The Work Rights Centre (WoRC) has published a report examining the growing backlog in employment tribunals, notable hearing delays and the impact on access to employment justice. MOJ data shows that by 31 December 2025 there were 65,117 unresolved cases across England, Wales and Scotland, a 43% increase over the previous year, with the volume of cases received now exceeding the number being disposed of. The report also highlights that since the COVID-19 pandemic ended the number of cases has continued to increase and the gap between cases received and disposed of is widening, leading to significant delays for both simple and complex hearings with some Tribunals with London South, reporting delays of several years. The report further reveals that these delays are causing claimants to forgo their cases and compromising the quality of evidence while disproportionately disadvantaging low-income claimants, disabled workers, migrant workers and litigants in person. Such prolonged delays negatively impact access to a fair hearing and remedy, reduce prospects for settlement and monetary awards and erode public trust in the formal legal system.

The Work Rights Centre (WoRC) has published a report calling for reforms to the UK’s work visa sponsorship system to better protect migrant workers from exploitation. Drawing on a six-country comparison (Australia, Canada, Finland, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, and the USA), the research reveals that current practices expose workers to overwork, underpayment, and coercion—risks that could contravene the European Convention on Human Rights by amounting to forced labour and degrading treatment. The report states that while the Home Office has undertaken some policy responses, such as increased enforcement action against non-compliant sponsors, there is little compensation or measures available for exploited workers, and the National Referral Mechanism is an inadequate framework for this. Moreover, an open letter signed by more than 130 experts from charities, the legal field, and academia reinforces the need for reform. The report asserts that without meaningful changes, the UK risks violating its international obligations and maintaining a system that facilitates migrant worker exploitation. It proposes three key reforms in this context, if the UK government is to remain committed to the employer-sponsorship system.

The Wolfsberg Group has published guidance outlining how financial institutions (FIs) should manage financial crime risks when providing banking services to fiat-backed stablecoin issuers. The guidance notes that while stablecoins offer benefits like price stability, global reach and fast settlement, they also pose unique risks due to pseudonymity and potential exposure to illicit activity. FIs are advised to apply traditional financial crime risk management principles—such as those used for banks and non-bank financial institutions—but tailor them to the specific risks of stablecoin issuers, particularly jurisdictions with evolving digital asset regulation.

The Wolfsberg Group has published its second statement on effective monitoring for suspicious activity, setting out a framework to support financial institutions in adopting innovative technologies within their monitoring programmes. The statement outlines three key pillars for responsible innovation (transition and validation, model risk balancing and explainability for transparency and effectiveness) having drawn  on the experiences of member banks in their respective jurisdictions and benefitted from technical workshops with financial intelligence units, policymakers and supervisory authorities. It encourages the integration of technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning into financial crime risk management programmes and outlines governance considerations to support implementation.

The Wolfsberg Group has published a statement on the application of a risk-based approach (RBA) to financial crime risk management (FCRM). The statement builds on the Group’s 2006 guidance and 2015 FAQs, and further defines the core elements of an RBA: proportionality, prioritisation and effectiveness. It aligns with the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) Recommendation 1 reforms and guidance on financial inclusion and notes that a supervisory regime which supports financial institutions in the application of an RBA is a key enabler of success. The Wolfsberg Group highlights recent engagement with member financial institutions, regulators, law enforcement, international organisations and civil society to embed the RBA through practical activities and confirms plans to update its existing resources to support implementation focused on effective outcomes.

The Wolfsberg Group has updated its Country Risk FAQs, aiming to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the implications of country risk in the context of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) measures, including customer due diligence (CDD) requirements.

The City of Wolverhampton Council has secured its first undertaking from a landlord who admitted engaging in various unfair commercial practices, using provisions in the Digital Marketing, Competition and Consumer Act 2024 (DMCCA 2024). The action follows a joint investigation by the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Private Sector Housing and Trading Standards teams.

Law360: A British-Chinese woman was imprisoned for more than six years on 24 May 2024 at a London court for laundering bitcoin converted from an alleged £5bn (US$6.3bn) investment fraud.

Stephanie Standen, a former Croydon Council employee, was jailed for four years as a result of defrauding the council’s fostering budget of £128,067.63 by falsifying records. Five other people were involved in the fraud and convicted of money laundering.

The Crown Prosecution Services has confirmed that Saaba Mahmood has been sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, for fraudulently claiming a total of £94,858.44 in benefits for her aunt, uncle and mother who were claiming benefits, while acting as their appointee. On 3 March 2020, Mahmood pleaded guilty at Manchester magistrates’ court to four counts of dishonestly failing to disclose information to make gain for self or expose another to loss and one count of fraud by false representation. Mahmood must also complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity and 150 hours of unpaid work in the community.

Ann Marie Evans, aged 27 from Barnsley, has been sentenced after she plead guilty to two offences under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 (MCA 1988) and two under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 (SO(A)A 1992) at Sheffield magistrates court last month. The offences related to an Operation Stovewood case, after Evans made a series of Facebook posts in which she identified two women who were alleged victims of sex abuse and holders of life-long anonymity and a third she wrongly thought was involved. The magistrate imposed a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, ordered Evans to do 60 hours of unpaid work and pay £100 compensation to each woman.

The Women and Equalities Committee has published a report calling on the government and local authorities to address racial inequality in homelessness services through stronger accountability, fairer decision-making and improved data. It recommended that councils collect and publish information on housing applications, temporary accommodation, homelessness outcomes and allocation decisions, disaggregated by race, ethnicity and gender. Ministers should ensure local authority staff can provide equal support to all groups and consider fairness training within the Competence and Conduct Standard. The Committee also proposed a national performance framework to monitor homelessness assessments, allocation policies and compliance with the Equality Act 2010. The report notes that evidence of racial bias in local decisions should be reported to the Equality and Human Rights Commission for investigation, enforcement and action where required.