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Lithuania Hits Revolut With Record €3.5M Fine For Compliance Failures

Revolut, the UK’s most valuable fintech startup, has been slapped with a €3.5 million ($3.83 million) fine by Lithuania’s central bank over anti-money laundering (AML) compliance failures. The penalty, announced Monday, is the largest ever imposed by Lithuania’s financial regulator, underscoring growing scrutiny of the fast-growing neobank.

Regulatory Red Flags

The fine follows a routine inspection that uncovered serious lapses in Revolut’s AML protocols, including failures in monitoring business transactions and identifying suspicious activities. According to the central bank, these deficiencies left Revolut unable to flag potentially illicit transactions properly.

While the regulator did not specify whether actual money laundering had occurred, Revolut was penalized for procedural gaps rather than confirmed illicit activity. In response, the company emphasized that the investigation did not find any direct money-laundering violations but rather areas where its internal controls needed strengthening.

Revolut’s Response

A Revolut spokesperson stated that the firm immediately addressed the identified weaknesses and worked closely with Lithuanian regulators to reinforce its compliance framework.

“Revolut Bank is committed to the highest standards of regulatory compliance and took swift action to remediate procedural shortcomings,” the spokesperson said.

Revolut has since signed a settlement agreement with the Lithuanian central bank and implemented corrective measures to align with regulatory expectations.

A High-Stakes Fine For A High-Value Fintech

This regulatory setback comes as Revolut continues its meteoric rise in the fintech world. Valued at $45 billion following a recent secondary share sale, the London-based company has outpaced several of Europe’s biggest banks in market worth.

Despite the fine, Revolut remains financially robust, having reported a record-breaking £438 million ($559.5 million) pretax profit in 2023. However, the regulatory hit underscores the increasing pressure on fintech firms to tighten compliance as they scale globally.

With EU regulators keeping a close watch on digital banking disruptors, Revolut’s fine serves as a stark reminder: growth cannot come at the expense of regulatory vigilance.

Bank Of England Holds Rates At 3.75% In Split Vote As Inflation Risks Rise

The Bank of England kept its benchmark interest rate at 3.75% on Thursday, but the decision was not unanimous. In a 6-3 vote, the Monetary Policy Committee kept rates unchanged, while three members backed a 25-basis-point increase to 4%. Renewed energy price pressures have added to concerns that inflation could remain elevated.

Inflation Pressures Remain

Policymakers said inflation “is likely to rise further over coming quarters,” citing higher and more volatile crude oil and refined energy prices since the conflict began.

So far, there has been “little evidence” of significant second-round effects, such as broader wage and price increases. Inflation risks, however, are now “tilted to the upside” and have increased since the July Monetary Policy Report.

Energy Prices Add To Inflation Risks

Brent crude has risen 36% since July, reaching $106 a barrel on Sept. 14, while UK wholesale gas prices increased 78% to 207 pence per therm.

Higher energy costs can feed into transport, production and household expenses, raising costs across supply chains. Refinery pressures have also pushed crack spreads, the difference between refined fuel and crude prices, well above pre-conflict levels.

Economy Shows Resilience

Despite the inflation risks, UK economic activity has held up slightly better than the Bank expected. A softer labor market and higher borrowing costs are expected to help reduce inflation over time.

Previous monetary tightening is still working through the economy, according to policymakers. So far, the latest energy shock has not produced clear evidence of a broader wage-price spiral.

Major Central Banks Take Different Paths

The decision comes during a busy period for global monetary policy. The Federal Reserve raised rates Wednesday to 3.75%-4% in its first increase since 2023, while the European Central Bank recently lifted its deposit rate to 2.5%.

The Bank of Japan is due to announce its decision Friday, with markets expecting a rate increase. Thursday’s split vote shows that pressure for tighter policy remains within the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee.

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