Sanction Scanner Releases 2025–2026 Financial Crime & Compliance Report:
Global Risks, Enforcement Shifts, and the Future of RegTech
LONDON — Sanction Scanner has released its 2025–2026 Financial Crime & Compliance Report, presenting a concise yet comprehensive overview of the rapidly evolving global financial crime landscape. The report combines enforcement data, geopolitical shifts, technology trends, and expert commentary to highlight how AI-driven crime, sanctions evasion, and digital assets are reshaping compliance worldwide.
2025 marked a structural turning point: crypto-related crime accelerated, healthcare fraud reached historic levels, and AI became both a weapon for criminals and a core capability for compliance teams.
RegTech Momentum Accelerates
Global regulatory pressure and institutional risk exposure have driven rapid RegTech adoption.
Key findings include:
- AI adoption in fraud detection reached 73% (up from 49% in 2024).
- AI-enabled institutions achieved 40% faster analyst decisions and 60% fewer false positives.
- Deepfake-enabled scams increased 72%, prompting demand for biometric and behavioral tools.
- Crypto trading volume hit $9.6T in H1 2025, a 125% rise since 2023.
- The report stresses the need for transparent algorithms and hybrid AI–human compliance models.
Regulatory & Enforcement Highlights
United States
- 2025 brought significant enforcement actions, including the largest healthcare fraud takedown in U.S. history:
- 324 defendants, 96 medical professionals, $14.6B intended losses, $4B blocked.
- Crypto-related activity surged, with Binance maintaining ~40% market share. FinCEN postponed AML rules for investment advisers to 2028.
European Union & United Kingdom
The EU launched one of its biggest AML reforms:
- AMLA to supervise high-risk institutions from 2028
- Single Rulebook by 2027
- €10,000 cash cap; ID required above €3,000
Expanded scope: CASPs, luxury sectors, football clubs
Full Crypto Travel Rule enforcement
MiCA became fully applicable across the EU, while the UK expanded crypto oversight and advanced post-Brexit reforms.
Geopolitics, Sanctions & Cross-Border Threats
Key developments:
- BVI grey-listed by FATF; over 1,100 entities linked to global corruption cases
- Russia used high-risk crypto channels in Central Asia to evade sanctions
- El Salvador ended Bitcoin legal-tender status after a $1.4B IMF deal
- Canada executed a record $56M crypto seizure
- South Korea filed 36,684 SARs from VASPs in 8 months, linked to $7.1B in crypto crime
Record Enforcement Across Sectors
- Banking: Penalties reached $1.23B in H1 2025 (+417% YoY); TD Bank fined $3B.
- FinTech: Enforcement up 30% YoY; Revolut fined €3.5M, Robinhood $29.75M.
- Real Estate: Global laundering via opaque vehicles intensified.
- Healthcare: Large-scale insurance and medical fraud uncovered globally.
Evolving Global AML Frameworks
Countries tightened rules across real estate, crypto, legal services, and precious metals sectors. Regulators increasingly shift from reactive enforcement to intelligence-led, preventive frameworks.
Quote from Fatih Coşkun, CEO of Sanction Scanner
“AI has transformed both the threat landscape and the compliance toolkit. The same algorithms that protect institutions are being weaponized by criminals, creating a dual reality. In this era, automation alone is not enough; human oversight, ethical governance, and contextual intelligence are essential. The future of compliance will be defined not by data volume, but by how effectively intelligence becomes trust.”
Sanction Scanner’s Global Impact
In 2025, Sanction Scanner continued expanding its footprint:
- Serving 70+ countries
- Delivering real-time AML screening, sanctions monitoring, transaction monitoring, crypto compliance.
- Supporting institutions in strengthening governance and adapting to evolving regulatory expectations
- The report concludes with insights into the future of compliance: AI-driven risk prediction, digital identity ecosystems, global regulatory harmonization, and ethical AI governance.
Download the Full Report
