The Top 10  Most Difficult Countries for Identity Verification

The Top 10  Most Difficult Countries for Identity Verification

Download Report

    n-img-roi-cross

    Before You Go, Schedule Your Free Demo Today

    Valid Invalid number


    Note: Fields marked with an asterisk(*) are mandatory.

    n-exit-img-roi-cross

    Thank you for your demo request

    We appreciate your interest and look forward to discussing how our solution can meet your needs. Expect to hear from us shortly with scheduling details.

    Close

    us

    52.167.144.234

    AML and Crypto Fines Surge to £4bn in Regulatory Crackdown

    n-img-aml

    The global AML fines surged 53% in 2022, while crypto fines rose over 90% as regulators cracked down on financial misconduct. 

    The financial institutions were fined nearly $5bn (£4.04bn) in 2022. According to Rory Doyle, Fenergo’s financial crime policy manager, the hop was connected to a massive upsurge in fines levied at crypto companies. The fines associated with the sanctions-busting commodity trading in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the settling of legacy problems.

    The figures for 2022 included a $2.1bn (£1.7bn) fine issued to Danske Bank by the US Department of Justice in December, the largest AML fine issued in history. While the fines increased globally, the UK anti-money laundering fines fell from $436.5 million to $188.2 million the year before. 

    However, the number of fines issued tripled, with 14 fines issued in the UK in 2022, compared to just 4 in 2021. FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) reported Santander’s largest fine of a $132 million penalty. 

    The Fladgate partner Douglas Cherry revealed that the FCA’s approach was changing over issuing AML fines to focus more on individuals. 

    “In the FCA world here in the UK we are seeing an increased focus on individuals with responsibility for anti-money laundering compliance through investigations and enforcement fines and/or prosecutions in very serious instances of the breach,” he said.

    Five of fourteen fines issued this year by the FCA were to specific individuals, up from none the previous year. 

    The fines to individuals increased 89%, largely due to crypto-related fines. From $16.5 million in 2021 to $31.2 million in 2022. The trading commodity futures trading commission experienced the largest individual penalties issued to the three co-founders of the crypto exchange BitMEX, summing to $30 million for anti-money laundering and other violations. 

    The total fines of crypto firms and their employees surged 92% to $193 million. Doyle, the crime policy manager said, “Crypto firms need to get their houses in order… as they don’t have the liquidity to deal with large fines.” 

    “While we are seeing a higher standard of compliance across established financial institutions, the crypto industry has a lot of catching up to do.”

    While talking about the crypto fines, Doyle drew attention towards Russian sanctions on the year’s figures, he also revealed that the sanctions will persist to be a subject in the future.

    “Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, vast amounts of Russian wealth were channelled into global financial centres including London.”

    “This wealth belongs to individuals who may now be sanctioned and unless financial institutions have a robust verification of beneficial owner policy that can identify and block any sanctioned individuals and entities, we can be certain to see more billion-dollar penalties in the future,” Doyle said.

    Suggested Read:

    Bulgarian Prosecutors Investigate Crypto Lender Nexo for Alleged Illegal Activities

    UAE Issues a Total of $11 Million in Fines for AML Offences in First Half of 2022

    Britain’s FCA Fines Ghanaian Bank for Insufficient AML Regulations

    Related Posts

    News

    FinCEN Wants Banks to Submit SARs to Affiliates Under AML Act 2021

    FinCEN proposed a new rule that will allow banks to share suspicious activity reports with foreig...

    FinCEN Wants Banks to Submit SARs to Affiliates Under AML Act 2021 Explore More

    News

    Financial Crimes Surged Amid COVID-19, Says FATF

    Financial Action Task Force (FATF) speaks up about the adverse effects of COVID-19 on financial r...

    Financial Crimes Surged Amid COVID-19, Says FATF Explore More

    News

    Hong Kong Arrests 13 in HK$53 million Money Laundering Case

    13 people in Hong Kong have been arrested for money laundering and operating illegal gambling sit...

    Hong Kong Arrests 13 in HK$53 million Money Laundering Case Explore More

    News

    Fintech funding dwindles amidst Coronavirus pandemic

    Fintech funding reduced at the beginning of 2020 because the COVID-19 outbreak began to hit late ...

    Fintech funding dwindles amidst Coronavirus pandemic Explore More

    News

    Danish Gaming Regulator Sanctions Unibet Over AML Violations

    Spillemyndigheden, the Danish Gaming Regulatory Authority has sanctioned Unibet for failing to co...

