Developments · monthly edition
Verified changes in financial crime, sanctions and regulation across the EU, the UK and Switzerland. Every entry links to its primary source.
55 entries · 7 stories moved · 27 issuing bodies
FINMA is consulting from 30 September to 27 November 2026 on a partial revision of Circular 2017/6 "Direct transmission".
ESMA refreshed its Interim MiCA Register on 30 September 2026, the first update since 21 August.
The FCA opened applications for authorisation under the UK cryptoasset regime on 30 September 2026.
By a Final Notice of 30 September 2026, the FCA fined Robin Crispin William Odey £1,529,374 and banned him from any function in regulated activity.
OFSI's 2026 annual frozen asset review is open: holders of designated persons' funds or economic resources must report them, valued at close of business on 30 September 2026, by Monday 30 November 2026.
On 29 September 2026 FINMA concluded its fifth enforcement proceeding against Julius Bär in under ten years, finding serious breaches of risk-management and anti-money-laundering rules.
On 29 September 2026 the EPPO reported searches in 19 countries, including Switzerland, against a criminal organisation suspected of selling over one million used mobile phones as new.
On 28 September 2026 the EU added 10 persons to its 'situation in Russia' (internal repression) list.
Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2184 of 28 September 2026, published and in force on 28 September 2026, adds 10 persons and 17 entities to Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 269/2014.
In September 2026 the EU implemented earlier UN committee decisions on the Taliban (1988) and DRC (1533) lists.
On 28 September 2026, at Southwark Crown Court, the FCA obtained confiscation orders against Raymondip Bedi (GBP 603,404·28) and Patrick Mavanga (GBP 247,997·99) under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
In Jones v Persons Unknown CITATION, the Court of Appeal set aside a crypto-fraud judgment that had ordered Huobi Global Ltd to transfer 98·2 BTC from a named wallet to a fraud victim.
On 28 September 2026 the UN 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) Committee amended one entity entry on its ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List, QDe.168 (listed 7 March 2022), by press release SC/16465.
From 1 November 2026 Switzerland's Taliban, ISIL (Da'esh)/Al-Qaida, DPRK and Iran sanctions ordinances carry a new reporting duty and an annual return due by 15 February.
On 25 September 2026 the EBA opened a consultation on revised Implementing Technical Standards for joint decisions on institution-specific prudential requirements under Article 113 CRD.
On 24 September 2026 the EU added one person to its Russia destabilising-activities (hybrid threats) list.
On 23 September 2026 the Council of States voted 33 to 10, with two abstentions, to require systemically important banks to back foreign participations 90% with CET1 capital.
The FATF published mutual evaluations of Türkiye on 23 September 2026 and, with the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering, of Canada on 29 September 2026.
The FCA's multi-firm review of 23 September 2026 found that firms offboarded 238,396 suspected money mules in 2025, up from 184,935 in 2023 and 233,269 in 2024.
From 23 September 2026 OFSI applies a presumption of denial to licence applications by five designated Iranian banks operating in the UK, HM Treasury's licensing guidance states.
On 22 September 2026 the Council renewed the EU's Ukraine territorial-integrity listings regime for 36 months, to 22 September 2029, and completed a review.
In Gilbert v Broadoak Private Finance Ltd CITATION, the Court of Appeal held there is no gateway to serve out of the jurisdiction a free-standing freezing order in aid of enforcing an English judgment.
On 21 September 2026 the FCA began High Court proceedings against Osborne Baldwin Limited, trading as Hunter Jones and Hunter Jones Group, which sells loan notes.
Between 7 and 21 September 2026 the UK made six new designations, variations under four regimes and one Russia revocation, the FCDO's change history records.
The amendment of 18 September 2026 to the Ordinance on measures against Belarus (AS 2026 480; in force 19 September 2026, with art.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2143 of 18 September 2026 amends Council Regulation (EC) No 881/2002, the ISIL/Al-Qaida list, for the 361st time.
On 18 September 2026 the EBA published final Guidelines on third-party risk management (EBA/GL/2026/09), replacing its 2019 outsourcing Guidelines.
The European Data Protection Board is consulting on Guidelines 04/2026 on when a GDPR fine should be imposed, until 23:59 CET on 13 November 2026; it adopted the draft on 17 September 2026.
