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ARTICLE · 02 FEBRUARY 2026

A Line In The Sand: FINTRAC's Shift To Aggressive AML Enforcement

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
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The year 2025 marked a turning point in Canada's anti-money laundering (AML) enforcement landscape, with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada...

CanadaGovernment, Public Sector
Zain Rizvi
Zain Rizvi
Matthew Milne-Smith
Matthew Milne-Smith
Léon Moubayed
Léon Moubayed
Corey Omer
Corey Omer
Dylan Young
Dylan Young
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Enforcement shift has implications beyond the crypto sector

The year 2025 marked a turning point in Canada's anti-money laundering (AML) enforcement landscape, with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) adopting a markedly more aggressive approach. As the administrative agency responsible for enforcing compliance with the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA), FINTRAC launched a series of audits and enforcement actions that culminated in record-breaking administrative monetary penalties (AMPs) against reporting entities across Canada. These unprecedented penalties, particularly targeting the virtual currency and money services business (MSB) sectors, signal a shrinking tolerance for non-compliance and heightened regulatory scrutiny for all reporting entities.

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