    Danish Gaming Regulator Sanctions Unibet Over AML Violations Explore More

    News

    Better Business Bureau of North America Warns of Increased Scams & Fraud

    On April 11, Marilyn Mott, director of the Better Business Bureau’s Prescott office, addressed a ...

    Better Business Bureau of North America Warns of Increased Scams & Fraud Explore More

    News

    Money Laundering in Ireland Skyrockets as Criminals Move Online

    The cases of money laundering in Ireland has more than doubled last year and now it has spiked si...

    Money Laundering in Ireland Skyrockets as Criminals Move Online Explore More

    News

    FinTech in Malaysia is Improving Due to Friendly Regulations

    Malaysia has taken a user-friendly approach to adapt to financial regulations as it is working to...

    FinTech in Malaysia is Improving Due to Friendly Regulations Explore More

    News

    UK Approves New Age Verification Laws to Protect Children

    The UK government approved the “Online Safety Bill,” which contains measures to protect children ...

    UK Approves New Age Verification Laws to Protect Children Explore More

    News

    EU Contemplates New Anti-Money Laundering Body in the Wake of Scandals

    Brussels plans to pursue the strengthening of powers of the EU agencies to combat money launderin...

    EU Contemplates New Anti-Money Laundering Body in the Wake of Scandals Explore More

    News

    Portuguese Banks Restrict Services for Crypto Exchanges, Citing Risky Grounds

    Portuguese banks have restricted services of multiple crypto exchange firms operating in the coun...

    Portuguese Banks Restrict Services for Crypto Exchanges, Citing Risky Grounds Explore More

    News

    US Treasury Hits Bittrex with $53 Million Fine Over Sanctions Violations

    The US Treasury Department has imposed a $53 million fine on Bittrex for violating sanctions and ...

    US Treasury Hits Bittrex with $53 Million Fine Over Sanctions Violations Explore More

    News

    Fraud claim filed against HSBC Bank for ‘sham’ investment scheme

    A fraud claim worth £1.3 billion has been submitted by 371 investors against HSBC UK Bank for los...

    Fraud claim filed against HSBC Bank for ‘sham’ investment scheme Explore More

    News

    Bahrain sentences three money-laundering suspects to prison

    Bahrain fined three suspects of $9 million and sentenced them to prison in the Future Bank case. ...

    Bahrain sentences three money-laundering suspects to prison Explore More

    News

    EU Legislation Bans On-cash Deals Over €10,000 Due to Money Laundering Threats

    The European Union’s ban on cash payments over €10,000 for transactions such as car payments is e...

    EU Legislation Bans On-cash Deals Over €10,000 Due to Money Laundering Threats Explore More

    News

    Mishcon de Reya fined £232,500 for AML Failures

    London’s leading firm, Mishcon De Reya has been fined EUR 232,500 over failing Anti-Money Launder...

    Mishcon de Reya fined £232,500  for AML Failures Explore More

    News

    Philippine Banks Struggle to Comply with AML Regulations

    Philippian banks and financial institutions are struggling with compliances regarding the anti-mo...

    Philippine Banks Struggle to Comply with AML Regulations Explore More

    News

    European Commission Warns of Trade Laws Violation as EU Bans Tax-Haven Crypto Firms

    The European Commission has issued a new warning on breaching global trade laws as the EU bans ta...

    European Commission Warns of Trade Laws Violation as EU Bans Tax-Haven Crypto Firms Explore More

    News

    South Korea Unlikely to Legislate Crypto Regulations Before the U.S – Says FSC

    South Korea’s Financial Services Commission focuses the cryptocurrency legislation. According to ...

    South Korea Unlikely to Legislate Crypto Regulations Before the U.S –  Says FSC Explore More

    News

    Japan FSA, Central Bank to Assess FI’s AML, Anti-fraud Measures

    Reports have revealed that Japan’s FSA and BOJ are seeking to better understand whether the curre...

    Japan FSA, Central Bank to Assess FI’s AML, Anti-fraud Measures Explore More

    News

    AMLC Demands Rigid Security Measures for Non-Compliant Businesses in the Philippines

    The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) is pushing for more strict due diligence measures on del...

    AMLC Demands Rigid Security Measures for Non-Compliant Businesses in the Philippines Explore More

    News

    US Attorney General Warns about the Identity Theft this Holiday Season

    The Federal Trade Commission states that more than 650,000 citizens’ identities have been comprom...

