United Kingdom

 

employee rights

Article

Compliance teams urged to prepare as U.K. Employment Rights Bill nears passage

2025-07-30T20:01:00+01:00By

The U.K. Employment Rights Bill is expected to pass into law this year and will affect millions of workers. Compliance managers are advised to hone their understanding of HR and equality issues in preparation.

uk visa

Article

U.K. shake up of immigration rules for skilled worker visas should prompt compliance review

2025-07-28T17:50:00+01:00By

As of July 22, U.K. companies hiring foreign nationals on skilled worker visas face higher salary and qualification requirements. Over 100 jobs were also removed from the list of roles eligible for overseas recruitment. Compliance managers should ensure policies are updated to reflect the changes.

uk ai

Article

U.K. regulator urges auditors to explain AI use in audits

2025-07-26T02:15:00+01:00By

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.

ESG concept

Article

Compliance managers should review sustainability data as U.K. consults on new reporting standards

2025-07-24T17:15:00+01:00By

The U.K. government promised to introduce Sustainability Reporting Standards in its manifesto. Almost a year after it came to power, it launched a consultation on June 25 on draft plans for these standards, which are largely based on those of the ISSB.

uk data

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U.K. data law tightens compliance rules, expands complaints process and raises penalties

2025-07-21T16:59:00+01:00By

The U.K.’s Data (Use and Access) Bill, passed into law on June 19, aims to boost the economy and simplify access to services like healthcare and policing. Businesses must understand the changes and ensure data policies and complaints procedures are current.

columnist_Sherr

Opinion

Compliance Week parent Verdian Insights acquires ECI membership, training and research efforts

2025-07-17T22:39:00+01:00By

Compliance Week has always been focused on helping you do your job better. In the past few months since our acquisition by Verdian Insights, we’ve been proud to expand our efforts to include online community with CW Connect, job boards and resume sharing with CW Careers. These resources add to ...

UK privacy

Article

10 tips to comply with the U.K.’s new data law

2025-07-17T18:54:00+01:00By

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.

AI_data_privacy

Article

U.K. hopes to create ‘third way’ in AI regulation between EU and U.S.

2025-07-15T18:13:00+01:00By

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.

fca

Article

U.K. extends bullying and harassment rules to 37,000 financial services firms

2025-07-14T15:36:00+01:00By

Serious bullying and harassment count as misconduct in regulated financial services firms, per a July 1 clarification by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, which said non-financial misconduct rules now applied only to banks will extend to 37,000 more firms starting September 1, 2026.

Google building

News Brief

Google AI Overviews under EU scrutiny after publishers file antitrust complaint

2025-07-10T19:31:00+01:00By

Google has once again been hit with an antitrust complaint. This time, it’s not about its Chrome browser or Google Search business, but instead the company’s use of AI.

tariffs

Article

U.S. tariffs and compliance: what U.K. and EU companies need to consider

2025-07-10T12:00:00+01:00By

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.

AdobeStock_508654645_Editorial_Use_Only

Article

U.K. updates pension and asset manager rules, but internal auditors flag governance gaps

2025-07-09T19:15:00+01:00By

Will “taking an axe to” red tape and onerous reporting commitments free up trillions invested in U.K. pensions and increase the value of assets managed by regulated financial services firms?

Bank AML

News Brief

FCA fines Monzo digital bank $28 million for AML, KYC failures

2025-07-08T20:09:00+01:00By

Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority has fined the online bank Monzo the equivalent of more than $28 million for failing to properly collect customer information and protect against financial crimes. The move is the latest in a series of efforts by British authorities to combat chronic money laundering and other crimes ...

fca.jpeg.crdownload

Article

FCA drops ‘naming and shaming’ approach – except in ‘exceptional circumstances’

2025-07-07T17:45:00+01:00By

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.

EU business

News Brief

European Commission unveils a simpler, more competitive EU Single Market, but businesses remain skeptical

2025-07-03T15:51:00+01:00By

The EU’s new strategy aims to boost SME growth and cut market barriers, but businesses doubt reforms will happen, and consumer groups fear weaker data protections.

eu uk agreement

Article

EU, UK agree to reset rules on agrifoods, mergers and carbon trading as part of post-Brexit reset

2025-06-24T17:21:00+01:00By

Four years after Brexit, the U.K. and EU announced a “reset” that will ease barriers to importing and exporting food, drink, and agricultural produce. It may also harmonize rules around carbon emissions trading systems, simplifying compliance for multinational organizations that are large emitters, and enable more young people to gain ...

uk fraud

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UK’s Failure to Prevent Fraud law may expose firms to unlimited fines and prosecution, says Moody’s compliance risk expert

2025-06-19T19:28:00+01:00By

Fraud now accounts for around 40% of all crime in the U.K., posing a major problem for banks and consumers. Ted Datta, head of industry practice for financial crime compliance at Moody’s, warns that the risk is growing fast.

crypto enforcement

Article

Crypto firms brace for tighter UK oversight as FCA plots integration with financial markets

2025-06-16T18:04:00+01:00By

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 ...

