- Competition law €434.2m 39 % · 50 cases
- Money laundering and terrorist financing €104.9m 9 % · 29 cases
- Data protection €65.2m 6 % · 43 cases
- Capital markets and financial supervision €56.8m 5 % · 29 cases
- Health and safety and employment law €1.05m 0 % · 8 cases
- Environment and sustainability €375,000 0 % · 5 cases
- Information security and cyber €50,870 0 % · 2 cases
- Consumer protection and online retail – 0 % · 8 cases
- Sanctions and export control – 0 % · 1 case
Who?
by sectorAll sectors
- Energy and utilities €242.3m 22 % · 13 cases
- Steel and metals €189.9m 17 % · 4 cases
- Financial services and insurance €158.7m 14 % · 51 cases
- Construction and real estate €143.4m 13 % · 20 cases
- Retail and e-commerce €122.9m 11 % · 17 cases
- Other €97.7m 9 % · 22 cases
- Telecoms, IT and software €66.5m 6 % · 10 cases
- Food and agriculture €63.1m 6 % · 7 cases
- Automotive €15.2m 1 % · 4 cases
- Manufacturing and mechanical engineering €10.2m 1 % · 9 cases
- 5 more€11.6m
When?
per year, by date of decision| Period | Cases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 15 | €55.8m |
| 2023 | 34 | €204.2m |
| 2024 | 45 | €338m |
| 2025 | 53 | €440.5m |
| 2026 | 33 | €83m |
180 cases
13 Aug 2026 Apple Inc., Apple GmbHBundeskartellamt: Apple aligns tracking prompts for its own and third-party apps Order
The Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office) declared binding commitments by Apple on its App Tracking Transparency Framework (ATTF), closing its proceedings under Section 19a(2) of the German Competition Act (GWB) and Article 102 TFEU. According to the preliminary assessment, third-party apps had to obtain, for personalised advertising, an additional and more off-putting consent prompt prescribed by Apple, while Apple used a prompt of its own for its own services; in future the prompts will be aligned so that content, wording and design are neutral, and app providers will be able to combine the required prompts more easily.
Platform privacy rules must be equally strict for a company's own and third-party services, otherwise they become a competition problem themselves.
Equal treatment of own and third-party services in consent prompts
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Abuse of market power
- Legal basis
- § 19a Abs. 2 GWB, Art. 102 AEUV (Verpflichtungszusagen, Az. B7-54/25)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Telecoms, IT and software
- Employees
- 10,000 or more
- Published
- 17 Aug 2026
- Bundeskartellamt: Apple ändert Regeln für personalisierte Werbung in Apps (17.08.2026) Press release of an authority
- Bundeskartellamt, Beschluss B7-54/25 vom 13.08.2026 (öffentliche Version) Decision of an authority
- Bundeskartellamt, Entscheidungsdatenbank: B7-54/25, Verpflichtungszusagen, Entscheidungsdatum 13.08.2026 Enforcement database of an authority
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 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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5 Aug 2026 GmbH (im Urteil anonymisiert)Illegal dumping of construction waste: company must pay €375,000 forfeiture €375,000
The Oberlandesgericht (OLG, Higher Regional Court) Linz added a forfeiture of 375,000 EUR to the conviction of a limited company under the Verbandsverantwortlichkeitsgesetz (VbVG, Austrian Corporate Criminal Liability Act) for intentionally handling and moving waste in a way that endangered the environment; the suspended corporate fine of 30 daily rates of 500 EUR (15,000 EUR) imposed by the Landesgericht (Regional Court) Salzburg remained in place. From May 2021 to May 2024 and again from May 2025 to February 2026, contrary to the AWG 2002 (Waste Management Act) and partly to an official decision, the company had excavated soil, construction waste, asphalt and concrete rubble accepted for payment and deposited on a plot; removal costs were put at around 3.24 million EUR. Only the forfeiture of EUR 375,000 is recorded as the amount; the corporate fine of EUR 15,000 was conditionally suspended.
Anyone accepting and depositing waste without a permit risks not only a corporate fine but also forfeiture of the fees received for it, which can far exceed the fine.
Waste law and official conditions for excavated soil and construction waste
- Authority / court
- Oberlandesgericht Linz (Berufung gegen Urteil des Landesgerichts Salzburg vom 06.03.2026)
- Area of law
- Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances
- Legal basis
- § 181b Abs. 1 und 2 StGB; §§ 3, 4 Abs. 1 und 3, § 6 Abs. 1, § 14 Abs. 1 VbVG; § 20 Abs. 3 StGB; AWG 2002
- Action
- Disgorgement of profits
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Other
- Culpability
- intentional
- Repeat case
- no
- Mitigating circumstances
- No previous convictions of the company; rather low environmental risk. Further circumstances taken into account by the court concern a natural person and are not reported here.