    US Attorney General Warns about the Identity Theft this Holiday Season Explore More

    News

    WhatsApp Receives Fine Worth $267m for Breaching EU’s Data Privacy Law

    Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has stated that WhatsApp failed to inform EU citizens suffic...

    WhatsApp Receives Fine Worth $267m for Breaching EU’s Data Privacy Law Explore More

    News

    US Treasury Department Discloses Latest Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Guide

    The Money Laundering Bureau of the US Treasury Department issued the latest guide to assist small...

    US Treasury Department Discloses Latest Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Guide Explore More

    News

    UAE Adopts Facial Recognition for ID Verification Instead of Emirates ID Card Readers

    Facial recognition instead of Emirates ID card readers will now verify identity. The Federal Auth...

    UAE Adopts Facial Recognition for ID Verification Instead of Emirates ID Card Readers Explore More

    News

    FATF Updates Guidance on Strengthening Beneficial Ownership Information

    The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), in recommendation 24, established the first international...

    FATF Updates Guidance on Strengthening Beneficial Ownership Information Explore More

    News

    UK Amends Corporate Act to Combat Economic Crimes

    The UK government reformed the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act to expand regulation...

    UK Amends Corporate Act to Combat Economic Crimes Explore More

    News

    FATF to Shorten Its Fifth Round of Mutual Evaluation to Assess Countries’ AML Regimes

    The Financial Action Task Force has announced that it will shorten its fifth round of mutual eval...

    FATF to Shorten Its Fifth Round of Mutual Evaluation to Assess Countries’ AML Regimes Explore More

    News

    BSP Warns Banks Against Auto Loan Fraud

    According to BSP, organized crime groups are using fake identities to sell vehicles under fake li...

    BSP Warns Banks Against Auto Loan Fraud Explore More

    News

    BSP Warns Play-to-Earn Gamers about Potential Illicit Activities

    Online gaming platforms should employ KYC verification processes to make payments more secure.  T...

    BSP Warns Play-to-Earn Gamers about Potential Illicit Activities Explore More

    News

    Property Brokers in New Zealand Given Official Warning over AML/CFT Compliance

    An eighty-branch real estate agency in New Zealand, Property Brokers, has received their first fo...

    Property Brokers in New Zealand Given Official Warning over AML/CFT Compliance Explore More

    News

    Lloyds Bank Charged with £500K Fine for Breach of Financial Regulatory Standards

    Lloyds Bank corporate markets jersey received a fine of £498,000 in relation to the dealings with...

    Lloyds Bank Charged with £500K Fine for Breach of Financial Regulatory Standards Explore More

    News

    Surge in Identity Theft Frauds During Covid-19

    According to new data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), identity theft has risen to the nu...

    Surge in Identity Theft Frauds During Covid-19 Explore More

    News

    Mongolia Stays Committed to the Fight Against Money Laundering

    Mongolia is the first Asia-Pacific and fifth global nation to implement all 40 FATF recommendatio...

    Mongolia Stays Committed to the Fight Against Money Laundering Explore More

    News

    US Crypto Firms Reluctant Towards New KYC/AML Proposal by FinCEN

    The US crypto firm, Coinbase, sent a letter to FinCEN with a clear message, “There is no emergenc...

    US Crypto Firms Reluctant Towards New KYC/AML Proposal by FinCEN Explore More

    News

    Enhancing Transparency and Beneficial Ownership in the Fight Against Trade-Based Money Laundering

    Criminals use trade-based money laundering (TBML) to move illicit money across jurisdictions. TBM...

    Enhancing Transparency and Beneficial Ownership in the Fight Against Trade-Based Money Laundering Explore More

    News

    UAE: Virtual Asset Fraudsters to Face Imprisonment, Dh 1M Fine

    Residents in the UAE have been advised to perform due diligence procedures prior to investing in ...

    UAE: Virtual Asset Fraudsters to Face Imprisonment, Dh 1M Fine Explore More

    News

    Investment Scams Rising Through Fake Celebrity Endorsements

    Financial fraud through celebrity endorsement is becoming a primary concern as one in six firms o...

    Investment Scams Rising Through Fake Celebrity Endorsements Explore More

    News

    UK’s Revised Fraud Policy Criticised for Ineffectiveness Against Rising Crimes

    On Wednesday, Britain announced its strategy for reducing fraud by 10% by the end of the current ...

