The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes has announced that Bahrain, Lebanon, Nauru, Panama, and Vanuatu are now committed to sharing financial account information automatically with other countries. Jaclyn Jaeger has more.
Europe
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
FRC: What investors should expect in company records
Stephen Haddrill, chief executive of the U.K.’s Financial Reporting Council, wrote a letter to investors highlighting recent changes to companies’ annual reports and advising investors on what to expect in the coming crop. The report is “intended to be an important source of forward-looking information about strategy and risk,” he says. Perhaps most important, says CW’s Paul Hodgson, Haddrill directs shareholders to challenge companies when they fall short of expectations.
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
New EU auditor rotation rules have auditors playing musical chairs
Are companies ready for new EU-wide auditor rules coming in June? A survey commissioned by Big Four firm EY of 100 senior-level executives and non-executives in the FTSE 350 finds that while a majority, 83 percent, understands the rotation rules, only 42 percent have a plan in place. More than four-fifths said they will be involving investors in this process. “This is a welcome move as investors are essentially the owners of the business and it’s healthy they’re interested in ensuring quality audits,” says Stephen Griggs, managing partner for audit of Big 4 firm Deloitte.
Posted inEurope
Complying with Brexit
As the United Kingdom gets ever closer to withdrawing from the European Union, no small amount of economic turmoil and compliance headaches are sure to follow. For compliance officers at companies doing business in Europe and the United Kingdom, the possibility of a Brexit provides the sort of job security nobody is keen on having. Paul Hodgson reports.
Posted inEurope
How to stop banks from behaving like banks
In the never-ending quest to address the systemic risk posed by the banking industry, a team of academics and the Banking Standards Board have raised fresh initiatives to improve banking regulation itself. But are a globally imposed “risk tax” and a push to improve banking culture really what banks need?
Posted inBoards & Shareholders
Women on U.K. boards: A (partial) success story
Corporate boards across the United Kingdom continue to have low numbers of women on them, suggesting that the struggle to increase board diversity is going slower than planned. But progress is indeed being made, all while raising the difficult questions as to why it is not so easy to build a more diverse board, and what organizations can expect—aside from greater compliance with diversity quotas—once its leadership better represents women.
Posted inEurope
EU rule on derivative contracts aims for financial stability
Image: The European Commission has adopted a new set of rules that requires certain over-the-counter credit derivative contracts to be cleared through central counterparties. The rules implement a clearing obligation under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation for credit default swaps. “[The] decision marks another step towards making good on our G20 commitments to bolster financial stability, reduce risks and boost market confidence,” EU Commissioner Jonathan Hill said.
Posted inEurope
Gender pay gap reporting in the United Kingdom
The draft regulations on reporting statistics outlining the potential gender pay gap at U.K. companies were published in early February this year, and reactions to the regulations have on the whole been positive, says Jillian Naylor, employment partner at U.K. law firm Linklaters. Inside, CW’s Paul Hodgson provides an in-depth look at the proposed requirements and the effect they’ll have on EU firms.
Posted inEurope
Under Single Resolution Mechanism, EU banks get bail-in
The European Union’s Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM), part of a larger post-financial crisis initiative known as the Bank Recovery and Resolution Drive (BRRD), has recently received further implementation. The advancement of SRM means that banks must have recovery plans, but EU-level authorities can intervene if they sense a bank is failing, a.k.a., do a “bail-in.” The step is just one of many under the BRRD, which is meant to ensure the stability of financial institutions and banks.
Posted inEurope
Broadridge expands analytics capabilities across Europe
Broadridge Financial Solutions this month announced that it has enhanced its corporate governance solution offering in Europe by taking a minority stake and entering into an exclusive distribution and marketing alliance with AMA Partners. AMA is a Netherlands-based firm and provider of DirectorInsight, an analytics platform that offers data and analytical tools for independent analysis of corporate governance and executive compensation.
