United Kingdom

The Financial Conduct Authority supervises banks, payment and e-money firms, crypto businesses and life insurers. HM Revenue and Customs supervises sectors such as currency exchange, high value dealers and art market participants, and the Gambling Commission supervises casinos. HM Treasury writes the Money Laundering Regulations, and suspicious activity reports go to the National Crime Agency.

Yes. Remote onboarding is a risk factor to manage, not an automatic trigger for enhanced due diligence, provided the electronic identity check is secure and gives enough assurance that the person is who they claim to be. Government guidance also confirms that certified digital identity services listed on the government register can be used to verify customers.

From 30 June 2026 the thresholds are set in pounds rather than euros: identity checks apply to one-off transfers over £800 and other one-off transactions of £12,000 or more, the low-value e-money exemption is capped at £150, and casinos apply extra checks from £2,000. The changes also added checks on pooled accounts and excluded reinsurance.

Face matching uses special category biometric data under UK data protection law, so a business needs a specific legal condition, which is normally explicit consent. It should also carry out a data protection impact assessment and offer people a route that does not use their biometrics, which regulators expect in most consumer settings.

Telecoms providers, healthcare providers, general insurers and most online retailers and travel businesses are outside the Money Laundering Regulations. Their identity duties come from sector rules instead, such as Ofcom's General Conditions, CQC and GPhC standards, hotel guest records and online age checks. Currency exchange, large cash sales and high-value art are the main exceptions.