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Citizens of Moldova will not be able to obtain Moldovan citizenship if they are under criminal prosecution, are serving or must serve a prison term as a result of a court sentence, or have an outstanding criminal record. Applications for the acquisition of Moldovan citizenship will be checked, including by employees of the Information and Security Service. Also, the authors of the draft law are considering the possibility of extending the application review period by six months. Amendments to the law enter into force from the moment of publication in the official printed body of the government. Applications currently pending will be processed under the new...

The bill was developed in opposition to the government's plans to carry out tax reform. In the near future, changes in legislation should be implemented, according to which the benefit for reducing the tax base will be: 10% - if income is received from assets owned for 2 to 5 years; 20% - if income is received from assets owned for 5 to 8 years; 30% - if income is received from assets owned for at least 8 years. The adopted bill offers a number of tax benefits for small and medium-sized businesses for listing on the stock...

Фінська служба імміграції повідомила про автоматичний моніторинг стартапів та ВНЖ, які видавалися за стартап-візою. Таких заходів вжито, щоб переконатися у відповідності підприємців до вимоги резиденції. Закон передбачає видачу дозволу на проживання особі, яка започатковує стартап або володіє новою компанією, яка націлена на розвиток. Перед тим, як подати заявку на отримання ВНП, підприємець повинен отримати позитивний висновок від Business Finland. Моніторитимуть відповідність вимогам до дозволу на проживання. У тому числі перевірятимуть переїзд підприємця до Фінляндії. Служба імміграції може автоматично перевіряти інформацію в національних...

Last year the service was suspended due to problems with regulatory authorities. Amid regulatory pressure on the company in the US, the organization faced problems in Europe. Binance withdrew applications for licenses in the UK, Austria, Cyprus and announced its exit from the Netherlands. “After comprehensively reviewing the strict controls and processes Binance has put in place, Mastercard has decided to allow platform-related purchases on its network,” a spokesperson for the exchange said in a statement. Most of the problems associated with using credit or debit cards in fiat currency on crypto exchanges are related to anti-money laundering...

The Malta Golden Visa is one of the most expensive. Investing almost 1 million euros, investors wait 3 years for a passport. And to speed up the process they pay three times more. Legal disputes between the EU and Malta continue and gain momentum. Back in 2020, the European Commission began proceedings against Malta and Cyprus for violation of EU legislation. The European Commission believes that Cyprus and Malta illegally issued passports to foreigners through citizenship by investment programs. The European Commission opposes economic citizenship due to investors' lack of genuine ties to the country that offers the golden visa. Since such investors often do not plan to learn the language, live in the country for a long time and integrate into the local society. In September 2022, the European Commission referred Malta's case to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The first public hearing into Malta's breach of EU regulations will take place on 17...

The new rules will apply to Swiss lawyers who provide services that may pose a risk of money laundering. This could be real estate transactions or company structuring. The Swiss Federal Council has already supported the introduction of stricter vetting of some advisers and the introduction of a closed register of beneficial owners of companies. In addition, the new law provides for a simplified registration procedure for some structures. Such as associations, foundations, private entrepreneurs, LLCs. At the moment, there is no specific time frame for when the innovations will take effect, but, of course, special attention is being paid to legal consultants in...

UK authorities are concerned about student routes being used for immigration rather than education. There are plans to introduce stricter standards for educational institutions that recruit students from abroad. If potential students at an institution fail to pass visa checks and enroll or complete courses, such institutions may lose their sponsorship license. In addition, financial requirements will increase and restrictions on distance learning will be introduced to ensure that all international students study...

In May, the list of countries that participate in the exchange of information with Italy was updated. Antigua and Barbuda was removed from the list as the country was added to the EU's list of jurisdictions that do not cooperate for tax purposes in November last year. At the same time, Aruba, Georgia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Thailand, and Costa Rica were included in the list. Now the number of jurisdictions to which Italy must provide data has increased from 82 to 87. Georgia, St. Kitts and Nevis and also Thailand have been included in the list of countries from which Italy will receive information. This list now includes 113...

A decision to remove Turkey from the “grey list” may be made at the end of June. Such a step could help Turkey stimulate the economy. The FATF team has already been to Turkey on an assessment visit. Measures taken to combat money laundering and prevent terrorism were reviewed. However, a final decision has not yet been made, as some FATF members are against it. Bloomberg reports that the Turkish government cooperated with the United States to freeze terrorist assets. In addition, Turkey has proposed a bill that should regulate cryptocurrencies to implement the latest FATF...