The Bribery Act: To Disclose or Not To Disclose?
On 10 July 2025, the UK raised the threshold below which certain regulated firms can perform acts that would otherwise constitute a money laundering offence. The new threshold is £3,000. This is the second rise in the...more
New UK enforcement body goes live and new powers granted to existing body, regulating those doing business in the UK. UK trade sanctions enforcement risks are set to increase on October 10, 2024, as two government agencies...more
In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a broad and unprecedented range of sanctions were imposed on Russia by various countries and international bodies to target the Russian economy and prevent further...more
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) recently secured its first forfeiture of sanctioned funds. This was a landmark achievement for the NCA’s Combatting Kleptocracy Cell, which has only existed since 2022 and aims to...more
The recent ruling by the U.K. Court of Appeal declared that the U.K. National Crime Agency’s decision not to investigate the importation of cotton produced through the use of Uyghur forced labor in China was unlawful. This...more
The UK Court of Appeal recently held that the National Crime Agency’s decision not to investigate whether cotton goods manufactured in China and imported to the UK were the product of forced labour was unlawful — a decision...more
Firms that act as financial gate-keepers have obligations to report suspicions or knowledge of money laundering via Suspicious Activity Reports to the National Crime Agency ("NCA"). SARs have been filed for almost 20 years...more
On 21 July 2020 the National Crime Agency (“NCA”) released its Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20 (“the Report”). The Report outlines financial information and other data, and provides a snapshot of the NCA’s performance and...more
The Law Commission has published its much anticipated report on reform of the UK's anti-money laundering and terrorism financing regime, and in particular of the system of suspicious activity reports ("SARs"). The proposed...more
Lonsdale v National Westminster Bank [2018] EWHC 1843 (QB) (18 July 2018) - A bank was ordered to disclose, to a customer, suspicious activity reports (SARs) that the bank had sent to the National Crime Agency (NCA) at the...more
Canada legalised recreational cannabis in October 2018 and it may be that other countries follow suit. UK and US investors, and those who facilitate investments in legal recreational cannabis businesses overseas, need to be...more