Financial firms have made progress in preventing sanctions breaches, but serious gaps in governance and compliance remain, which are likely to result in keener regulatory scrutiny and potentially more penalties in the future, say experts.
Financial Services
Kalshi, CFTC clash with states over prediction market jurisdiction
The fight over who regulates prediction markets continues as the CFTC filed a lawsuit against another state for its attempt to cement its jurisdiction on these companies. One of these companies, Kalshi, fought back as well, suing the state of Illinois, adding to the growing list of legal battles over this still-emerging sector.
Chris Clarke, CCO at Bloomsbury Money, explains why asset tokenization and risk-based compliance are key FS trends
An early role in AML and due diligence in a client-facing role gave Chris Clarke his first taste of compliance. His background in Jersey, an international financial center that services global markets, made financial services an obvious choice.
By creating a new AI and exams position, SEC may be ramping up Marketing Rule enforcement
The SEC has created a new position on AI and examinations for broker-dealers and investment advisers. The move should signal to regulated entities that the SEC may begin applying more sophisticated AI tools to scour advertisements made by firms for false or misleading claims
Lawyers warn U.K. financial firms to prepare for faster regulatory changes with less consultation
The U.K. government is giving the financial and banking regulators more flexibility to make regulations without submitting these to a full consultation process.
Former AstraZeneca due diligence member settles insider trading allegations
A former AstraZeneca employee and member of a company due diligence team has agreed to settle insider trading charges brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Weiguo Zhai allegedly engaged in illegal insider trading prior to AstraZeneca’s announcement in 2023 that it would acquire Icosavax. Zhai was a member of the due diligence […]
No new rules as U.K. financial services sector champions AI
There are no new rules on the horizon as U.K. financial services firms embrace “AI-enabled, continuous and delegated services,” but a report warns that the technology could reshape the sector by 2030 in terms of how firms operate, consumers make decisions, markets compete, and risks emerge.
Amazon fined $2.25M for failing to respond to identity theft victim requests
Amazon has agreed to pay $2.25 million for failing to provide records to customers who were victims of identity theft, as required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said. The fine, described in a proposed order, is the largest ever levied for an FCRA violation, the FTC said in a […]
Merrill Lynch to pay $7.5M for failure to file Suspicious Activity Reports
Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch brokerage unit has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle SEC charges that it failed to file numerous Suspicious Activity Reports between April 2020 and September 2024 due to gaps in its transaction monitoring threshold.
U.K. regulator forces third FS firm to pay $42M for financial crime failures related to wealth management company collapse
The U.K. banking regulator has censured asset servicing bank CACEIS UK for failing to operate adequate financial crime controls. The bank agreed to pay $41.9 million in compensation to clients.


