All in BSA

On September 8, 2026, FinCEN issued an Alert to assist financial institutions in identifying and reporting procurement networks supporting Iran’s aviation industry, which the Iranian regime uses to transport weapons, funds, and personnel in support of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its terrorist proxies. In conjunction with the alert, OFAC sanctioned 36 targets, including 27 Iranian airlines, for supporting Iran’s aviation sector, which the regime uses to move weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo. 

On September 3, 2026, FinCEN published an analysis and an alert to financial institutions to be vigilant about digital asset investment scams perpetrated by overseas scam centers. According to FinCEN, these digital asset scams are largely driven by Southeast Asian criminal networks, which operate industrial-scale scam compounds and leverage vast networks of criminal actors to facilitate and profit from scams.

On September 2, 2026, FinCEN, together with the Federal Reserve, FDIC, NCUA, and OCC, issued a joint statement to clarify that confidentiality requirements related to Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) do not preclude banks from communicating with their customers regarding potentially fraudulent transactions and other suspicious activity or account closures. The statement does not alter existing Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) legal or regulatory requirements or establish new supervisory expectations.

On August 17, 2026, FinCEN held an outreach event bringing together law enforcement and financial sectors to address health care benefits fraud, specifically focusing on the exploitation of hospice care services. Participants discussed new and emerging health care fraud schemes targeting federal and state health insurance programs, associated financial typologies and red flag indicators, and opportunities to boost awareness around hospice care fraud.

On August 7, 2026, FinCEN renewed its Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) designed to combat fraud in Minnesota and protect U.S. taxpayers. In early January, the Agency issued a Geographic Targeting Order requiring all banks and money transmitters located in Hennepin County and Ramsey County, Minnesota, to file reports with FinCEN of certain international funds transfers of $3,000 or more.