Supervision

Are EU regulations making investing bland? Gregory Kennedy explores the balance between safety and innovation, and why investors crave flavourful returns.

As Europe’s watchdogs tighten scrutiny on Article 8 funds, managers must now defend their classifications or risk being challenged across EU markets.

Luxembourg’s financial watchdogs are stepping up their scrutiny of terrorist financing amid concerns that the Grand Duchy’s status as an international financial hub makes it vulnerable to abuse by illicit actors.

Luxembourg’s financial supervisor, the CSSF, is charting new territory with its ambitious adoption of sovereign cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence.

Martine Solovieff, Luxembourg’s top criminal prosecutor, has issued a stark warning regarding the country’s persistent struggle with financial crime investigations, citing overwhelming caseloads and staffing shortages as key obstacles.

Banque Havilland, once a discreet player in the European private banking sector, is now caught in a severe regulatory storm. This case has also reignited old tensions related to the 2009 sale of Icelandic bank Kaupthing’s Luxembourg unit to the Rowland family, the financiers behind Banque Havilland.

Banque Havilland, a Luxembourg-headquartered private bank controlled by Prince Andrew’s longtime financial adviser David Rowland, has effectively been put out of business in Europe following a coordinated clamp-down by EU regulators amid persistent governance and money laundering issues.

The CSSF has fined BGL BNP Paribas three million euro for significant lapses in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing compliance. It’s the second-largest fine ever imposed for AML failings in Luxembourg.

Luxembourg’s banking sector, once heralded for its stability and strong governance, is now grappling with substantial hurdles in adhering to anti-money laundering (AML) regulations, a new consultancy report reveals.