Europe

CBDCs

BISIH London Invites Firms to Test Retail CBDC API Platform

By Editors | 25/01/2023

Project Rosalind’s phase one work will be complete within Q1 and be followed by a further phase focused on testing and validating API functionality.

Capital Adequacy

EU Lawmakers Back Draft Law to Implement Basel III

By Editors | 25/01/2023

The draft law contains an interim treatment for banks to apply a 1250% risk weight to their cryptoasset exposures until 31 December 2024.

Conduct, Culture & Accountability

EU Faces Industry Opposition on Proposed Commission Ban

By Mark Johnston | 24/01/2023

Financial industry associations say a ban on commissions paid to financial advisers for selling financial products would harm consumers.

Cryptocurrency

US SEC Fines Crypto Firm Nexo for Unregistered Securities Offering

By Manesh Samtani | 20/01/2023

Nexo settled charges from US regulators for $45mn. The company was separately raided by Bulgarian authorities last week.

Fraud, Scams & Cybercrime

German Prosecutors Search Norton Rose Offices in Cum-Ex Probe

By Editors | 20/01/2023

A former staff member of Norton Rose Fulbright is said to be a suspect in the tax fraud probe, which dates back more than a decade.

Sustainable Finance

EU Commission Launches Net Zero Industry Act

By ESG Investor | 19/01/2023

The act aims to increase funding for clean energy technologies across EU member states, including through a new European Sovereignty Fund.

Anti-Money Laundering

Authorities Dismantle Russia-Linked Crypto Firm Bitzlato

By Manesh Samtani | 18/01/2023

Bitzlato facilitated $700mn in crypto transfers for Hydra users and received more than $15mn in ransomware proceeds.

Credit Risk

ECB Identifies Weak Risk Management at EU Banks

By Editors | 18/01/2023

The ECB identified “material shortcomings” in how banks manage counterparty credit risks. Banks should “promptly address weaknesses”.

Anti-Money Laundering

UK Linked ‘Golden Visas’ to Crime Years Ago

By Editors | 18/01/2023

A review commissioned in 2018 and “kept secret for years” found a disproportionate number of golden visa applicants were from countries identified as high risk.