The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois has handed down a default judgment against a network of offshore entities and individuals behind a massive binary options fraud scheme. The total financial penalty reaches a staggering $451 million in restitution and civil penalties. And for those involved? It’s a permanent ban from future trading in U.S. markets.
If you’ve been navigating the ever-evolving world of financial regulations, you know that deadlines can be a bit of a pressure cooker. Well, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have decided to offer a bit of a breather. In a welcome move, they’ve extended the compliance date for the amended Form PF, originally due on March 12, 2025, by three months to June 12, 2025.
Spain’s National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) has had enough. The regulator recently announced it is launching sanctioning proceedings against Twitter International Unlimited Company—better known today as the owner of the platform X—for allegedly failing to police financial scam ads featuring unlicensed and previously flagged investment schemes.
Regulators have fired their first warning shot under MiFIR, and it’s landed squarely on Infinox Capital Limited. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined the firm £99,200 for failing to report over 46,000 transactions, a lapse that could have left market abuse undetected.
For years, KuCoin marketed itself as the “People’s Exchange,” a go-to platform for crypto traders worldwide. But behind the sleek interface and global appeal, U.S. authorities say KuCoin was playing fast and loose with the law—allowing billions in potentially illicit funds to flow through its platform with little to no oversight. Now, that game is up.
In an effort to tighten up Belgium’s defenses against money laundering and terrorism financing, the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) recently conducted comprehensive inspections of eight currency exchange offices. The goal was to assess how well these businesses are adhering to the country’s robust anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CFT) regulations. And what the FSMA found wasn’t just a few minor lapses—it uncovered systemic weaknesses that pose significant compliance risks.
Transparency isn’t just a buzzword in the biotech world—it’s the lifeblood of investor trust. And when it’s absent, as French biotech firm Pharnext discovered, the consequences can be costly.