    UK’s Revised Fraud Policy Criticised for Ineffectiveness Against Rising Crimes Explore More

    News

    Swedish Bank SEB Accused of Money Laundering

    Investigations done by the news agency TT and broadcaster SVT revealed that 25 SEB clients record...

    Swedish Bank SEB Accused of Money Laundering Explore More

    News

    U.S. Schools and Colleges Witness a Rise in Data Breaches

    Data breaches and cyberattacks continue to grow and now targeting the education sector. Amid the ...

    U.S. Schools and Colleges Witness a Rise in Data Breaches Explore More

    News

    CFTC Fines CHS Hedging for AML and Other Violations

    The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has fined CHS Hedging a civil monetary penalty of...

    CFTC Fines CHS Hedging for AML and Other Violations Explore More

    News

    China Warns of Money Laundering Risks Arising from NFTs

    China has warned of the financial risks associated with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as three indus...

    China Warns of Money Laundering Risks Arising from NFTs Explore More

    News

    Indonesia Becomes Member of International Watchdog, FATF

    The international money laundering watchdog, FATF, includes Indonesia as its member state, in a g...

    Indonesia Becomes Member of International Watchdog, FATF Explore More

    News

    Canada Broadens Scope of Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Rules

    After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on Monday, 14th February, the Dep...

    Canada Broadens Scope of Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Rules Explore More

    News

    FCA Declares £147m Fine on Credit Suisse for Due Diligence Failings

    Credit Suisse was fined £147,190,200 for breaching FCA’s Principle 2 and 3 for Businesses as it f...

    FCA Declares £147m Fine on Credit Suisse for Due Diligence Failings Explore More

    News

    $8.6bn Lost to Cryptocurrency-based Money Laundering in 2021

    ‘The 2022 Crypto Crime Report’ by Chainalysis has revealed that a total of $8.6 billion was lost ...

    $8.6bn Lost to Cryptocurrency-based Money Laundering in 2021 Explore More

    News

    CBA Fails to Disclose AML Non-Compliance to Investors, A Court Hears

    A court has heard that the CBA should have informed the market that it may have engaged in “law-b...

    CBA Fails to Disclose AML Non-Compliance to Investors, A Court Hears Explore More

    News

    Largest Banking Cooperation in Columbia Busted for Violating Anti-money Laundering Regulations

    Banco de Occidente, Columbia’s largest banking cooperation Grupo Aval owned by one of the richest...

    Largest  Banking Cooperation in Columbia Busted for Violating Anti-money Laundering Regulations Explore More

    News

    Pandora Papers Update: Offshore Havens and Money Laundering Scandals Exposed

    The Pandora Papers expose 35 world leaders, 300 public officials and 100+ billionaires, thus prov...

    Pandora Papers Update: Offshore Havens and Money Laundering Scandals Exposed Explore More

    News

    FATF Removes Cayman Islands and Panama From Increased AML Monitoring List

    In the last plenary meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on October 27th, the Cayman...

    FATF Removes Cayman Islands and Panama From Increased AML Monitoring List Explore More

    News

    Morgan Stanley, Interactive Brokers Under Money Laundering Probe

    The FBI, SEC, and other state agencies are now investigating why Morgan Stanley took on Rodriguez...

    Morgan Stanley, Interactive Brokers Under Money Laundering Probe Explore More

    News

    Visa: CBDC is the most important trend in payments

    According to Visa’s Head of Crypto, Central Bank Digital Currencies, or CBDC, seems to be one of ...

    Visa: CBDC is the most important trend in payments Explore More

    News

    AML investigation results in NZ police freezing $140 million

    Police have collected $140 million from the Canton Business Corporation and its owner Alexander V...

    AML investigation results in NZ police freezing $140 million Explore More

    News

    Despite KYC, Dutch Central Bank Struggles over Crypto Ownership Records

    Despite the strict measures for KYC requirements, the Central Bank of the Netherlands is still mu...

    Despite KYC, Dutch Central Bank Struggles over Crypto Ownership Records Explore More

    News

    US Attorney’s Office Charges New York’s Oldest Mafia Clans for Money Laundering Scheme

    The US Attorney’s office has accused the two of New York’s oldest mafia clans for laundering mone...

    US Attorney’s Office Charges New York’s Oldest Mafia Clans for Money Laundering Scheme Explore More

    News

    Financial Regulators in China Ban Bitcoin Trading for Financial Security

    China imposed a fresh ban on the cryptocurrency sector making the price of bitcoin fall below $34...

