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Regulatory Watch News

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  INTERPOL report finds AI linked to more than half of cybercrime in Africa

  Interpol

  August 4, 2026

  LYON, France - Artificial intelligence is enabling 55 per cent of reported cybercrimes across Africa making attacks faster, more scalable, and increasingly difficult for victims and platforms to detect, according to INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026. With more than 1.1 billion mobile subscribers recorded in 2025, Africa’s digital transformation is expanding rapidly. However, cybercrime legislation is fragmented and AI readiness in law enforcement agencies remains alarmingly low. The 40-page report draws on survey data from 36 African member countries and highlights a defining shift: cyber-criminality has evolved from isolated incidents into an industrialized, borderless ecosystem.

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  FCA finalises rules to cut firms’ transaction reporting costs by over £100m a year

  Financial Conduct Authority

  August 4, 2026

  Transaction reports are critical to the FCA’s ability to detect and investigate market abuse, monitor market functioning and supervise firms effectively. The new rules are designed to ensure the FCA continues to receive accurate, high-quality data while eliminating duplicative or low-value reporting. By removing unnecessary reporting the changes will reduce regulatory burden and support growth and competitiveness. The changes will save firms more than £100m a year. Therese Chambers, joint executive director of enforcement and market oversight, said: 'Transaction reports are the backbone of our market oversight work – they help us catch financial crime, monitor market stability and supervise firms effectively. 'By taking a smarter, streamlined approach to reporting, we're giving firms meaningful cost relief while ensuring we continue to receive the accurate, high-quality data that keeps UK markets clean and competitive.'

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  Czechia: Six indicted in large-scale VAT fraud case involving imports of goods from China

  European Public Prosecutor's Office

  August 4, 2026

  The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Ostrava (Czechia) has filed an indictment before the Municipal Court in Prague against five individuals and one company suspected of defrauding over €17.4 million (CZK 418 million) in VAT on goods imported from China. The case involves imports carried out through companies registered for VAT purposes in Czechia, despite not being established there. After customs clearance, the defendants declared that the goods had been supplied to companies in other EU Member States. It is believed that these recipients were in fact fictitious companies and that the goods were instead delivered to logistics centres operated by e-commerce platforms and subsequently sold to consumers across the EU. As a result, VAT due on the importation of the goods from China was allegedly neither declared nor paid.