The Netherlands Public Prosecution Office has fined a company linked to a U.S.-sanctioned Israeli businessman €25.8 million ($29.9 million) for bribing officials in the Congo. The case began in 2018 and relates to bribes paid in 2010-2011, demonstrating the slow and complex process often involved in such investigations.
Ruth Prickett
Ruth Prickett graduated from Cambridge University with a BA hons in History and has specialized in business and finance journalism for the past 20 years. She was editor of Financial Management, the magazine for the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, for many years before relaunching and editing Audit & Risk magazine for the Chartered IIA. She has written for a wide range of specialist business titles and drafted white papers and reports for clients including HSBC and Vodafone.
Posted inEurope
Compliance must focus on corruption as EU and U.K. seek to tackle rising risks
Corruption isn’t something that happens somewhere else, in other countries and committed by other people. Nowhere is corruption-proof, and new rules being introduced in the EU and the U.K. aim to focus compliance officers on the full gamut of risks in all jurisdictions and every sector.
Posted inEurope
U.K. and EU commit to extending Russian sanctions and strengthening enforcement
As the U.S. relaxes some Russian sanctions to ease oil flows, the U.K. government has published a new Strategic Approach to Sanctions Enforcement, indicating that it does not intend to relax its focus on prosecuting sanctions breaches.
Posted inTechnology
Compliance must future-proof AI projects to meet evolving regulations
AI implementations are surging, but many new systems are being abandoned after companies have invested in expensive projects. Now evolving AI regulation is adding to the list of reasons why new systems may fail. Compliance must watch emerging regulatory developments and ensure that any new AI tools are capable of providing the interventions, insights, and audit trails that will be required to meet rules when they come into force.
Posted inEurope
Luxury brands told to tighten AML compliance as Dutch regulator fines Louis Vuitton
Money laundering is no longer a concern just for financial services and real estate. It is everybody’s business. But are most businesses adequately prepared for tighter AML rules? What does compliance need to know?
Posted inEurope
Q&A with Isabella Agius, client compliance head at Apex Group: AML keeps EU fund managers awake
Anti-money-laundering rules are the chief compliance concern for fund managers – and other sectors should take note – according to Isabella Agius, product head, corporate solutions, in the client compliance and regulatory services at Apex Group.
Posted inEurope
Sanctions enforcement set to increase, but gaps and inconsistency create compliance risks
Geopolitical volatility is causing rapidly changing sanctions regimes, but diverging rules in different jurisdictions create enforcement gaps that are exploited by sanctioned individuals and entities – and the routes used to evade sanctions are constantly developing.
Posted inEurope
European regulators fine banks for compliance failures and warn more investigations will follow
Crédit Agricole and J.P. Morgan were among financial institutions that found themselves in the cross-hairs of the European Central Bank for faulty risk assessments and risk reporting and failing to protect consumers from fraud risks. All of those companies fined also missed compliance deadlines.
Posted inFinancial Services
U.K. listed companies must adapt to new sustainability reporting regime by 2027
Sustainability reporting rules for U.K. listed companies are set to change. The U.K. financial regulator has launched a consultation laying out its proposals, which aim to align the reporting regime with the international ISSB standards.
Posted inFinancial Services
U.K. ‘buy now pay later’ regulation signals end of ‘Wild West’ fintech loans system
Firms offering “buy now, pay later” financing will become part of the regulated financial services sector in the U.K. from July 15. Compliance teams must act now to ensure they are ready to introduce rules and establish creditworthiness assessment processes, adapt systems, and change data processes before the deadline.
