US SANCTIONS OVER MISSILE AND WMD PROLIFERATION On 4 August, Dow Jones reported sanctions imposed on 22 individuals and entities across Russia, North Korea, Iran, Syria, China, Taiwan and Malaysia public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-15759.pdf

US: ATF PROPOSED RULES FOR FIREARMS IMPORTS On 4 August, a brief from the US Congressional Research Service considered 2 proposed rules that would change how ATF regulates firearms imports www.congress.gov/crs-product/...

HEROIN TRAFFICKING SUPPLY CHAINS FROM AFGHANISTAN SINCE THE TALIBAN BAN On 9 July, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime released a report on the supply chains that originate in Afghanistan, and the major shifts that have since occurred globalinitiative.net/analysis/her...

UK: COURT OF APPEAL HAS INTERPRETED THE TIPPING-OFF OFFENCE On 31 July, Mishcon de Reya commented on the first reported case which considers the elements of the tipping-off offence under Part 7 of POCA, its scope and implications www.judiciary.uk/judgments/r-... www.mishcon.com/news/r-v-osm...

SIMPLIFIED DUE DILIGENCE: ONLINE PRESENTATION RELEASED On 5 August, the Isle of Man FSA published a presentation on SDD and how its use enables controls and resources to be applied that are proportionate to the level of risk identified www.iomfsa.im/fsa-news/202... www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbRI...

CMS EXPERT GUIDE TO FOREIGN INVESTMENT SCREENING LAWS On 5 August, CMS Law released an updated country-by-country guide to foreign investment screening, often also referred to as foreign direct investment (FDI) control cms.law/en/int/exper...

CMS Expert Guide to Foreign Investment Screening Laws

Explore a comprehensive overview of foreign investment screening laws in M&A transactions. Get expert insights from CMS to navigate regulations efficiently.

cms.law

HOW A YOUNG NIGERIAN MAN WAS LURED TO LONDON IN AN ORGAN-TRAFFICKING PLOT On 3 August, the Guardian carried a report on what is still the only successful conviction for organ trafficking under the Modern Slavery Act in the UK www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

The body snatchers: how a young Nigerian man was lured to London in an organ-trafficking plot

The long read: Daniel was working at a market in Lagos when he was given the chance to start anew in the UK. He had no idea what was expected of him in return

theguardian.com

US: PRESIDENT TRUMP AUTHORISES EXPORT CONTROLS ON RECOVERABLE CRITICAL MINERALS www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/... www.forbes.com/sites/noelfl... www.strtrade.com/trade-news-r...

REPORT SAYS EUROPEAN COMPANIES UNPREPARED FOR EU AML REFORMS On 3 August, Dow Jones reported a PWC study said that a majority of companies are currently unprepared, and expect a significant lift in compliance burdens as a result www.amlpforum.com/documents/pw... www.pwc.lu/en/press/pre...

CHINA MAY BAN TRAVEL FOR CITIZENS AND FOREIGNERS OVER EXPORT LAWS AND SANCTIONS On 3 August, Dow Jones reported new regulations may be used to bar citizens from leaving the country and deny entry to foreigners on its sanctions blacklists www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

China tightens exit rules over tech security risks

China will bar citizens from leaving the country if they are deemed a ​potential threat to national technology security, under ‌new exit-and-entry regulations published on Friday.

reuters.com

THE FRENCH ANTICORRUPTION STRATEGY - FALLING SHORT OF EXPECTATIONS On 4 August, a post on the Global Anticorruption Blog by a French lawyer critiques the 2025-29 strategy published by AFA globalanticorruptionblog.com/2026/08/04/t... www.agence-francaise-anticorruption.gouv.fr/fr/document/...