    Financial Regulators in China Ban Bitcoin Trading for Financial Security Explore More

    News

    Two More Crypto Firms to Shut Down Over EU Money Laundering Regulations

    Two more cryptocurrency firms – mining pool Simplecoin and bitcoin gaming platform Chopcoin...

    Two More Crypto Firms to Shut Down Over EU Money Laundering Regulations Explore More

    News

    FCA Bans Crypto-Related Investments in the UK

    Financial Conduct Authority- FCA had proposed a ban on crypto-related investments in October 2020...

    FCA Bans Crypto-Related Investments in the UK Explore More

    News

    UK Finance Sector and Police Stopped £32m Fraud in First Half of 2021

    The ‘Banking Protocol’ introduced in 2016 has now helped prevent financial fraud worth £174...

    UK Finance Sector and Police Stopped £32m Fraud in First Half of 2021 Explore More

    News

    e-KYC services introduced in Malaysia by InstaREM

    Residents and expatriates in Malaysia can now make overseas payments safely and regularly through...

    e-KYC services introduced in Malaysia by InstaREM Explore More

    News

    U.K. Parliament Introduces New Online Safety Bill to Curb Push Payment Fraud

    The UK Parliament introduces a new Online Safety Bill, to mitigate push payment fraud and increas...

    U.K. Parliament Introduces New Online Safety Bill  to Curb Push Payment Fraud Explore More

    News

    US Crypto Industry Faces Pushback on Implementation of Crypto-Friendly Legislation

    The US crypto firms visited Capitol Hill to push their industry-friendly regulations however, thi...

    US Crypto Industry Faces Pushback on Implementation of Crypto-Friendly Legislation Explore More

    News

    FCA Unveils Three-Year Anti-Money Laundering Strategy to Curb Financial Crime

    The FCA unveiled in its new report a three-year anti-money laundering strategy which includes a n...

    FCA Unveils Three-Year Anti-Money Laundering Strategy to Curb Financial Crime Explore More

    News

    Digital Currency ‘Sand Dollar’ Launched by the Bahamas

    The Central Bank of the Bahamas (CBOB) has introduced a digital version of the Bahamian dollar, s...

    Digital Currency ‘Sand Dollar’ Launched by the Bahamas Explore More

    News

    Manchester Police Retrieves & Returns $23 Million Stolen Crypto Assets to Scam Victims

    Manchester police have confiscated over $25 million worth of crypto that were stolen globally in ...

    Manchester Police Retrieves & Returns $23 Million Stolen Crypto Assets to Scam Victims Explore More

    News

    Chinese Firms to Test Crypto Opportunities in Hong Kong

    Chinese Security companies and banks are attracted by Hong Kong’s retail trading in Bitcoin and E...

    Chinese Firms to Test Crypto Opportunities in Hong Kong Explore More

    News

    Anti-Fraud Experts Advise the CBN to Reconsider its Decision to Ban Crypto

    One year after the Central Bank Nigeria (CBN), imposed a ban on digital currencies, anti-fraud ex...

    Anti-Fraud Experts Advise the CBN to Reconsider its Decision to Ban Crypto Explore More

    News

    Singapore Taking New Actions Against Terror Financing and Money Laundering

    Singapore’s Parliament took improved measures against the financing of terrorism and money launde...

    Singapore Taking New Actions Against Terror Financing and Money Laundering Explore More

    News

    UAE Central Bank Fines Firm $490,000 for Violating AML/CFT laws

    The UAE’s Central Bank has charged a financial firm Dh1.8 million ($490,000) over breaching the c...

    UAE Central Bank Fines Firm $490,000 for Violating AML/CFT laws Explore More

    News

    Regulatory Authorities Fines TD Bank, Adelaide Casino, and SBI over $500 Million For AML Failings

    International financial watchdogs have imposed a fine of over $500 million on TD Bank, Adelaide C...

    Regulatory Authorities Fines TD Bank, Adelaide Casino, and SBI over $500 Million For AML Failings Explore More

    News

    US Ambassador Highlights how Liberia can Improve its AML/CFT Laws

    Monrovian embassy of the United States’s ambassador, Micheal A. McCarthy, supports the National R...

    US Ambassador Highlights how Liberia can Improve its AML/CFT Laws Explore More

    Take the next steps to better security.

    Contact us

    Get in touch with our experts. We'll help you find the perfect solution for your compliance and security needs.

    Contact us

    Request demo

    Get free access to our platform and try our products today.

    Get started