This week the Trump administration announced plans to exit more global initiatives, the SEC sends a warning to pop stars about cryptocurrency, and a local blogger may have aided in the case against Manafort.

100 reasons not to wait | You may have heard about a little thing called the gender gap, or even pay inequality. While there have been pushes to rectify these issues worldwide, the World Economic Forum just published a report showing that not only have we not moved the needle, we actually went backwards. Now the WEF estimates that it’ll take roughly 100 years for women to be at the same level as men. This data doesn’t just come from salary gaps (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says that the gender wage disparity is about 2%), it’s also because women are more likely to go unpaid, be out of the workforce, or have jobs with a lower average salary. But don’t worry, ladies, give it a century or so and we’ll be right there with them.

Take a bow | The Trump Administration announced its plan to bow out of global anti-corruption endeavors aimed at oil, gas, and mining companies. Those efforts were focused on pressuring corporations to release information they had on government lobbies, ensuring money (especially in third-world countries) was being used for things like schools and local infrastructure, and not being funneled into offshore accounts. Critics are saying the decision is “disgraceful,” “disappointing” and that it leaves the U.S. “less transparent than Russian and Chinese state-owned enterprises.” Sing it.

Pay no attention to the evidence behind the curtain | A whistleblower has come forward saying the Foreign Office (FCO) refused to act on her allegations of bribery and collusion, and blatantly told her to ignore the evidence she’d uncovered. London-based lawyer, Maria Bamieh, claimed to have proof that EU officials took money and colluded with criminals in Kosovo, but when she approached the FCO she was ultimately pushed out of her job. While the FCO swears all this isn’t true, Bamieh’s legal team is taking steps to get the case its day in U.K. courts.

Cautious coffers | Recently there has been a handful of celebrities singing the praises of cryptocurrencies, and the SEC is sending a friendly warning to them. They want to remind the VIPs that if they’re being paid for promoting, they need to disclose that information. In 2017 alone about 270 cryptocurrency companies have raised more than $3 billion through Initial Coin Offerings. The ICOs are treated the same as mainstream stocks—if an investor has ties to the company, they need to disclose that information. Now the SEC says they’ll be keeping a keen eye on all parties involved moving forward.

Fighting all who rob or plunder | A Brooklyn blogger is being credited for uncovering some evidence that may have been used in the indictment used against Paul Manafort. Katia Kelly, who runs a blog called, “Pardon Me for Asking,” wrote an article earlier this year that traced a dilapidated brownstone in her neighborhood back to the former campaign chairman. The post got a bit of attraction, especially after it was cited in an article from The Intercept. The indictment lists the property as an alleged avenue that Manafort and his partner Gates used to launder money and avoid taxes—the duo lied to banks about plans to rehab the brownstone in order to qualify for bigger loans, then turned around and spent the cash on more property investments. And a small-time blogger may have helped pin them.

Thanks for reading! Keep your eyes glued to this column for another roundup of the latest news from the wider world of compliance. And as always, please send any questions, comments, or leads to katherine.ohara@complianceweek.com.

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