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Finance watchdogs press Morgan Stanley on work with wealthy clients who have been flagged about money laundering

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Finance watchdogs press Morgan Stanley on work with wealthy clients who have been flagged about money laundering

Morgan Stanley shares fell the most in five months after a report that a cadre of U.S. regulators are scrutinizing the firm’s efforts to prevent potential money laundering by wealthy clients.

The Securities and Exchange Commission, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and other Treasury Department offices are digging into whether the New York-based bank has done enough to investigate the identities of risky clients, the Wall Street Journal wrote, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. The Federal Reserve was already known to be looking into those controls last year.

The stock fell 5.3% to $86.84 during regular trading in New York on Thursday, its biggest drop since mid-October. A Morgan Stanley spokesperson declined to comment.

The SEC and the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network have sought information on certain clients outside the U.S. who’ve raised red flags and the bank’s policies to address it, the Journal said. Specifically, the SEC pressed Morgan Stanley about why it did business with some who had been cut off by E*Trade, the digital-trading platform the company acquired.

The inquiries, which haven’t been publicly disclosed by the bank, focus on a wealth management arm that has swelled into Morgan Stanley’s biggest business, generating almost half of the company’s revenue last year. The U.S. government has been ramping up pressure on the industry to tighten money-laundering controls as authorities make greater use of sanctions.

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The bank has told regulators it’s improving controls and procedures and met with Federal Reserve officials to allay concerns last year.

The OCC also sent the firm a formal warning last year, known as a matter requiring attention, demanding executives address its concerns, according to the Journal. That followed an annual exam of the bank’s anti-money-laundering programs, and a document shows the bank sent the regulator detailed plans for action, the publication said.

Regulators have issued MRAs with greater frequency in recent years. When concerns are deemed more urgent, they also issue matters requiring immediate attention. Such notices are typically flagged to the board and generate a reply including a time line for corrective action. Deeper investigation or enforcement action may follow if officials are dissatisfied.

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3 stocks to watch in 2026

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3 stocks to watch in 2026
Looking to add some new stocks to your portfolio? Gibbens Capital president and chief investment officer Mark Gibbens has three suggestions. Find out what they are in the video above. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination.
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Hong Kong to boost tech and finance services integration amid AI boom: Paul Chan

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Hong Kong to boost tech and finance services integration amid AI boom: Paul Chan

Hong Kong’s finance chief has pledged to further integrate financial services with technology innovation to foster a thriving ecosystem, following a surge in investor interest in artificial intelligence-related stocks during the first trading day of the year.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on Sunday also emphasised Hong Kong’s role as an international capital market in fuelling the growth of frontier mainland Chinese tech firms with the city’s funding and liquidity.

“We welcome these enterprises to list and raise capital in Hong Kong and also encourage them to settle in the city to establish research and development (R&D) centres, transform their research outcomes, and set up advanced manufacturing facilities,” Chan said on his weekly blog.

“We support them in establishing regional or international headquarters in Hong Kong to reach international markets and strategically expand across Southeast Asia and the globe.”

The Hang Seng Index kicked off 2026 with a bang, surging over 700 points – a 2.8 per cent jump that marked its strongest opening since 2013.

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Innovation and technology giants spearheaded the rally, with the Hang Seng Tech Index soaring 4 per cent as investor appetite for AI-related stocks reached a fever pitch.

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