Top stories this week:
Deutsche Bank Offices Searched in Money Laundering Probe | The Bank of Scotland Fined £160K for Sanctions Breach
Welcome to this week's edition of the KYC Roundup, your gateway to the most impactful developments in the world of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and financial crime. In the AML arena, Deutsche Bank offices have been searched as part of a money laundering probe, and a new report reveals that crypto money laundering surged to $82bn in 2025.
In the fast-paced world of sanctions, The Bank of Scotland is fined £160k for a sanctions breach, and the OFSI updates its enforcement framework.
In the corruption space, South Korea’s former first lady is sentenced to 20 months in a bribery case.
We round off this week’s roundup with our latest article, “How to Deliver Fast Digital Onboarding with Networked KYC”.
KYC & AML
Deutsche Bank offices searched in money laundering probe
German authorities carried out searches at Deutsche Bank offices in Frankfurt and Berlin as part of a money laundering investigation. The probe relates to transactions from 2013 to 2018.
Crypto money laundering surged to $82bn in 2025
Chainalysis estimates money launderers received at least $82 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025, up from $10 billion in 2020. It identifies Chinese-language money laundering networks as a major driver.
AMLA launches EU-wide data collection ahead of direct supervision plans
The EU’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) has launched a data collection exercise to test and calibrate risk assessment models for the financial sector. The work is designed to support a future framework for identifying up to 40 entities that could fall under AMLA’s direct supervision, and to ensure consistent assessment of money laundering risks across the EU.
Sanctions
The Bank of Scotland fined £160k for sanctions breach
The UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has imposed a £160,000 penalty on The Bank of Scotland for a sanctions breach involving 24 transactions in February 2023 worth about £77,000 linked to Dmitrii Ovsiannikov, a designated person under the UK’s Russia sanctions regime.
OFSI updates enforcement framework
The OFSI has published its response to a consultation on changes to financial sanctions enforcement processes.
UK consolidates sanctions designations into one list
On 28 January 2026, the UK Sanctions List became the single official list for sanctions designations, and the OFSI Consolidated List is no longer updated. Further details on how our data providers are managing these changes can be found in the Knowledge Base.
Corruption
South Korea’s former first lady sentenced to 20 months in bribery case
Former first lady Kim Keon Hee has been sentenced to 20 months in prison after being found guilty of bribery linked to receiving luxury items from a Unification Church official.
KYC360 News
Article: How to Deliver Fast Onboarding with Networked KYC
Digital onboarding can slow down when clients move between advisers, TCSPs, and banks. Siloed systems, manual checks, and repeated KYC requests create friction. In our latest blog, we explore how Networked KYC can remove duplication at the source and enable faster, more efficient onboarding across multiple service providers.
Your latest weekly update from the worlds of money laundering, legislation and regulation, sustainability, gaming and gambling, crypto and sanctions.
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