The French Anticorruption Strategy, Falling Short of Expectations

GAB welcomes this Guest Post by Sophie Lemaître, a French lawyer, anticorruption advocate, and creator of the first French-language podcast on corruption & tax evasion. Her 2025 book, Réduire a…

globalanticorruptionblog.com

HONDURAS: JUDGE GRANTS FORMER PRESIDENT JUAN ORLANDO HERNÁNDEZ RELEASE AS CORRUPTION TRIAL PROCEEDS On 4 August, the Daily Mail reported that the former President, freed after a US pardon, will not be jailed during his trial for fraud and money laundering www.dailymail.com/wires/ap/art...

A Honduran judge grants former President Juan Orlando Hernández...

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) - A judge in Honduras ruled Monday that former President Juan Orlando Hernández, who recently returned to the Central American...

dailymail.com

SAUDI ARABIA'S UPDATED AML RULES OFFER GREATER CLARITY FOR FIRMS ON COMPLIANCE OBLIGATIONS On 4 August, an Out-Law article says updated AML implementing regulations provide much greater operational detail for firms on how AML controls are expected to work www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news...

Saudi Arabia's updated AML rules offer greater clarity for firms on compliance obligations

Saudi Arabia's updated anti-money laundering (AML) implementing regulations provide much greater operational detail for firms on how AML controls are expected to work in practice, particularly in rela...

pinsentmasons.com

TURKISH FARMERS BEARING THE BURDEN OF UK’S PLASTIC WASTE PROBLEM On 4 August, the Guardian reported an investigation into the export of UK waste to Turkey, 139,000 tonnes last year, and the problems it causes www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO RELEASING FUNDS FROZEN BY OFAC On 3 August, an article from Frilling Law looked at what to do if an international wire transfer has been blocked because of US sanctions. www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/of...

OFAC Blocked My Wire Transfer: A Practical Guide to Releasing Frozen Funds | JD Supra

Executive Summary - Discovering that an international wire transfer has been blocked because of U.S. sanctions can be alarming for...

jdsupra.com

MODERN SLAVERY REPORTING - A COMPARATIVE GUIDE TO THE UK, AUSTRALIA, CALIFORNIA, AND NEW ZEALAND FRAMEWORKS On 27 July, A&O Shearman provided this Guide with a particular focus on a New Zealand Bill www.aoshearman.com/en/insights/...

Modern Slavery Reporting: UK, Australia and NZ Guide

Compare modern slavery reporting requirements across the UK, Australia, California and New Zealand, including insights on the NZ Bill.

aoshearman.com

SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA: WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE JANUARY 2025? On 3 August, the House of Commons Library issued this briefing asking how have sanctions against Russia changed since January 2025, and is US policy diverging from that of its allies? commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...

Sanctions against Russia: What has changed since January 2025?

How have sanctions against Russia changed since January 2025? Is US policy diverging from that of its allies?

commonslibrary.parliament.uk

EU ISSUES FIRST GUIDANCE NOTE ON CUSTOMS AND VAT TREATMENT OF PLEASURE BOATS AND AIRCRAFT On 31 July, MAMO TCV in Malta says that the Note is a significant step towards greater legal certainty for vessels and aircraft www.mamotcv.com/insights/eu-... taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/document/dow...

EU Guidance Note for Pleasure Boats and Aircraft

Discover the European Commission's latest guidance on the VAT and customs status of pleasure boats and aircraft, including Union status, returned goods relief, and temporary importation rules.

mamotcv.com

FREEZING ORDERS IN PRACTICE: DON’T LET URGENCY OUTRUN THE EVIDENCE On 27 July, an article from Clayton Utz warns that applications can fail because the urgency to preserve assets has overtaken the evidence needed to support the application www.claytonutz.com/insights/202...

