Financial Crime Weekly Digest — 13 – 19 October 2026
Global enforcement actions, regulatory moves & intelligence from the world of AML & financial crime.
Insights
Insights
ADGM: the MLRO must be UAE-resident, filed with the FSRA for approval, and reporting twice a year
Chapter 12 of the FSRA's Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions Rulebook is short. It says who may hold the Money Laundering Reporting Officer role in Abu Dhabi Global Market, what the firm owes that person, what the person is answerable for, and what must reach…
Qatar’s Payment Services Regulation: the KYC and AML duties in section 17, from e-KYC to merchant approval
An e-wallet issuer or a merchant acquirer in Qatar is not left to build its financial crime controls from first principles. The Qatar Central Bank's Payment Services Regulation takes the existing AML/CFT framework, applies it to every licensed payment service…
Saudi Arabia: SAMA points financial institutions to Wathq, the non-profit centre and the Awqaf authority to verify the beneficial owner
Between March and July 2026 the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) issued circulars on one narrow question: where a financial institution should go to check who the beneficial owner of a customer is. Each circular names a different official body and a different type…
UAE: relying on a third party for customer due diligence, and the records you keep, under Cabinet Resolution No. (134) of 2025
Ask two questions of a customer file. Who actually did the due diligence? And can the firm produce it? Cabinet Resolution No. (134) of 2025, the Executive Regulations of Federal Decree by Law No. (10) of 2025, answers the first in Article (20), in a Division…
Mauritius: what the April 2026 high-risk country notice requires under section 17H
General Notice No. 358 of 2026 was published in the Government Gazette of Mauritius on 4 April 2026. It is headed "HIGH RISK COUNTRY", it comes from the Ministry of Financial Services and Economic Planning, and it names the Democratic People's Republic of…
Financial Crime Weekly Digest — 6 – 12 October 2026
Global enforcement actions, regulatory moves & intelligence from the world of AML & financial crime.
DIFC: what the DFSA’s 2 March 2026 amendments changed in the AML module
On 26 February 2026 the DFSA issued a Notice of Amendments to Legislation. Its Board had made the AML Rule-Making Instrument (No. 435) 2026 and the Glossary Module Rule-Making Instrument (No. 436) 2026, both to come into force on 2 March 2026. The DFSA's…
Qatar Central Bank’s DLT Guideline: approval before use, no anonymous users, and no permissionless networks for now
When a business line proposes putting a process on a blockchain, the first compliance question at a firm regulated by the Qatar Central Bank is not about the technology. It is whether the QCB has approved the application. The QCB's Distributed Ledger…
Saudi Arabia: SAMA adds non-resident property buyers to the Account Opening Rules, with a restricted account and no cards
On 1 July 2026 the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) issued circular No. (482004268), dated 16/1/1448H, updating its Account Opening Rules by adding bank account opening requirements for non-residents covered by the Law of Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis. The…
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