Compliance & Ethics

Malaysia Strengthens Its Financial Crime Defenses, but FATF Finds Enforcement Gaps

Malaysia has made real strides in strengthening its defenses against money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing over the past decade, but enforcement outcomes continue to lag behind the country’s growing investigative capabilities. That is what a new mutual evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) is saying, based on an on-site assessment carried out in February 2025.

Poland’s Consumer Watchdog Fines Play About $27 Million Over Discount Scheme That Penalized Late Payments

Poland’s competition and consumer protection authority has fined P4, the operator of the Play mobile network, about $27 million (PLN 108,573,207) after ruling that a widely used discount scheme unlawfully penalized customers who paid their bills late.

TIGO Guatemala Pays Over $118 Million to Close U.S. Bribery Case

TIGO Guatemala has agreed to pay more than $118 million to resolve a U.S. investigation into a years-long bribery scheme that prosecutors say was baked into the company’s local operations and designed to influence lawmakers in Guatemala.

Swiss Competition Authority Probes Apple’s NFC Access Terms on iPhones

Swiss competition authorities have opened an investigation into Apple’s control over near-field communication technology on iPhones, examining whether the company’s terms for granting access to the NFC interface raise concerns under Swiss antitrust law.

FCA Slaps Nationwide With £44 Million Fine After Prolonged AML Failures

Nationwide Building Society has been hit with a £44 million fine after the UK’s financial watchdog found that long-standing weaknesses in its financial crime controls left it exposed to money laundering risks for years.

Bupa Ordered to Pay $23.3 Million After Court Finds Years of Misleading Conduct

‍Bupa has been ordered to pay $23.3 million (AUD $35 million) after the Federal Court found the health insurer misled thousands of members, and even hospitals and medical providers, about what their private health policies actually covered. The ruling caps off a years-long stretch of incorrect claims decisions that, in many cases, left members believing they had no entitlements at all when parts of their treatment were in fact covered.

OCC Publishes Early Assessment of Debanking Conduct at Top Banks

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Wednesday released findings from its ongoing review of debanking activities at the nine largest national banks under its supervision. The review is examining whether the institutions restricted access to financial services for customers based on political or religious beliefs or lawful business activities, as directed by the President’s Executive Order Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans.