The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested three individuals suspected of running an illegal online gambling operation and laundering proceeds through digital payment channels, police said on Saturday. The arrests followed a months-long probe that traced suspicious financial flows and coordinated activity on multiple betting platforms, law enforcement officials added. Authorities say the operation involved recruiting local agents, processing customer deposits, a

The Federal Court of Australia has imposed civil penalties of $50,000 and $45,000 respectively against Castra Licensee Pty Ltd (Castra) and Princeton Securities (NSW) Pty Ltd (Princeton) after they failed to pay infringement notices issued by AUSTRAC. In September 2024, AUSTRAC issued infringement notices to both businesses for alleged breaches of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act). Neither business paid the infringement amount o

Reporting to AUSTRAC is a key obligation for businesses regulated under Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws. The information that we collect from these businesses plays a crucial role in protecting Australia from financial crime. It helps AUSTRAC and law enforcement agencies track down criminals through suspicious transactions and behaviour. As part of Australia’s AML/CTF reforms, we’re expanding the industries that we collect this

The EU’s new anti-money laundering authority is facing pressure to settle a growing compliance question: can group companies share AML-relevant information without breaching GDPR? The short answer emerging from the debate is yes, because EU AML law is designed to require meaningful information exchange inside corporate groups, while privacy rules still apply through safeguards such as necessity, proportionality and purpose limitation. The issue matters for banks, payment firm

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has opened fewer enforcement cases in the first half of fiscal year 2026 than at any comparable point in at least 16 years, according to independent empirical analyses of the agency’s docket. The slowdown follows a broader retreat in SEC enforcement that began in late FY 2025 and reflects a self‑described “recentering” of the regulator’s priorities under new leadership. Scale of the decline A Brattle‑led analysis of SEC enforc

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reached a landmark settlement in a high‑profile civil securities fraud case involving Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and his Adani Group, marking a critical juncture in a years‑long transnational bribery probe. The case, which centered on allegations of fraud, bribery, and misrepresentations tied to U.S. bond offerings and government‑related energy contracts in India, has now been resolved through a consent‑based agreemen

AUSTRAC has ordered Bankstown District Sports Club Ltd to appoint an external auditor amid concerns its anti-money‑laundering (AML) controls may not be strong enough to stop organised crime exploiting poker machines and gambling venues. AUSTRAC Acting CEO Katie Miller said clubs and pubs sit on the frontline of Australia’s fight against money laundering, particularly where large volumes of cash and poker machines are involved. “Poker machines can be exploited by criminals

UK financial firms can adopt tokenisation and distributed ledger technology (DLT) with greater confidence, as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Bank of England set out a shared vision and seek industry views on the future of UK wholesale markets. Tokenisation is the process of creating a digital representation of a real-world asset – such as a share, bond or unit of currency – on a digital ledger. It has the potential to streamline wholesale markets, making everyt