Europe

Trying to reduce corruption risks around the globe, the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has voted for more disclosure of financial information from companies based in specific countries. This new requirement would also work in tandem with the European Commission’s tax transparency package, which calls for the exchange of tax rulings among European countries. More inside.

European regulators are urging banks to revamp their business models to reduce risk and enhance a culture of compliance. A joint report issued by the European Union’s banking, insurance, and market regulators says, “Despite numerous actions already taken by regulators and supervisors, both from prudential and consumer protection perspectives, recent misconduct incidents indicated that additional measures are needed to address and prevent conduct of business risks properly.” More inside.

Image: The European Commission has placed Amazon, Starbucks, Fiat Finance and Trade, and Apple’s tax probe on hold amid concerns about obtaining information relating to these cases, said European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager in a testimony before the European Parliament. While Vestager did not give a new deadline for the completion of these cases, it does not mean they’ll be off the hook for long. Details inside.

Amid Google’s recent antitrust debacle and the intense competition among some U.S. tech giants in Europe, the call for an EU strategy to monitor the digital economy has never been louder.  If implemented, according to reports, a pan-European digital regulator will supervise “systemic digital actors” and will have the authority to intervene when disputes occur. An EU-wide strategy to create a digital single market will be announced in May. Details inside.

The European Union is again planning to postpone new capital rules on EU banks to hold more capital when trading derivatives with unapproved foreign exchanges. In response to the financial crisis, the United States formulated its own trading guidelines without giving European regulators sufficient opportunity to weigh in, experts say. More inside.

Eurozone banks are expecting to provide more loans to companies in the coming months—a move that puts the banking sector back in the spotlight amid a downturn in recent years. The European Central Bank (ECB) said in its quarterly Bank Lending Survey that “there have been substantial improvements in the level of credit standards compared with banks’ indications one year ago.” More inside.

The British Parliament recently signed off on new legislation that calls for more information about the true owners behind U.K. companies. According to Transparency International, the U.K.’s property market is a conduit for “corrupt capital stolen from around the world.” Current regulations allow U.K. properties to be owned by secret offshore companies. More inside.

Image: The European Union is looking into the possible breach of antitrust laws in e-commerce practices. The inquiry may lead to enforcement actions against companies that restrict online sales and “abuse” their dominant position in the market. Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s antitrust chief, said that although the investigation will produce results in mid-2016, it “reflects the scope of the inquiry.” Details inside.

British banking regulators have released new guidelines to improve individual accountability in the banking sector. In the event of misconduct, senior managers who are capable of “causing significant harm” to a bank, or can threaten the integrity of financial markets, will now be held accountable in an investigation. Details inside.

Significant loopholes exist in many of Europe’s top banks, and concerns about cyber-breaches have skyrocketed, according to a new European Commission report. Despite the sheer complexity of IT systems, hackers have still made their mark on the financial services industry over the years. While banking IT systems have become more sophisticated—so have the threats. More inside.