Compliance
Nervy times for Britain’s HNW Russian community
Murders, political sanctions and now unexplained wealth orders on Russian-owned homes...
Crime Agency secures first Unexplained Wealth Orders against two properties worth £22m
Ownerships of two properties in London and the South East are being investigated under new Criminal Finances powers, which have been dubbed the "McMafia Law"
Propertymark launches ‘Passport’ tool to help estate agents combat money laundering
Propertymark Passport uses biometric checks to assess the authenticity of identity documents from anywhere in the world
Khan ‘bitterly disappointed’ with lack of progress on property market transparency
London Mayor livid as ministers announce further delays to 'much-needed' public register revealing foreign ownership of UK properties...
Asian investors unlikely to be put off by UK’s public ownership register
Forthcoming measure may even increase the appeal for buyers, says Hong Kong-based investment firm...
Public register of overseas property ownership will be live in early 2021
"World first" register is being designed to tackle money laundering
New money laundering watchdog, with teeth, to launch in January
The Treasury has created a new watchdog to "tighten the UK’s defences against dirty money whilst minimising unnecessary burdens on legitimate business".
Exchange in one day? Yes, it’s possible
Teams from Moore Blatch and Prime Purchase managed to get an £8m deal over the line in a single day last month. Ed Whittington tells us how...
Building on Bitcoin: Cryptocurrency, blockchain and the future of property transacting
Will the owner of a £17m mansion in Notting Hill manage to pull off the UK's first Bitcoin-only property deal?
UK real estate sector ‘not ready for GDPR’
Significant tightening of data protection regulation less than a year away, but survey finds 35% of real estate and construction firms have "no awareness at all"
Understanding the risks of tax evasion in property transactions
With tough new rules now in place, it's important not just to do the right thing, but to be seen to be clearly doing the right thing – and being able to prove it, says Edward Powles
US regulators ramp up scrutiny of luxury resi deals
The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is putting high-end real estate transactions further under the microscope in a bid to stamp out dodgy dealings.