Freezing orders in practice: don’t let urgency out... | Clayton Utz

One of the most common reasons freezing order applications fail, or are subsequently discharged, is not because the underlying claim lacks merit, but because the urgency to preserve assets has overtak...

claytonutz.com

PANAMA AND THE RISE OF NATIONALISM This started out as a short brief but, although still only providing a (relatively) short summary, it got a bit out of hand...so I put a short summary at the start so one does not have to read it all. The idea was to give an idea of the background to one of the…

INFORMATION SHARING TO COMBAT FRAUD: ANALYSIS OF STATUTORY PERMISSIONS AND CONSTRAINT On 15 July, ACAMS has produced an analysis of the major US frameworks governing fraud intelligence sharing across industries, mapping them www.acams.org/en/resource/... www.acams.org/sites/defaul...

FinCEN ASSESSES HISTORIC $125 MILLION PENALTY AGAINST UBS FINANCIAL SERVICES INC On 3 August, FinCEN advised of the largest penalty ever imposed against a broker-dealer for BSA violations to date www.fincen.gov/system/files... www.fincen.gov/news/news-re...

DATA CENTRES AND WATER: FAQ On 31 July, the US Congressional Research Service released a briefing re a data centre’s potential impact on the quantity and quality of local water resources www.congress.gov/crs-product/...

NEW GUIDANCE FROM ISLE OF MAN FIU – SAR REPORTS AND SANCTIONS The FIU has issued 2 new sets of guidance – one on making suspicious activity reports (and other disclosures) to the FIU, and another on sanctions reporting www.fiu.im/media/1300/s... www.fiu.im/media/1299/m...

INTERPOL REPORT FINDS AI LINKED TO MORE THAN HALF OF CYBERCRIME IN AFRICA On 3 August, INTERPOL released its African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 www.interpol.int/News-and-Eve... www.interpol.int/Media/Docume...

UNDERSTANDING CANADA’S DUAL REGULATORY FRAMEWORK A useful post and infographic on Linkedin on 1 August lnkd.in/p/eJb3xUDD

#canada #osfi #fintrac #pcmltfa #aml #cft #financialcrime #riskmanagement #banking #canadianbanking #compliance #governance #operationalrisk #treasury #payments #financialservices #regulation #kyc… | ...

🇨🇦 FINTRAC vs OSFI: Understanding Canada’s Dual Regulatory Framework. Canada’s financial system is built on a strong regulatory framework where OSFI and FINTRAC have distinct but complementary respo...

lnkd.in

NAURU OFFICIALLY CHANGES ITS NAME TO NAOERO On 3 August, the Guardian reported that the country’s international code will change from NRU to NRO and its people will be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Nauru officially changes its name to Naoero

Pacific nation is latest country to signal a shift away from its colonial past with return to its traditional name

theguardian.com

UK: ONLINE PROCEDURE RULE COMMITTEE TO DEVELOP VOLUNTARY CODE OF PRACTICE ON ETHICAL USE OF AI On 31 July, Local Government Lawyer reported that the OPRC is to produce a voluntary Code www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/litigation-a... www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/69...

SMUGGLERS EYE BIG PROFITS RUNNING WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS INTO BRAZIL On 31 July, OCCRP reported that the weight loss drug tirzepatide has become a major black market commodity on the border between Paraguay and Brazil, fuelling a rise in armed robberies and smuggling www.occrp.org/en/feature/s...

Slim Shady: Smugglers Eye Big Profits Running Weight Loss Drugs into Brazil

The weight loss drug tirzepatide has become a major black market commodity on the border between Paraguay and Brazil, fueling a rise in armed robberies and smuggling by criminal groups.

occrp.org

BANK OF THAILAND INTRODUCES STRICTER RULES ON LARGE CASH TRANSACTIONS On 30 July, The Legal website reported plans to target “unusual or high-risk” cash usage that could be linked to illegal activity thelegal.co.th/2026/07/30/b...

BOT: Bank of Thailand Introduces Stricter Rules on Large Cash Transactions to Combat Illicit Flows - The Legal Co., Ltd.

BOT: Bank of Thailand Introduces Stricter Rules on Large Cash Transactions to Combat Illicit Flows The Bank of Thailand (BOT) is set to implement enhanced oversight on significant cash movements as pa...

thelegal.co.th