AUSTRAC’s Chief Executive defends financial crime regulator after NSW Police Assistant Commissioner said watchdog was ‘not swinging hard enough’

Regulatory Watch News

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  Treasury Targets Financial and Political Enablers of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik

  OFAC

  December 18, 2024

  WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating three individuals and four entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) that form part of U.S.-designated Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik’s (Dodik) financial network and enable the Dodik family’s continued attempts to evade sanctions. Today’s action also targets a BiH politician who serves as a key enabler of Dodik’s corruption and destabilizing political agenda.

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  FinCEN Warns of Fraud Schemes That Abuse Its Name, Insignia, and Authorities for Financial Gain

  FinCEN

  December 18, 2024

  WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an alert today to raise awareness of fraud schemes abusing FinCEN’s name, insignia, and authorities for financial gain. These FinCEN-specific fraud schemes include scams that exploit beneficial ownership information reporting; misuse FinCEN’s Money Services Business Registration tool; or involve the impersonation of, or misrepresent affiliation with, FinCEN and its employees. “We are very concerned about reports of scammers using FinCEN’s name to perpetrate fraud schemes against the public for financial gain,” said FinCEN Director Andrea Gacki. “We urge the public to be vigilant in identifying and avoiding these schemes and to be extremely cautious when dealing with unsolicited correspondence. FinCEN and its employees will never threaten a member of the public by email, call, or text, or demand immediate payment for any reason.”

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  Financial sanctions update: Russia

  OFSI

  December 18, 2024

  On 18 December 2024 the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated the UK Sanctions List on GOV.UK. This list provides details of those designated under regulations made under the Sanctions Act. The following entry has been amended under the Russia financial sanctions regime and is still subject to an asset freeze and trust services sanctions:

  • AUTEL ROBOTICS CO., LTD. (Group ID: 16643)

  OFSI’s consolidated list of asset freeze targets has been updated to reflect these changes.