Category: UAE

Regulatory Watch News

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  A global wake-up call to organized fraud

  UNODC

  March 17, 2026

  Bangkok (Thailand), 17 March 2026 –The Sawyers were never really interested in volatile investing. As their retirement age approached, the idea of a low-risk investment for their pension seemed attractive. But one day, after clicking on a seemingly legitimate online advert that offered a reasonable risk-averse plan, they unlocked a process that would lead them to lose over USD 2.5 million. “The scammer was extraordinarily believable,” Kim Sawyer, former university professor in Melbourne, said. “He had a British accent, used all the right financial market terms and knew how to induce us by appearing credible every time.”

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  Update to UK Sanctions List: Russia Regime

  UK Government

  March 17, 2026

  Today, Tuesday 17 March, the UK Government has varied 1 individual, corrected 3 entities and 1 individual and revoked (de-listed) 1 individual under the Russia sanctions regime. Varied Individual:

  Name	Unique ID
  Viacheslav KANTOR	RUS1127

    Corrected entities and individual:

  Name	Unique ID
  JSC BBR Bank	RUS3080
  PUBLIC JOINT STOCK COMPANY "TRANSCAPITALBANK"	RUS3459
  JOINT-STOCK COMMERCIAL BANK FORA-BANK (JOINT-STOCK COMPANY)	RUS3464
  Nikolay Dmitrievich PESKOV	RUS0862

    Revoked individual:

  Name	Unique ID
  German BELOUS	RUS0846

   

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  AMLA launches data collection exercise to test risk assessment models

  AMLA

  March 17, 2026

  The exercise will test and calibrate AMLA's risk assessment models, which serve two purposes: to inform the selection, taking place in 2027, of up to 40 entities for AMLA's direct supervision starting in 2028, and to ensure that money laundering risks of credit and financial institutions are assessed consistently by supervisors across the EU.