The EU is extending its ground-breaking carbon border adjustment mechanism, which imposes carbon pricing on raw materials imported from outside the EU, to 180 downstream products made from those materials.
Europe
First standard for EU AI Act targets quality management regime
The first EU standard to drive conformity and facilitate enforcement of the EU AI Act has been published in draft and circulated for feedback among the countries involved, and compliance managers should prepare for it to be finalized and published by the end of 2026.
Top of mind compliance topics in 2026: Finance, immigration, supply chains and sustainability
What will you be doing in the coming year? We asked experts in a range of sectors to gaze into their crystal balls and highlight one legal development or compliance topic that will be critical for compliance teams in 2026. This is an edited version of what they told us.
Compliance told to focus on reality as Euro courts brace for slew of greenwashing cases
In 2025, the regulatory focus on greenwashing intensified globally. This trend is set to accelerate in 2026, and compliance has a key part to play in ensuring corporate statements are honest.
What 2025’s AI mishaps should teach compliance in 2026
If 2025 was the year generative AI took off in organizations in every sector, it was also the year we saw increasing examples of the risks of AI mishaps.
EU loosens AI and data rules
Europe has been at the forefront of designing strong—but flexible—rules around data use and the safe development of AI, but the EU recently announced plans to simplify some key measures around data privacy and AI governance, which have met with mixed responses.
EU financial firms must prepare now for new rules on critical third-party arrangements
European banks and financial institutions must prepare now for stringent new rules on third-party suppliers.
EU moves to simplify GDPR and AI Act obligations, raising compliance questions for companies
For the past decade, Europe has led in creating strong but flexible rules for data use and safe AI development. The EU’s new plans to simplify key data privacy and AI governance measures have received a mixed response.
Former Credit Suisse compliance officer charged with money laundering
A compliance officer is facing charges for laundering $7 million in a complex legal case in Switzerland. Swiss prosecutors have charged Credit Suisse, and one of its former employees, with failing to maintain adequate controls.
Pharma sector boom puts pressure on compliance to counter financial crime
Regulation is a matter of life and death in the pharmaceutical industry. Rules to combat practices that can kill have been in force for decades, but tech developments are rapidly creating new risks and focusing lawmakers’ attention on areas where some compliance teams may lack experience.