Bribery

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Bribery risk elevated, experts say, as DOJ narrows FCPA enforcement

2025-06-16T14:20:00+01:00By

When the U.S. Department of Justice announced a six-month enforcement pause of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in February, many speculated that the risks posed by bribery had been lowered. So when the DOJ said last week that it would resume launching FCPA investigations, it may just seem like ...

GDPR EU flag

Article

Seven years in, GDPR faces growing challenges from AI and ‘consent or pay’ models

2025-06-12T15:51:00+01:00By

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.

ai washing

Article

What is AI washing and why companies need to stop exaggerating their AI prowess

2025-06-09T15:18:00+01:00By

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 ...

finfluencers

Article

U.K. reins in crypto firms to combat ‘scandal’ of freewheeling finfluencers

2025-06-04T15:24:00+01:00By

Up to 25,000 people a year in the U.K. are illegally promoting financial products or offering financial advice on social media, but none have yet appeared in court, according to the first Treasury Select Committee meeting on the subject of so-called “finfluencers.” Regulated financial services firms must comply with strict ...

AdobeStock_1323909767

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UK regulator’s efforts to coax self-reporting fraud could fall flat, experts warn

2025-05-29T13:25:00+01:00By

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 ...

phone with financials

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Why tight controls matter for financial content on social media, says FPC’s O’Shaughnessy

2025-05-23T15:49:00+01:00By

Financial Planning Corporation is a regulated financial planning firm founded 40 years ago, gaining coveted Chartered status in 2008. As the U.K. financial regulator, the FCA promises to clamp down on unregulated “finfluencers” on social media. Moira O’Shaughnessy, managing partner and head of risk and compliance at FPC, explains why ...

uk cybersecurity

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Calls for audit reforms intensify after hackers attack Harrods and other top UK retailers

2025-05-16T12:00:00+01:00By

Cyberattacks on major UK retailers, including Marks & Spencer, Harrods and Co-op, left the companies scrambling to reassure customers and staff about stolen data, pushing issues of cybersecurity and cyber resilience back into the national debate. Now the question is whether compliance managers should expect more technology regulations, or will ...

AdobeStock_1396703855

Premium

Q&A: Symphony general counsel Corinna Mitchell on regulators’ push for supply chain resilience

2025-05-09T14:21:00+01:00By

Secure, resilient communications and trading platforms are critical both to financial services firms and to governments that know their economies depend upon them, says Corinna Mitchell, General Counsel at FS digital communications provider Symphony. That’s why her company is investing more in managing rapidly evolving compliance demands from multiple regulators ...

AdobeStock_1336372310

Premium

Why the benefits of bilingual digital accessibility go beyond compliance

2025-05-02T14:36:00+01:00By

Bilingual accessibility and security are key issues for Graham Rivers-Brown, digital transformation director responsible for internal and client compliance at digital transformation consultancy Empyrean Digital. He explains why being based in Wales has helped his company develop compliance expertise that gives it an unusual competitive advantage.

AdobeStock_654165526

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Delayed UK antitrust case underscores compliance, reputational risks

2025-05-01T14:39:00+01:00By

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 ...

Executive board

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Directors should be more accountable for failure, while also taking more risks, says U.K. regulator

2025-04-24T12:00:00+01:00By

Director accountability is back in the spotlight in the U.K., even as the government pushes for regulatory simplification to cut red tape and drive growth. This raises questions about how boards can be encouraged to take risks to grow their businesses while also being held more accountable for governance failings. ...

Bank of London British flag

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UK’s deregulation drive raises compliance risk, say top lawyers

2025-04-21T12:00:00+01:00By

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.

EU AI Act

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AI regulation: U.K. sits on regulatory fence between U.S. and E.U.

2025-04-16T12:00:00+01:00By

The U.K. has pressed pause on artificial intelligence regulation as its government comes under twin pressures from those who fear the growing power of unregulated AI and the overriding need to generate growth. The postponement of long-expected legislation means that the U.K. is left sitting on the fence between federal ...

AdobeStock_76930476

Article

U.K. aims to streamline regulation to boost economic growth as markets fall

2025-04-11T12:00:00+01:00By

The U.K.’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has promised a “radical action plan” to cut the cost of regulation to businesses by a quarter and boost economic growth. Now the Cabinet Office has written to government departments requiring them to justify every quango, with the presumption that these semipublic ...

AdobeStock_596125593

Premium

FCA faces criticism for email retention policy critics say risks erasing evidence

2025-04-10T12:00:00+01:00By

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.

Cybersecurity

News Brief

U.K. says company boards need to worry more about cybersecurity risks

2025-04-08T16:47:00+01:00By

The U.K. government wants directors and boards of directors to become more actively involved in cybersecurity risks facing public and private companies, as the world faces “alarming” threats from criminal gangs and malicious nation-states.

