Daily FinCrime Brief – 2025‑11‑25

🔍 Executive Summary

• Global sanctions activity has intensified across asset freezes, service prohibitions, and investment bans.
• Crypto and fintech platforms face heightened scrutiny due to Russia‑linked exposure.
• FATF updated its jurisdiction list, reinforcing risk around AML/CFT/CPF deficiencies.
• Major laundering networks show deep cross‑border integration between Europe and Russia.
• UK authorities seized significant assets tied to a large sanctions‑evasion and laundering operation.

🌍 Regional Breakdown

Global — Financial Sanctions Statistics 2025: Hidden Numbers Exposed

Source: CoinLaw
Date: 2025-11-25
Topic: Sanctions
Asset freezes now account for roughly 52% of all financial sanctions globally, service‑prohibition cases are up 28%, and investment bans now span 14% more jurisdictions in 2025.
Link: CoinLaw

Europe — EU sanctions against A7A5 and Payeer come into effect

Source: Elliptic Blog
Date: 2025-11-25
Topic: Sanctions / Crypto‑DeFi Crime
The EU sanctioned Payeer, a crypto payments service provider registered in Vanuatu that supported Russia‑based clients including the sanctioned app store RuStore.
Link: Elliptic Blog

Global — FATF Identifies Jurisdictions with AML/CFT/CPF Deficiencies

Source: FinCEN
Date: 2025-11-21
Topic: Regulation
The FATF updated its public statements and jurisdiction lists, highlighting strategic AML/CFT/CPF weaknesses and urging enhanced counter‑measures, especially concerning proliferation‑related risks.
Link: FinCEN

Europe — Ex‑Wirecard exec Jan Marsalek linked to Russia’s “Smart” laundering network

Source: AML Intelligence
Date: 2025-11-25
Topic: Money Laundering
Authorities linked former Wirecard executive Jan Marsalek to the “Smart” Russian laundering network funnelling funds through Bulgarian channels and European financial infrastructure.
Link: AML Intelligence

United Kingdom — NCA targets sanctions‑circumvention network with major seizures

Source: Duane Morris
Date: 2025-11-21
Topic: Sanctions Evasion
The UK NCA arrested 45 individuals and seized £25m in assets, alongside additional seizures abroad; the network had also acquired a Kyrgyz bank to facilitate sanctions‑circumvention activity.
Link: Duane Morris

📌 Final Notes

The financial‑crime landscape is shifting fast, with sanctions pressure rising, crypto platforms under sharper scrutiny, and complex cross‑border laundering networks expanding. Use these insights to validate your frameworks against emerging risks in trade sanctions, digital‑asset exposure, and multinational criminal structures.