All articles by Neil Hodge
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ArticleEU targets crypto, fintech firms in push to tackle money laundering
Europe’s banking regulator warns that weak compliance at fintech, regtech, and crypto firms may let money laundering and terrorist financing risks slip through. The EBA also found EU regulators’ approaches are often inconsistent and unclear.
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PremiumEmployees may fail to report fraud unless U.K. whistleblower protection is beefed up
In September, the U.K. will enforce its third “failure to prevent” offense under sweeping anti-corporate crime laws, but experts question whether it will actually change corporate behavior or embolden whistleblowers.
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ArticleU.K. proposes streamlining regime meant to hold fin serve executives to account
When growth slows, governments often cut rules to attract investment, as the U.K. has in its financial services sector, which contributes 8.8% of GDP, but easing the “compliance burden” raises concerns about oversight, governance, and prioritizing profits over safety.
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ArticleU.K. regulator urges auditors to explain AI use in audits
Plans to push audit firms to disclose how they use AI in audits have been broadly welcomed, but concerns remain over how corporate data is used, secured, retained, and potentially exposed.
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Article10 tips to comply with the U.K.’s new data law
Changes to the U.K.’s privacy regime will immediately affect how companies handle AI-driven decisions, cookie usage, and responses to data subject requests. As a result, experts are warning compliance teams to ensure their organizations take the legislation seriously and make plans to review data governance.
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ArticleU.K. hopes to create ‘third way’ in AI regulation between EU and U.S.
The U.K.’s data regulator has unveiled a new enforcement approach to AI development and usage that experts say seeks to carve a middle way between the strict rules applied by the European Union (EU) and the pro-industry, light-touch regime favored by the U.S.
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ArticleU.S. tariffs and compliance: what U.K. and EU companies need to consider
Tariff risk has probably rarely featured on many companies’ risk registers in recent years, but it now likely sits high on the agenda because of President Donald Trump’s tariff focus.
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ArticleFCA drops ‘naming and shaming’ approach – except in ‘exceptional circumstances’
The UK’s financial regulator has had a rough ride over the past couple of years as its strategy to “name and shame” firms it opened investigations into was widely slammed by the industry and lawmakers over concerns that companies could be unfairly maligned.
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ArticleCrypto firms brace for tighter UK oversight as FCA plots integration with financial markets
Trying to put rules in place to oversee an industry that has grown largely outside of regulation is not without serious challenges. But the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) latest consultation aims to attract industry views about how some key aspects of crypto trading should be regulated ahead of planned ...
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ArticleSeven years in, GDPR faces growing challenges from AI and ‘consent or pay’ models
Europe’s pioneering data protection legislation turned seven years old in May, but the compliance and enforcement difficulties that have dogged the rules since they came into force look set to present both companies and data regulators with fresh headaches for some time to come.
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ArticleWhat is AI washing and why companies need to stop exaggerating their AI prowess
The buzz around generative AI has reached fever pitch over the past few years—to such an extent that it’s practically a death knell for any company to say it’s not investing massively in gen AI to transform their business. There’s only one problem: many companies are either being misleading or ...
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PremiumUK regulator’s efforts to coax self-reporting fraud could fall flat, experts warn
To both clean up corporate behaviour and rack up its own enforcement record, the UK’s anti-bribery agency has seemingly largely guaranteed companies a pass from prosecution if they spill the beans on their misconduct. There’s only one problem: experts believe businesses may still stand a better outcome if they front ...
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PremiumDelayed UK antitrust case underscores compliance, reputational risks
Antitrust infringement cases in the United Kingdom can run on for years, but there’s a question whether issuing fines that are dwarfed by the revenues of those organisations involved is a worthy deterrent—particularly if they are imposed over a decade after the misconduct ended. It’s also debatable whether the first ...
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PremiumUK’s deregulation drive raises compliance risk, say top lawyers
The United Kingdom’s latest effort to encourage regulators to pare down rules to attract companies and investment as a way to stimulate the economy has received mixed reviews from lawyers.
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PremiumFCA faces criticism for email retention policy critics say risks erasing evidence
The UK’s financial regulator has come under fire for its announcement that it is going to delete emails after a year in an effort to become a more “efficient” regulator, raising concerns that it might accidentally erase evidence in the process.
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PremiumExperts: Companies ‘underestimate risk’ as first provisions of EU AI Act come into force
A European Union-wide ban on AI systems with “unacceptable” risk came into force on Feb. 2 as the first provisions of the EU’s AI Act took effect. Problems persist, however, over what the legislation requires and what corporate practices or uses of data may risk flouting the rules.
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Premium‘Abject failure’: U.K. lawmakers sound off on FCA’s failed 'naming and shaming' enforcement
U.K. lawmakers slammed the country’s chief financial regulator’s hopes of “naming and shaming” firms as part of its efforts to beef up enforcement, denting its credibility in the process and questioning the leadership of its chief executive.
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Premium'Measured approach' or light-handed GPDR? Noyb reports only 1.3 percent of EU cases result in fine
When Europe’s strict set of data protection rules came into force nearly seven years ago, privacy campaigners, industry experts, and lawyers all warned that noncompliance could result in eye-watering fines and other costly sanctions, especially for repeated breaches. However, the reality appears to be very different.
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PremiumFCA fine against Infinox Capital may signal widening risk for smaller financial services firms
The decision by the U.K.’s financial regulator to fine a small trading platform around ten percent of its annual profits under previously unenforced rules has wider ramifications for the sector.
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PremiumU.K. Employment Rights Bill promises to thwart forced labor through new consolidated regulator
For the past decade, the United Kingdom has tried to make companies more directly accountable for forced labor in their supply chains. But lawyers warn that the government’s latest plans to beef up protections against worker violations risk being heavily watered down and poorly policed by regulators.