When the new director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said in his maiden speech he favored paying whistleblowers in exchange for information, he might not have been fully aware of the implications.

Nick Ephgrave said financially incentivizing whistleblowers had “many benefits,” adding the United Kingdom has “fantastic legislation” allowing the SFO and other agencies to encourage assisting offenders to help progress large investigations quicker.

Neil Hodge is a freelance business journalist and photographer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom. He writes on insurance and risk management, corporate governance, internal audit, compliance, and legal...