- Liability of senior managers
- Under the VbVG, the company's liability is linked to the conduct of its managing director.
- OLG Linz, 9 Bs 153/26b vom 05.08.2026 (RIS) Court decision
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 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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27 Jul 2026 Banque Lombard Odier & Cie SAFederal Criminal Court fines Banque Lombard Odier CHF 3 million over money laundering €3.23m
The Bundesstrafgericht (Federal Criminal Court) found Banque Lombard Odier & Cie SA guilty of failing to take adequate organisational measures against aggravated money laundering by a former relationship manager who in 2011 and 2012 handled accounts of a criminal organisation holding proceeds of corruption in the Uzbek telecommunications market; despite warning signs, the bank's anti-money-laundering functions did not sufficiently ensure that the origin and purpose of the funds were investigated and documented. The bank was fined CHF 3,000,000 and bears procedural costs of CHF 24,561.49; it was acquitted on the remaining charges, and proceedings for acts before 27 July 2011 were dismissed as time-barred. The judgment is not final.
Warning signs about the origin of large inflows must be investigated and documented by the anti-money-laundering function itself, not just by the relationship manager.
Anti-money-laundering: investigating conspicuous inflows and documentation
- Authority / court
- Bundesstrafgericht (Strafkammer), Anklage der Bundesanwaltschaft
- Area of law
- Money laundering and terrorist financing · Internal controls
- Legal basis
- Art. 102 Abs. 2 StGB i.V.m. Art. 305bis Ziff. 1 und 2 StGB (Urteil SK.2023.42)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Mitigating circumstances
- The long time elapsed since the offences (2011/2012) was taken into account as mitigating.
- Published
- 27 Jul 2026
Original amount 3,000,000 CHF, converted at the ECB reference rate of 27 Jul 2026.
- Bundesstrafgericht, Medienmitteilung vom 27.07.2026 (SK.2023.42) Court press release
- Bundesstrafgericht, Dispositiv SK.2023.42 vom 27. Juli 2026 (englische Fassung, anonymisiert) Court decision
- BA-Medienmitteilung vom 29.11.2024: Bank Lombard Odier und ein ehemaliger Mitarbeiter wegen schwerer Geldwäscherei beim Bundesstrafgericht angeklagt Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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24 Jul 2026 Callcenter (anonymisiert)BNetzA: €34,327 fine on call centre, including for incomplete records of consent €34,327
The Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) imposed fines totalling 34,327 EUR on a call centre that mainly marketed telecoms products: 32,000 EUR for unlawful telephone advertising and 2,327 EUR because consents to sales calls had not been fully documented. The campaign continued despite the gaps and requests to stop calling were sometimes ignored; the company has appealed.
Consents to telephone marketing must be fully documented – if the proof is missing, the campaign must not continue.
Consent and proof of consent for telephone marketing
- Authority / court
- Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Marketing and consent
- Legal basis
- UWG – Verbot unerlaubter Telefonwerbung gegenüber Verbraucherinnen und Verbrauchern; § 7a UWG (Dokumentation und Aufbewahrung von Einwilligungen)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- under appeal
- Sector
- Other
- BNetzA: Bußgelder Unerlaubte Telefonwerbung (laufende Liste mit Einzelmeldungen) Enforcement database of an authority
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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21 Jul 2026 Maxxis International GmbH, Best4Tires Berlin GmbH, Reifen Müller GmbH & Co. KGBundeskartellamt: fines over resale price maintenance in tyre distribution (Maxxis/CST) Fine
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 on Maxxis and two tyre wholesalers that had pushed for the margin guarantees; at the time of publication the decisions were not final (an objection to the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf was possible).
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
- Published
- 21 Jul 2026
Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · 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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3 Jun 2026 Wendelspiess Partners AG in LiquidationFINMA: Wendelspiess Partners breached FIDLEG duties, licence revoked Order
Wendelspiess Partners AG invested almost all the money of its more than 400 clients in a barely diversified foreign fund it had set up and managed itself, which invested mainly in a Zug-based investment company and companies linked to it; it gave insufficient information about conflicts of interest and risks, carried out no suitability check and withheld relevant information from the Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht (FINMA, Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority). FINMA revoked the licence as an asset manager of the company, which is now bankrupt. Measures against individuals are not set out here. The decision is not final.
