On this day: The collapse of Barings Bank Opinion On 26 February 1995, 31 years ago today, Baring Bank, one of the City’s most venerable institutions, was declared insolvent after a massive fraud by one of its employees, Nick Leeson, recalls Eliot Wilson In the 1990s, following the wake of Big Bang and the influx of brash but wealthy, “Greed is good, greed is [...]
Nationwide hit with fine after failing to flag Covid furlough fraud Banking Nationwide had been slapped with a £44m fine by the City watchdog for failures in its financial crime controls. The building society giant has been blasted by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for missing opportunities to identify fraudulent Covid furlough payments. The FCA said one customer received 24 payments, totalling north of £27m, over 13 [...]
Why your mobile phone is now more valuable than your passport Partner Partner content, in association with NOTO. A £6 trillion global financial cybercrime epidemic is being fought with technology that in some cases predates the smartphone, leaving financial institutions and consumers exposed, an expert has warned. Chris Thomas, Chief Revenue Officer at NOTO, a company providing next generation technology to combat financial crime, highlighted that the [...]
How money laundering took over our high streets November 13, 2025 American candy stores and vape shops are the new face of financial crime, hiding in plain sight, says Marit Rodevand Walk down almost any British high street today and you’ll see them: neon-lit candy stores selling purportedly “American” sweets, vape shops and barbers with a faded poster of Cristiano Ronaldo taped to the window. Superficially, these [...]
Brits swindled out of thousands by unregulated online financial advice October 29, 2025 People have lost thousands of pounds after acting on advice from online unverified sources, despite industry figures warning that their guidance can be misleading or incorrect. Over 40 per cent of Brits admitted to taking advice from online sources, including ‘finfluencers’ and chatbots, without first verifying its legitimacy, according to the latest data from fintech [...]
Themis snaps up Pasabi in AI fraud fight as financial crime costs soar October 3, 2025 London-based financial crime intelligence firm Themis has acquired fraud monitoring company Pasabi, in a move aimed to accelerate the use of AI in tackling one of the fastest-growing criminal threats facing businesses and consumers globally. The deal, approved under the UK Home Office’s National Security and Investment Act, is set to fold Pasabi’s fraud detection [...]
Barclays slapped with £42m fine for financial crime failings July 16, 2025 Barclays has been hit with a £42m fine by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for separate instances where the bank failed in its financial crime risk management. The City watchdog blasted Barclays for failing to check it had gathered “sufficient information to understand the money laundering risk” before it opened a client money account for [...]
Monzo slapped with £21m fine by City regulator July 8, 2025 Monzo has been slapped with a £21m fine by the Financial Conduct Authority after “repeatedly” opening accounts for “high-risk” customers. The UK fintech was blasted by the City watchdog for failing to keep the pace of its crime control with its customer and product growth. Between August 2020 and June 2022, Monzo signed up over [...]
Fintech hiring to boom after cyber attack carnage May 27, 2025 UK fintech is set for another shot of momentum after a series of cyber attacks on top retailers exposed a need for greater security expansion. Hiring in the industry is projected to increase 32 per cent in 2025 as risk and compliance becomes crucial amid surges in financial crime. Marks and Spencer suffered a near-£700m [...]
Major Companies House change launched as business leaders called to action April 8, 2025 Business leaders can now verify their identity on Companies House as part of a major drive designed to slash economic crime. As of today, 8 April, directors can voluntarily verify their identity before it becomes a legal requirement later this year. More than six million individuals will need to comply in the 12 months after [...]