On 16 September 2026 the Federal Supreme Court upheld the Federal Department of Finance's 2023 order cutting Credit Suisse managers' accrued but unpaid variable pay, reversing the Federal Administrative Court.
On 16 September 2026 the FCA announced an investigation into possible Money Laundering Regulations 2017 offences by Euro Exchange Securities UK Ltd (EES) between 1 February 2020 and 4 June 2026.
The FCA has fined and banned Vector Wealth's former chief executive, Jeffrey St Patrick Dawkins, and fined and restricted its former senior sales manager, Kadir Yusuf Kanizi.
The Government published its Anti-money laundering and asset recovery strategy 2026–2029 (CP 1677) on 15 September 2026, backed by at least GBP 550m and more than 500 new officers.
By a Final Notice dated 15 September 2026, the FCA prohibited Nurul Miah and withdrew his approval to perform the SMF3 function at Oracle Consultants Ltd (in liquidation).
On 11 September 2026 the Court of Milan convicted six individuals, including one ringleader, of a transnational criminal association, VAT fraud and money laundering in the EPPO's 'Moby Dick' case, announced on 17 September.
In Liberty Managing Agency Ltd v Chedid CITATION, Jacobs J held that D&O insurers must keep advancing defence costs to two former Petrofac officers facing Bribery Act charges.
On 30 September 2026 the office of Information Commissioner was abolished and its functions passed to the Information Commission.
On 10 September 2026, in an FCA prosecution, Christopher Woolcott pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates' Court to one count of fraud by false representation and three counts of making a false instrument.
Since 10 September 2026 Switzerland has banned the purchase, import, transit and transport of Sudanese-origin gold exported from Sudan after 9 September 2026, and related services, including financial services.
SECO's ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Kaida programme page (SR 946·231·08) records 'Änderung vom 07·09·2026 mit Inkrafttreten am 04·09·2026' and 'Änderung vom 29·09·2026 mit Inkrafttreten am 28·09·2026'.
The UN 1267 Committee's 4 September 2026 amendment to entry QDi.431 has now reached the machine-readable UN Consolidated List, in the file generated 2026-10-01T23:00Z.
The Government expects the FCA to begin supervising the first legal, accountancy and trust or company service businesses before the end of 2028, and all in-scope firms by mid-2030.
Since 29 September 2026 the UK's Iran sanctions have been wider, under the Iran (Sanctions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/983), made on 7 September and laid on 8 September.
On 4 September 2026 European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi and Chief Grand Prosecutor Ying Yong of China's Supreme People’s Procuratorate signed a working arrangement on judicial cooperation, with a 2026 to 2028 action plan.
In Denali Corp – FZCO v Manson CITATION, the court held that liquidators' consent to assigning a designated person's contractual rights was not 'dealing with' frozen economic resources.
In Denaro (UK) Ltd (in liquidation) v Bracken CITATION, the court refused Barclays Bank UK PLC's application to strike out the liquidators' claims against it.
The FCA published CP26/32, Quarterly Consultation Paper No 53, on 4 September 2026, with feedback due by 12 October 2026 for chapters 2 to 8.
On 4 September 2026 the UN 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) Committee amended two entries on its ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List, QDi.431 and QDi.436 (press release SC/16446).
On 3 September 2026 OFAC removed a Swiss-registered company from the SDN List, one of three actions between 2 and 4 September.
On 3 September 2026 the FCA published a Decision Notice to prohibit Daniel Philip Thomas and fine him GBP 742,700 over defined benefit pension transfer advice.
The FCDO amended five entries on the UK Sanctions List under the Russia regime: four on 2 September 2026 and one on 3 September.
On 3 September 2026 the SFO announced that three directors of Ethical Forestry Limited were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court for fraudulent trading, after guilty pleas in January 2026.
On 2 September 2026 the EPPO announced that the Paris Criminal Court convicted three French companies and their two executives of fraud involving EUR 275,800 of European Regional Development Fund money.
The Crime and Policing Act 2026's SIM-farm offences come into force on 29 October 2026, under SI 2026/960, made by the Home Office on 2 September 2026.
On 2 September 2026 the SFO announced that ENRC, the SFO's Director, Dechert LLP and David Neil Gerrard had settled their long-running civil proceedings out of court, on confidential terms.
From 1 October 2026 employment tribunal claim time limits rise from three to six months.