In-house funds in client portfolios are a classic conflict of interest that must be disclosed and backed by a documented suitability check.
Conflicts of interest with in-house funds; information and suitability duties
- Authority / court
- Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht (FINMA)
- Area of law
- Capital markets and financial supervision · Organisational requirements
- Legal basis
- Verhaltenspflichten nach dem Finanzdienstleistungsgesetz (FIDLEG): Interessenkonflikte, Information, Eignungsprüfung; Auskunftspflicht gegenüber der FINMA
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Liability of senior managers
- Measures against individuals are not set out here.
- Published
- 3 Jun 2026
- FINMA-Medienmitteilung vom 03.06.2026: FINMA beendet Verfahren gegen die Wendelspiess Partners AG Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 5 Oct 2026 · Version 3 · 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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1 May 2026 Swiss Fund Management AG in Liquidation; BZ Berater Zentrum AGFINMA revokes Swiss Fund Management's licence and confiscates BZ commissions Order
Swiss Fund Management AG in liquidation and BZ Berater Zentrum AG, which held around 2,000 asset management mandates, channelled investor money of around CHF 200 million, directly or via funds, into illiquid bonds of interlinked issuers that financed real estate projects of related companies, without adequately informing investors about the conflicts of interest and without adequate suitability and appropriateness checks under FIDLEG (Swiss Financial Services Act). By ruling of 1 May 2026 the Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht (FINMA, Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) revoked SFM's licence as a manager of collective assets, rejected BZ's application for a licence as an asset manager and confiscated placement commissions of more than CHF 3 million from BZ. The ruling is final.
Anyone steering client money into products of related companies must disclose the conflicts of interest and document a suitability check for each client.
Conflicts of interest and suitability checks in asset management
- Authority / court
- Eidgenössische Finanzmarktaufsicht (FINMA)
- Area of law
- Capital markets and financial supervision · Organisational requirements
- Legal basis
- Verhaltensregeln nach dem Finanzdienstleistungsgesetz (FIDLEG): Interessenkonflikte, Eignungs- und Angemessenheitsprüfung
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Published
- 29 Jun 2026
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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20 Apr 2026 flatexDEGIRO SEBaFin fines flatexDEGIRO €1m for late ad hoc disclosure of special audit findings €1m
On 20 April 2026 BaFin (German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority) imposed a fine of 1,000,000 EUR on flatexDEGIRO SE. At the end of 2022, the company had not published the results of a special audit under § 44 KWG (German Banking Act) at flatexDEGIRO Bank AG, in which BaFin had identified deficiencies in business organisation, without delay as an ad hoc announcement, but only later as a press release. The fine is final.
Supervisory findings can also be inside information; a press release does not replace an ad hoc announcement.
Assessing supervisory audit findings as potential inside information
- 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 (Verordnung (EU) Nr. 596/2014)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Published
- 30 Apr 2026
- BaFin: flatexDEGIRO SE: Bafin setzt Geldbuße fest (30.04.2026, geändert 07.05.2026) Press release of an authority
- BaFin: Bekanntmachung zur flatexDEGIRO SE Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 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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10 Mar 2026 Barclays PLCBaFin fines Barclays €1.65m over 26 late voting rights notifications €1.65m
On 10 March 2026 BaFin (German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority) imposed a fine of 1,650,000 EUR on Barclays PLC. Between June 2022 and March 2023 the company had failed in 26 cases to submit voting rights notifications concerning the same issuer on time; the fine punished a breach of the duty of supervision because adequate organisational measures were lacking. The fine is final.
Anyone holding positions in German issuers needs reliable threshold monitoring, or many missed notifications turn into a high fine.
Monitoring voting rights thresholds and notifying on time
- Authority / court
- Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)
- Area of law
- Capital markets and financial supervision · Disclosure and reporting obligations
- Legal basis
- § 130 Abs. 1 OWiG i. V. m. § 33 Abs. 1 S. 1, § 34 Abs. 1 S. 1, § 38 Abs. 1 S. 1 und § 39 Abs. 1 WpHG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Employees
- 10,000 or more
- Liability of senior managers
- The fine punished a breach of the duty of supervision under § 130 OWiG (German Administrative Offences Act): the company had not taken adequate organisational measures to prevent the breaches or make them significantly more difficult.
