Sanctions screening
Sanctions screening in financial and capital markets is under concurrent pressure from the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and the European Banking Authority, each of which has issued updated expectations on automated screening system adequacy and false-positive remediation workflows in the past two years. OFAC's 2021 Sanctions Compliance Guidance for the Financial Sector remains the operative framework for U.S. broker-dealers and asset managers, but EBA's revised AML/CFT guidelines have since pushed EU-licensed institutions toward stricter real-time screening cadences for correspondent banking relationships. Compliance teams are now reconciling those two regimes where cross-border transaction flows touch both jurisdictions.
Watch
- OFAC 50 Percent Rule interpretations affecting indirect ownership in fund structures
- EBA travel rule technical standards: implementation deadlines for crypto-asset service providers
- FinCEN beneficial ownership registry: screening obligations against the new database go live
- Delistings and SDN list updates that require retroactive position review within 10 business days
- UK OFSI enforcement trend: fines issued for delayed self-disclosure of screening hits
Recent material activity in Financial & Capital Markets
A selection of recent published briefs; this is not a complete archive.
SEC approves FINRA rule change permitting broker-dealer performance projections and targeted returns in public communications
The SEC issued an order on October 15, 2026 approving FINRA's proposed amendment to Rule 2210, as modified by Partial Amendment No. 1. The amendment creates a fourth exception to Rule 2210's general prohibition on commun…
Read a full sample brief →ESMA publishes final RTS report on PTRR service requirements for the EMIR 3 clearing obligation exemption
ESMA published its final report containing draft Regulatory Technical Standards that specify the conditions under which providers and users of post-trade risk reduction services may qualify for the clearing obligation ex…
Read a full sample brief →FINMA grants first-ever approval for a Swiss retail Bitcoin ETF with investor-protection conditions attached
FINMA has approved Switzerland's first exchange-traded retail fund with direct Bitcoin exposure. The product is classified as an other fund for alternative investments with specific risk under Swiss law. Supervised insti…
Read a full sample brief →BaFin fines Nomura Holdings Inc. €320,000 for late voting rights notifications on Commerzbank AG
BaFin fined Nomura Holdings Inc. €320,000 on October 15, 2026 for failing to submit voting rights notifications on Commerzbank AG within the prescribed period during May and June 2026. The breach concerned supervisory du…
Read a full sample brief →NSW Supreme Court disqualifies former Rex CEO Lim Kim Hai for four years and imposes $800,000 penalty for disclosure and directors' duties breaches
The NSW Supreme Court has disqualified former Rex chief executive officer and executive chair Lim Kim Hai from managing corporations for four years and ordered him to pay a penalty of $800,000. These orders follow Mr Lim…
Read a full sample brief →ASIC refers Brian Creigh for criminal prosecution over unlicensed crypto fund and proceeds of crime charges
ASIC has referred a criminal brief to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions against Brian Jacques Creigh, who was charged in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 19 October 2026. The charges cover operating the…
Read a full sample brief →RBI removes non-option derivative contract limits for commercial banks with immediate effect
The Reserve Bank of India issued amendment directions on October 19, 2026, deleting Section C on Limits for Non-Option Derivative Contracts from Chapter IV of its Commercial Banks Miscellaneous Directions. The amendment …
Read a full sample brief →RBI removes non-option derivative contract limits for Small Finance Banks effective immediately
The Reserve Bank of India, on October 19, 2026, deleted Section C on Limits for Non-Option Derivative Contracts from Chapter IV of the Small Finance Banks Miscellaneous Directions, 2025. The amendment took effect immedia…
Read a full sample brief →RBI advises regulated entities to act on three UNSC ISIL and Al-Qaida sanctions list amendments dated October 15, 2026
The Reserve Bank of India issued a circular on October 19, 2026 transmitting UNSC press release SC/16480, which amended three entries on the ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List. The amendments update address and bi…
Read a full sample brief →RBI extends supervisory directions against Konark Urban Co-operative Bank by three months to January 23, 2027
The Reserve Bank of India has extended its supervisory directions against The Konark Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd., Ulhasnagar for a further three months. The extension runs from close of business on October 23, 2026, to …
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