Insights

With the use of buy now, pay later (BNPL) services increasing worldwide, authorities are working out how to ensure they are properly regulated and that consumers have an appropriate level of protection.

New UK National Lottery operator Allwyn is under investigation by the Gambling Commission over alleged delays in its rollout of promised reforms, as the regulator itself faces a two-pronged legal assault over its handling of the nationwide draw.

Leading Philippine online gambling companies have created an industry association to promote compliance and public awareness as the Senate scrutinises bills calling for tighter regulation or a full ban.

In a sweeping move aimed at guaranteeing fair access to financial services for all Americans, President Trump has issued an executive order targeting “politicized or unlawful debanking” by financial institutions and federal regulators.

Australian remittance service businesses must use their registration or see it cancelled, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) has said, launching a voluntary deregistration drive.

A federal court in North Dakota has struck down the Federal Reserve’s revised debit card interchange fee rule, concluding that the US central bank overstepped its statutory authority under the Durbin Amendment.

In July, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) published its 2025 System Priorities for the regulated financial sector. This is the first time that the NCA has directly communicated a list of priorities to firms.

On June 10, 2025, the European Banking Authority (EBA) published a “no action letter” on the interplay between Directive EU 2015/2366 (Payment Services Directive 2 – PSD2) and Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (Markets in Crypto-assets – MiCA). In the preceding regulatory influencer, an examination of the EBA’s letter was provided. The letter provided a positive step in the right direction, clarifying specific uncertainties surrounding the applicability of PSD2 to certain crypto-asset service providers (CASPs).

The Gambling Commission has said it is responding constructively to criticism from the UK statistics watchdog of its new gambling harm survey, but there remains widespread concern over the ferocity with which reform campaigners have leapt on its vastly higher problem gambling figures.

When the two dominant U.S. sports-betting operators hosted second-quarter earnings calls on Thursday, their bosses reassured analysts they were closely monitoring developments with the prediction markets but would remain on the sidelines for now.