- Published
- 27 Mar 2026
- BaFin: Barclays PLC: Bafin setzt Geldbuße fest (27.03.2026, geändert 09.04.2026) Press release of an authority
- BaFin: Bekanntmachung zur Barclays PLC Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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9 Mar 2026 Werbendes Unternehmen aus dem Sektor Finanz- und Versicherungsprodukte (anonymisiert)BNetzA: €50,000 fine on financial products seller posing as an advice centre on the phone €50,000
The Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) fined a company marketing financial and insurance products 50,000 EUR for unlawful telephone advertising. The calls were particularly intrusive, callers falsely claimed to be an independent advice centre and presented sales calls as service calls; the company has appealed.
Anyone marketing by phone must not disguise either their own identity or the promotional purpose of the call.
Consent and proof of consent for telephone marketing
- Authority / court
- Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Marketing and consent
- Legal basis
- UWG – Verbot unerlaubter Telefonwerbung gegenüber Verbraucherinnen und Verbrauchern
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- under appeal
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- BNetzA: Bußgelder Unerlaubte Telefonwerbung (laufende Liste mit Einzelmeldungen) Enforcement database of an authority
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 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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3 Mar 2026 Killer GmbH & Co KG, Killer GmbHWaste cartel: €278,000 fine on waste firm Killer despite leniency status €278,000
The Kartellgericht (Cartel Court) fined Killer GmbH & Co KG and Killer GmbH allegedly 278,000 EUR for taking part in the nationwide waste management cartel from July 2002 to March 2021, mainly in Lower and Upper Austria and occasionally in Tyrol. The participants fixed prices, shared territories and customers and exchanged competitively sensitive information, including in tenders for waste collection. The fine was reduced because of leniency status and the consensual termination of the proceedings.
A leniency application made only after a dawn raid can reduce a fine but will not necessarily waive it; companies should investigate suspicions internally at an early stage.
Territorial and customer allocation in regional markets
- Authority / court
- Oberlandesgericht Wien als Kartellgericht (Antrag der Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde)
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 Abs. 1 KartG und Art. 101 Abs. 1 AEUV; § 29 Abs. 1 Z 1 lit. a und d KartG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Energy and utilities
- Repeat case
- no
- Mitigating circumstances
- Reduction for cooperation under the leniency programme and the consensual termination of the proceedings.
- Published
- 15 Sep 2026
Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 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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18 Feb 2026 Check24 GmbHBundeskartellamt: Check24 drops best-price clauses towards energy suppliers Order
The Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office) declared binding commitments by Check24 GmbH under which the comparison website gives up price parity clauses when brokering electricity and gas contracts: energy suppliers may offer their tariffs more cheaply via other websites and their own sales channels without the contractual relationship, commission or ranking depending on it (no 'dimming'). In its preliminary assessment the authority had concerns under Articles 101 and 102 TFEU and Sections 1, 19 and 20 of the German Competition Act (GWB).
Leading brokerage platforms should avoid best-price clauses; indirect levers such as a worse ranking also count as parity requirements.
Best-price and parity clauses in brokerage contracts
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Abuse of market power
- Legal basis
- § 32b Abs. 1 GWB (Verpflichtungszusagen); Bedenken nach Art. 101, 102 AEUV, §§ 1, 19, 20 GWB (Az. B8-40/25)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Media and online platforms
- Published
- 24 Feb 2026
- Check24 verpflichtet sich zur Aufgabe von Preisparitätsklauseln gegenüber Energieversorgern (24.02.2026) Press release of an authority
- Bundeskartellamt, Beschluss B8-40/25 vom 18.02.2026 Decision of an authority
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 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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4 Feb 2026 Amazon.com, Inc., Amazon EU S.à r.l.Bundeskartellamt bans Amazon price controls and orders disgorgement of around 59 million EUR Disgorgement of profits
The Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office) prohibited Amazon from steering third-party sellers' prices on amazon.de through price control mechanisms that deactivate offers deemed too expensive or exclude them from the 'Buy Box'; such mechanisms are now only permitted exceptionally, for instance in cases of price gouging, with transparent rules and notifications. At the same time, for the first time since the 2023 reform, the authority ordered disgorgement of economic benefits: for the period from 7 November 2023 to 31 December 2024 Amazon must pay around 58.8 million EUR (press release: around 59 million EUR; the exact amount is redacted in the public version).
A platform operator that also sells on its platform must not steer sellers' prices through visibility sanctions and risks having the resulting benefits disgorged.