GDPRgavel

News Brief

EU looking to scale back GDPR in coming weeks

2025-04-04T20:04:00+01:00By

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation has been in effect since 2018, requiring companies to securely handle users’ personal data. The European Commission will reportedly review the regulations and claw back some of the rules, which could make doing business in Europe a little easier for these companies.

PwC

News Brief

FRC fines PwC, auditor combined $4.1M over 2019 work of Wyelands Bank

2025-03-27T13:11:00+00:00By

The U.K. Financial Reporting Council issued penalties against PwC and a former auditor over deficiencies on work related to the 2019 financial statements of now shuttered Wyelands Bank.

032025ComplianceWeek-078

Premium

When it comes to trust, make sure to verify

2025-03-20T20:13:00+00:00By

The increasing efforts to fight modern slavery across the globe are getting a boost from EU rules that require companies to track and report on the issue. But compliance executives can’t lean on easy databases and automated solutions, experts increasingly say, that supply chain companies may ignore or lie to.

FRC_web

News Brief

FRC launches probe into MacIntyre Hudson’s 2022 audit of collapsed LSG

2025-03-18T16:37:00+00:00By

The U.K. Financial Reporting Council has launched an investigation into MacIntyre Hudson’s audit of collapsed construction company ISG Limited, which abruptly entered administration in September, laying off 2,200 workers.

Financial Conduct Authority

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‘Abject failure’: U.K. lawmakers sound off on FCA’s failed 'naming and shaming' enforcement

2025-03-17T14:18:00+00:00By

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.

Markus Hornburg web

Opinion

Why are CFOs struggling to stay compliant?

2025-03-11T14:37:00+00:00By Markus Hornburg, CW guest columnist

CFOs are tasked with overseeing an organization’s entire financial processes, not least ensuring that financial operations remain compliant with the multitude of global regulations. It’s a heavy burden to carry that might be alleviated slightly with the help of artificial intelligence, writes Markus Hornburg, head of compliance at Basware.

Euros chained

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'Measured approach' or light-handed GPDR? Noyb reports only 1.3 percent of EU cases result in fine

2025-03-06T18:47:00+00:00By

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.

columnist_Sherr

Opinion

Compliance Week acquired by Verdian Insights as CW expands membership efforts

2025-03-04T15:11:00+00:00By

When I think of CW, I think about helping you do your job better. Sometimes, that means events where you share and learn from peers. Other times, it means publishing stories or case studies that spotlight truths you need to know, while looking around the bend at what’s next, too.

IIA_web

Premium

Experts explain why IIA's new global audit rules will be 'central' to securing high-quality assurance

2025-02-28T15:45:00+00:00By

Compliance teams should expect more support from their organization’s internal audit functions. That is the clear message from the Institute of Internal Auditors, the global body of national affiliated internal audit institutes, which has just put into action its new Global Internal Audit Standards.

Fake_Reviews_web

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U.K. competition and markets regulator wields new power to combat fake online reviews

2025-02-24T15:41:00+00:00By

Fake reviews of products and services are a global phenomenon, but regulators in the U.K. are beginning to use newly expanded powers to protect buyers and honest competitors following a recent crackdown by U.S. authorities.

Financial Conduct Authority

News Brief

FCA fines Mako $2.1M for ineffective financial crime monitoring program

2025-02-19T16:40:00+00:00By

Mako Financial Markets Partnership will pay $2.1 million (1.7 million pounds) in penalties to the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority to settle allegations that its financial crime prevention program was ineffective.

Forced labor hands

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U.K. Employment Rights Bill promises to thwart forced labor through new consolidated regulator

2025-02-14T19:17:00+00:00By

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.

SFO

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Experts question effectiveness of new enforcement tool SFO is finally wielding

2025-02-10T16:42:00+00:00By

The U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office has made its first use of an enforcement tool that was meant to bring oligarchs and kleptocrats to book. But lawyers are unsure whether the move signifies either a change in direction or fortune for the agency.

UK data

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Experts: U.K. digital market reforms a ‘watershed moment,’ could speed up enforcement

2025-02-04T15:52:00+00:00By

The U.K.’s competition regulator has outlined new plans to regulate Big Tech firms that will enable it to take a much more flexible and proactive approach towards investigations.

Wise Payments

News Brief

CFPB issues $2.5M penalty against Wise in last action of Chopra era

2025-02-03T21:18:00+00:00By

A fine by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) against the U.S arm of London-based foreign exchange company Wise could be one of the agency’s final actions as a new regulatory regime reportedly froze rules and litigation amid calls for defunding.

Financial Conduct Authority

News Brief

FCA dings Infinox in first fine under U.K. capital market reforms of 2018

2025-01-29T18:43:00+00:00By

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority issued a landmark fine against trading platform Infinox Capital for failing to report “high-risk” transactions, the first-ever enforcement under a 2018 law.