Global AML roundup: enforcement actions that shaped 2025

January 2, 2026

Europe saw some of the most high-profile AML enforcement actions of 2025, with regulators continuing to signal that long-standing control weaknesses will not be tolerated.

In the UK, neobank Monzo was fined £21m in July for serious and prolonged failings in its AML framework between 2018 and 2020, claims KYC360.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) pointed to deficiencies across customer due diligence, ongoing monitoring, handling of high-risk customers and the reporting of suspicious activity, reinforcing expectations that fast-growing digital banks must match their innovation with robust controls.

Traditional banks were not spared scrutiny. Also in July, Barclays was hit with a £42m fine after the FCA identified significant weaknesses in how it assessed and managed financial crime risks linked to two high-risk client relationships, WealthTek and Stunt & Co. The case highlighted persistent challenges around client risk assessment and escalation, particularly where complex corporate structures and investment-related activity are involved.

Beyond banking, 2025 marked a record year for AML penalties against UK law firms. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) issued six-figure fines to several firms for failures including inadequate firm-wide risk assessments, weak client and matter risk scoring, poor politically exposed person (PEP) identification and insufficient source-of-funds checks. The actions underlined the growing regulatory focus on gatekeeper professions.

Elsewhere in Europe, regulators took a firm stance on FinTech and crypto firms. Lithuania’s central bank fined Revolut €3.5m in April for deficiencies related to monitoring business relationships and transactions, while the Central Bank of Ireland imposed a €21m penalty on Coinbase for breaching AML/CTF monitoring obligations between 2021 and 2025.

In the Americas, enforcement activity reached unprecedented levels. Crypto platform OKX, operated by Aux Cayes Fintech Ltd., agreed to pay more than $500m in penalties after regulators found it had allowed trading without adequate KYC screening and facilitated billions of dollars in suspicious transactions. In the US, Block Inc faced multiple sanctions, including up to $120m in consumer redress ordered by the CFPB and a further $40m penalty from banking regulators for AML weaknesses. Brokerage platform Robinhood was also fined $45m by the SEC for a range of failures spanning suspicious activity reporting, identity theft protection and cybersecurity controls.

APAC and the Middle East saw continued regulatory assertiveness. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority fined Indian Overseas Bank (Hong Kong), Bank of Communications (Hong Kong) Limited and Bank of Communications Co., Ltd. Hong Kong Branch a combined HK$16.2m for AML/CTF deficiencies. In the UAE, the central bank imposed Dh18.1m (£3.68m) in fines on two foreign banks and a further Dh200m (£40.1m) penalty on an exchange house for breaches of federal AML laws.

At a jurisdictional level, the FATF’s grey list shifted again in 2025. Laos and Nepal were added in February, followed by Bolivia and the British Virgin Islands in June. Meanwhile, the Philippines, Croatia, Mali, Tanzania and Senegal were removed over the course of the year, reflecting progress in addressing strategic AML/CTF deficiencies.

Corruption enforcement also made headlines. Ukraine intensified its anti-corruption drive with investigations into an alleged $100m kickback scheme in the energy sector, while in France, former president Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison over illegal Libyan campaign financing.

Regulatory reform continued alongside enforcement. The UK confirmed plans to bring AML supervision of legal and accountancy sectors under the FCA, while Companies House reforms introduced new identity verification requirements. In the EU, the new Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) formally began work in Frankfurt, and MiCA entered its first full year of application. Australia also progressed its long-awaited Tranche 2 reforms, extending AML obligations to a wider range of professions.