Platform operators interfering in sellers' pricing
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Abuse of market power
- Legal basis
- § 19a Abs. 2 S. 1 Nr. 2 GWB, § 19 Abs. 1, Abs. 2 Nr. 1 GWB, Art. 102 AEUV; Vorteilsabschöpfung nach § 34 Abs. 1 GWB (Az. B2-73/20)
- Action
- Disgorgement of profits
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Retail and e-commerce
- Employees
- 10,000 or more
- Culpability
- intentional
- Published
- 5 Feb 2026
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 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: 215,000 EUR for paying below the minimum wage €215,000
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. Around 215,000 EUR was imposed on the company, corresponding to the economic benefit obtained by paying below the minimum wage; the decision issued in September 2025 has been final since the end of 2025 (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
- 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 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · Direct link
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18 Dec 2025 Werbendes Unternehmen aus dem Energiesektor (anonymisiert)BNetzA: €210,000 fine on energy company over contracts foisted on consumers by phone €210,000
The Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) fined an energy company 210,000 EUR for unlawful telephone advertising. Callers often posed as the consumer's energy supplier, and in many cases contracts were foisted on the people called; the company has appealed.
Anyone marketing by phone needs verifiable prior consent and must not pose as the existing supplier of the people called.
Consent and proof of consent for telephone marketing
- Authority / court
- Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Marketing and consent
- Legal basis
- UWG – Verbot unerlaubter Telefonwerbung gegenüber Verbraucherinnen und Verbrauchern
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- under appeal
- Sector
- Energy and utilities
- BNetzA: Bußgelder Unerlaubte Telefonwerbung (laufende Liste mit Einzelmeldungen) Enforcement database of an authority
- BNetzA-Pressemitteilung 26.01.2026: Erneuter Anstieg der Beschwerdezahlen (Bußgelder 2025) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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18 Dec 2025 Werbendes Unternehmen aus dem Sektor Photovoltaik (anonymisiert)BNetzA: €100,500 fine on solar panel seller over disguised sales calls €100,500
The Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) imposed fines totalling 100,500 EUR on a solar photovoltaic company: 66,000 EUR for unlawful telephone advertising and 34,500 EUR for withholding caller numbers on sales calls. Callers concealed who the calls were really for and in some cases falsely presented sales calls as mere advisory calls.
Even a business that merely commissions sales calls can itself be fined – consent of the people called should be checked before a campaign starts.
Consent and proof of consent for telephone marketing
- Authority / court
- Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Marketing and consent
- Legal basis
- UWG – Verbot unerlaubter Telefonwerbung gegenüber Verbraucherinnen und Verbrauchern; Verbot der Rufnummernunterdrückung bei Werbeanrufen
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Energy and utilities
- BNetzA: Bußgelder Unerlaubte Telefonwerbung (laufende Liste mit Einzelmeldungen) Enforcement database of an authority
- BNetzA-Pressemitteilung 26.01.2026: Erneuter Anstieg der Beschwerdezahlen (Bußgelder 2025) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 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).
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
- Measures against individuals are not reported here.
- Bekanntmachung nach § 57 GwG – Bezirksregierung Arnsberg Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link
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15 Dec 2025 Aktiengesellschaft Hallenstadion Zürich (AGH); Ticketcorner AGWEKO fines Hallenstadion Zurich and Ticketcorner over ticketing clause €122,929
At the end of 2008 Aktiengesellschaft Hallenstadion Zürich and Ticketcorner AG agreed that the arena would only be let to organisers selling at least 50% of tickets through Ticketcorner, which hindered other ticketing providers. After the Federal Supreme Court found a competition-law infringement in 2020 and remitted the case (2C_113/2017), the Wettbewerbskommission (WEKO, Swiss Competition Commission) classed both companies' conduct in 2009 to 2011 as abuse of a dominant position and, by decision of 15 December 2025, fined the Hallenstadion around CHF 50,000 and Ticketcorner around CHF 65,000. The arena operator had concluded an amicable settlement; the decision can be appealed to the Federal Administrative Court.
Exclusivity clauses between strong market players remain a competition risk, even if the proceedings only end years later.
Exclusivity clauses and tying by dominant undertakings
- Authority / court
- Wettbewerbskommission (WEKO)
- Area of law
- Competition law · Abuse of market power
- Legal basis
- Kartellgesetz (KG): Missbrauch einer marktbeherrschenden Stellung; Rückweisung BGer 2C_113/2017 vom 12.02.2020
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Other
- Mitigating circumstances
- The arena operator concluded an amicable settlement with WEKO.
- Published
- 22 Jan 2026
Original amount 115,000 CHF, converted at the ECB reference rate of 15 Dec 2025.
- WEKO-Medienmitteilung vom 22.01.2026: WEKO büsst Hallenstadion und Ticketcorner Press release of an authority
- Newsroom-Schnittstelle der Bundesverwaltung: Volltext der WEKO-Medienmitteilung vom 22.01.2026 (weko_13429) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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10 Dec 2025 Lech-Stahlwerke GmbHDüsseldorf Higher Regional Court: 21 million EUR fine on Lech-Stahlwerke for price fixing €21m
The Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf (Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf) fined Lech-Stahlwerke GmbH 21 million EUR for unlawful price fixing and the exchange of competitively sensitive information. This followed a negotiated agreement setting a fine range of 20 to 30 million EUR, after which the company limited its objection against the Bundeskartellamt's (Federal Cartel Office) fining decision of 27 January 2021 to the penalty; the proceedings against BGH Edelstahlwerke GmbH continue separately.
An objection to a cartel fine can end years later in a court-imposed fine running into millions; a negotiated agreement brings predictability, not acquittal.
Price fixing and exchange of sensitive information
- Authority / court
- Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf, 1. Kartellsenat (Urteil nach Einspruch gegen Bußgeldbescheid des Bundeskartellamts)
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- Kartellordnungswidrigkeit (Preisabsprachen, Informationsaustausch); Az. V-1 OWi OLG 1/24 (GWB)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Steel and metals
- Mitigating circumstances
- Negotiated agreement with the objection limited to the penalty; the court found an unlawful delay of one year and seven months in the authority's intermediate procedure.
- Published
- 19 Dec 2025
- OLG Düsseldorf: Urteil gegen Lech-Stahlwerke GmbH (19.12.2025) Court press release
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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4 Dec 2025 Eurowings GmbHDüsseldorf Higher Regional Court bans misleading Eurowings CO2 offsetting claims Order
On appeal by the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (Federation of German Consumer Organisations), the Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf (Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court) prohibited Eurowings from advertising a €9 CO2 offset during online booking in a way that makes customers believe they travel climate-neutrally; it was not mentioned that other climate-damaging emissions are not offset. By contrast, the court did not consider the 'Sustainable Aviation Fuel' advertising misleading; it did not grant leave to appeal on points of law.
Anyone selling CO2 offsets must point out that only part of the climate impact is offset, even if each individual statement is correct.
CO2 offsetting and climate neutrality in customer communication
- Authority / court
- Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf, 20. Zivilsenat
- Area of law
- Environment and sustainability · Misleading environmental and sustainability claims
- Legal basis
- UWG (irreführende Werbung); Az. I-20 U 38/25
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Transport, logistics and shipping
- Published
- 5 Dec 2025
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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21 Nov 2025 Rethmann SE & Co. KG (Rethmann-Gruppe, u. a. Remondis)Bundeskartellamt: Rethmann Group must notify future acquisitions for three years Order
Applying Section 32f(2) of the German Competition Act (GWB) for the first time, the Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office) required Rethmann SE & Co. KG and its affiliated companies (the Rethmann Group, which includes Remondis) to notify for three years before completion even mergers below the general turnover thresholds, where the target generates more than 1 million EUR in domestic turnover and at least 100,000 EUR in the collection of non-hazardous municipal waste or the processing of hollow glass. The decision builds on the findings of the sector inquiry into municipal waste completed at the end of 2023; it was not yet final when announced.
Market leaders in regionally defined markets must expect that even small acquisitions below the turnover thresholds may become notifiable.
Merger control obligations for small acquisitions
- Authority / court
- Bundeskartellamt
- Area of law
- Competition law · Merger control
- Legal basis
- § 32f Abs. 2 GWB (Az. B5-31/24)
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Energy and utilities
- Published
- 24 Nov 2025
- Bundeskartellamt verpflichtet Rethmann-Gruppe zur Anmeldung künftiger Zusammenschlüsse (24.11.2025) Press release of an authority
- Bundeskartellamt, Beschluss B5-31/24 vom 21.11.2025 (Verfügung gem. § 32f Abs. 2 GWB, öffentliche Version) Decision of an authority
- Bundeskartellamt: Veröffentlichte Entscheidung – Anmeldeverpflichtung der Rethmann-Gruppe nach § 32f Abs. 2 GWB (Entscheidung vom 21.11.2025) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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19 Nov 2025 Pfanner Schutzbekleidung GmbH, Protos GmbH, Pronocer Holding GmbH (vormals Holding-AG der Gruppe)Pfanner: €400,000 fine for resale price maintenance in workwear trade €400,000
The Kartellgericht (Cartel Court) fined Pfanner Schutzbekleidung GmbH, Protos GmbH and their holding company (now Pronocer Holding GmbH) 400,000 EUR because, from 9 March 2016 to 25 November 2021, they fixed their dealers' resale prices for work and protective clothing in Austria. Compliance was monitored systematically, dealers who deviated were contacted, and in 2019 a circular reminded all dealers of the prices. Reductions were granted for the settlement, cooperation and a newly introduced compliance system.
