Aaron Nicodemus acknowledges Google’s decision to stop selling ads based on user browsing history as a good first step, while Kyle Brasseur laments apparent red flags ignored in the seemingly impending collapse of Greensill Capital. For more Nailed It or Failed It, click here.
Financial Services
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Biden influence apparent in SEC 2021 examination priorities
The long-awaited 2021 examination priorities of the Securities and Exchange Commission were released Wednesday, with climate- and ESG-related risks unsurprisingly among areas that will receive enhanced focus.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
SEC halt on ‘meme stocks’ just the beginning of GameStop fallout?
The SEC over the last month has suspended trading on securities offered by 21 companies in reaction to market volatility caused by “apparent social media attempts to artificially inflate their stock price.” Could the trend lead to further regulation?
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Robinhood, FINRA discussing settlement over 2020 outages
Online stock-trading platform Robinhood said it may face at least $26.6 million in costs related to resolving investigations by FINRA concerning its options-trading practices and outages its platform suffered last year.
Posted inRisk Management
Banks filing more SARs amid pandemic; is this the right approach?
An increase in the submission of suspicious activity reports for cash values that fall under the mandatory $10,000 transaction reporting threshold last year is a proactive step by banks, but more can always be done, writes Martin Woods.
Posted inEurope
HSBC promotes group compliance chief to executive role
HSBC announced the promotion of Group Chief Compliance Officer Colin Bell to CEO of HSBC Europe and HSBC Bank amid a flurry of senior management changes.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
BitPay fined $507K for digital currency sanctions violations
The Office of Foreign Assets Control reached a $507,375 settlement with digital currency platform BitPay for lapses in its sanctions compliance procedures that led to 2,102 apparent violations of multiple sanctions programs.
Posted inInternal Controls
Done right, outsourcing compliance can be rewarding
Should you consider outsourcing some of your firm’s compliance functions? Perhaps, even, all of them? The answer is complicated and requires a thorough analysis of the risks and rewards.
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
James Freis did the right thing at Wirecard … but why didn’t anyone else?
At the end of the sorry Wirecard saga, James Freis may be one of the very few former senior employees who can hold his head high, writes Martin Woods.
Posted inSurveys & Benchmarking
ACAMS survey: FinCEN Files leak a positive for financial industry?
Many compliance professionals in the financial industry believe last year’s leak of 2,100 suspicious activity reports from FinCEN had an overall positive impact on global efforts to fight financial crime, according to an ACAMS survey.