Circulars urging dealers to keep to prices are direct evidence of resale price maintenance and should be legally reviewed before they are sent.
Resale price maintenance towards dealers
- Authority / court
- Oberlandesgericht Wien als Kartellgericht (Antrag der Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde)
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 Abs. 1 und 4 KartG und Art. 101 AEUV; § 29 Z 1 lit. a und d KartG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Manufacturing and mechanical engineering
- Repeat case
- no
- Mitigating circumstances
- Consensual termination of the proceedings, cooperation with the BWB (Federal Competition Authority), introduction of a compliance system.
- Published
- 18 Sep 2026
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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18 Nov 2025 Callcenter mit Tätigkeitsschwerpunkt im Energiesektor (anonymisiert)BNetzA: €104,400 fine on call centre that posed as the customer's energy supplier €104,400
The Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) fined a call centre focused on energy marketing 104,400 EUR for unlawful telephone advertising. Callers frequently posed falsely as the local energy provider or as the person's own supplier and tried to disguise the promotional nature of the calls.
Call centres need verifiable consent for every number they dial and must honour requests to stop calling immediately.
Consent and proof of consent for telephone marketing
- Authority / court
- Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Marketing and consent
- Legal basis
- UWG – Verbot unerlaubter Telefonwerbung gegenüber Verbraucherinnen und Verbrauchern
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Other
- BNetzA: Bußgelder Unerlaubte Telefonwerbung (laufende Liste mit Einzelmeldungen) Enforcement database of an authority
- BNetzA-Pressemitteilung 26.01.2026: Erneuter Anstieg der Beschwerdezahlen (Bußgelder 2025) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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13 Nov 2025 Werbendes Unternehmen aus dem Energiesektor (anonymisiert)BNetzA: €130,000 fine on energy company over sales calls with withheld numbers €130,000
The Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) imposed fines totalling 130,000 EUR on an energy company for its sales calls: 105,000 EUR for unlawful telephone advertising to consumers and 25,000 EUR for withholding caller numbers on sales calls. Callers frequently concealed their identity, so that people called were often signed up to contracts they had not wanted; the company has appealed.
Withholding the caller number or disguising one's identity on sales calls risks additional fines on top of the ban on unsolicited calls.
Consent and proof of consent for telephone marketing
- Authority / court
- Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Marketing and consent
- Legal basis
- UWG – Verbot unerlaubter Telefonwerbung gegenüber Verbraucherinnen und Verbrauchern; Verbot der Rufnummernunterdrückung bei Werbeanrufen
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- under appeal
- Sector
- Energy and utilities
- BNetzA: Bußgelder Unerlaubte Telefonwerbung (laufende Liste mit Einzelmeldungen) Enforcement database of an authority
- BNetzA-Pressemitteilung 26.01.2026: Erneuter Anstieg der Beschwerdezahlen (Bußgelder 2025) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 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 Oldenburgische Landesbank AGBaFin fines Oldenburgische Landesbank €910,000 over securities business failings €910,000
On 30 September 2025 BaFin (German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority) imposed fines of 910,000 EUR on Oldenburgische Landesbank AG. In 2020 and 2021 the bank lacked adequate IT controls to protect its clients' ownership rights where buy and sell orders were placed on the same day, did not in every case transparently show the costs of the individual components of bundled products, and did not ensure that tied agents properly disclosed inducements. The fine is final.
Programmed controls in securities settlement must be carefully tested before they are introduced, or management is liable for the gap.
Protecting client holdings and disclosing costs and inducements transparently
- Authority / court
- Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)
- Area of law
- Capital markets and financial supervision · Organisational requirements
- Legal basis
- § 130 Abs. 1 OWiG i. V. m. § 84 Abs. 4 S. 1 WpHG i. V. m. § 10 Abs. 4 Nr. 5 WpDVerOV; § 63 Abs. 9 S. 1 WpHG; § 70 Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 2 WpHG i. V. m. Art. 50 Abs. 2 Delegierte Verordnung (EU) 2017/565
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Published
- 13 Oct 2025
- BaFin: Oldenburgische Landesbank AG: BaFin setzt Geldbußen fest (13.10.2025, geändert 23.10.2025) Press release of an authority
- BaFin: Bekanntmachung zur Oldenburgische Landesbank AG Official register or notice
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link
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30 Sep 2025 Unternehmen der Finanzwirtschaft (anonymisiert)HmbBfDI: €492,000 over opaque automated rejection of credit card applications €492,000
A financial services company had rejected several customers' credit card applications by automated means without human involvement despite good creditworthiness, and when asked it did not adequately provide the legally required information and access about the decision. The HmbBfDI (Hamburg data protection authority) imposed 492,000 EUR; substantial process improvements and cooperation were given considerable weight in mitigation, and the company accepted the decision.
Anyone who rejects applications by automated means must be able to show the people affected, on request and in understandable terms, why the decision was taken and what logic it followed.
Transparency in automated decision-making
- Authority / court
- Hamburgischer Beauftragter für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit (HmbBfDI)
- Area of law
- Data protection · Data subject rights and transparency
- Legal basis
- DSGVO – Informations- und Auskunftspflichten bei automatisierten Entscheidungen im Einzelfall
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Financial services and insurance
- Mitigating circumstances
- Substantial improvement of the process for data subject rights in automated decisions; full cooperation with the authority.
- Published
- 30 Sep 2025
- HmbBfDI 30.09.2025: Zwischenbilanz 2025 – Bußgelder von insgesamt 775.000 Euro Press release of an authority
- HmbBfDI-Pressemitteilung 30.09.2025 (PDF) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 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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30 Sep 2025 Bauunternehmung Pusiol GmbHConstruction cartel: €130,000 on civil engineering firm Pusiol, losses considered €130,000
The Kartellgericht (Cartel Court) fined Bauunternehmung Pusiol GmbH, a subsidiary of Steiner Baugesellschaft m.b.H., allegedly 130,000 EUR for taking part in the construction cartel in Lower Austria from July 2002 to August 2016 (price fixing, market sharing and information exchange in civil engineering tenders). The BWB (Federal Competition Authority) set the fine lower because of the company's limited financial capacity, as it reported annual losses in 2023 and 2024; the company gave a full acknowledgement.
Collusion from long ago is still punished; a strained financial position can reduce the fine but cannot avert it.
Bid rigging in tenders
- Authority / court
- Oberlandesgericht Wien als Kartellgericht (Antrag der Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde)
- Area of law
- Competition law · Cartels and collusion
- Legal basis
- § 1 Abs. 1 KartG und Art. 101 Abs. 1 AEUV; § 29 Abs. 1 Z 1 lit. a und d KartG
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Repeat case
- no
- Mitigating circumstances
- Limited financial capacity (losses in 2023 and 2024); full acknowledgement.
- Published
- 4 Mar 2026
Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 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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29 Aug 2025 Strom- und Gasversorger mit mindestens 75.000 Kunden (in der amtlichen Mitteilung anonymisiert)Bundesnetzagentur: energy supplier must reverse invalid price increases Order
Despite price guarantees it had given, an electricity and gas supplier tried at the end of July 2022 to impose unilateral price increases from 1 September 2022, often raising the unit price by several hundred per cent. The Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) found that it had breached the information and transparency duties of Section 41(5) of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG), that the increases were therefore invalid and that from March 2023 it had nonetheless billed customers who had objected at the higher prices; it ordered all adjustments to be withdrawn and reversed within six months and threatened a penalty payment of 100,000 EUR. The Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf (Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf) upheld the decision on 13 August 2026 (not final).
Price guarantees apply even in an energy crisis; unilateral price rises need a sound legal basis and simple, understandable customer information.
Transparent customer information on price changes
- Authority / court
- Bundesnetzagentur (Bescheid bestätigt durch OLG Düsseldorf, 5. Kartellsenat, Beschluss vom 13.08.2026)
- Area of law
- Consumer protection and online retail
- Legal basis
- § 41 Abs. 5 Satz 1 und 3 EnWG; § 40 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 3 Alt. 2 EnWG; OLG-Az. VI-5 Kart 2/26 [V]
- Action
- Order
- Status of proceedings
- under appeal
- Sector
- Energy and utilities
- Published
- 14 Aug 2026
Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 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.
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.
- 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 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · 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