Aaron Nicodemus
Aaron Nicodemus covers regulatory policy and compliance trends for Compliance Week. He previously worked as a reporter for Bloomberg Law and as business editor at the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass.
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CFTC commissioner calls for AI framework in commodities markets
Kristin Johnson of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission called for the agency to launch initiatives addressing the use—and misuse—of artificial intelligence tools in commodities markets.
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FCA publishes guidance on anti-greenwashing rule
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority issued new guidance on how to comply with its upcoming anti-greenwashing rule, which is set to take effect May 31.
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OFAC fines SCG Chemicals unit $20M over Iran sanctions violations
A subsidiary of Thailand-based SCG Chemicals Co. agreed to pay a $20 million fine to the Office of Foreign Assets Control over “egregious” violations of sanctions against Iran.
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OCC cites three banks for risk management, BSA-related failures
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency cited three banks for unsafe and unsound business practices that mirror issues similar to what spurred last year’s banking crisis.
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U.S. agencies launch portal for reporting anticompetitive healthcare practices
The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Health and Human Services partnered to create an online portal for the public to report instances of anticompetitive practices in the healthcare sector.
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SEC risk alert warns investment advisers of marketing rule missteps
Examiners with the Securities and Exchange Commission found investment advisory firms have generally done well creating processes to comply with the agency’s amended marketing rule but some have fallen short in ensuring compliance.
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DOJ pilot floats NPAs for whistleblowers involved in corporate misconduct
The Department of Justice launched a new pilot program that encourages voluntary self-disclosure by corporate executives who are themselves involved in financial misconduct, with the incentive of a nonprosecution agreement for those who help an agency investigation.
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SEC’s Grewal: General compliance principles for avoiding AI washing
Gurbir Grewal, director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement, laid out general principles for “proactive compliance” to avoid making false or misleading claims about the capabilities of artificial intelligence products and services.
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FINRA orders Barclays unit to pay $700K over conflicts of interest
A Barclays unit agreed to pay $700,000 to settle allegations levied by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority that its research analysts violated conflict-of-interest rules and the firm failed to sufficiently supervise their trades.
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SEC fines five investment advisers in marketing rule sweep
Five registered investment advisers agreed to pay a total of $200,000 in penalties for allegedly violating the Securities and Exchange Commission’s amended marketing rule.
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Effective risk culture starts at the top. Everyone is required to make it successful
There is no magic wand compliance professionals can wave to promote a strong risk culture within their organizations, experts discussed at Compliance Week’s 2024 National Conference.
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KPMG Netherlands fined record $25M by PCAOB for exam cheating
KPMG Netherlands agreed to pay a record $25 million penalty levied by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board for allegedly allowing widespread cheating by employees on internal training exams and misinforming regulators about the misconduct.
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Experts: ESG gone mainstream, but new regs still create headaches
Environmental, social, and governance goals have gained acceptance from senior leadership because of upward pressure from employees, investors, and customers, according to compliance leaders speaking at Compliance Week’s 2024 National Conference.
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SEC official breaks down agency calculus for off-channel comms penalties
Sanjay Wadwha, deputy director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, discussed the agency’s rationale for issuing widely disparate penalties for off-channel communications recordkeeping violations, as well as violations of its amended marketing rule.
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Legal pushback prompts SEC to stay climate-related disclosure rule
The Securities and Exchange Commission delayed implementation of its climate-related disclosure rule until the courts can rule on appeals filed in response to the controversial policy.
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Ex-Albemarle CCO shares drivers behind data analytics success at CW2024
Former Albemarle CCO Andrew McBride explained at Compliance Week’s 2024 National Conference how he led the company’s compliance department to remediate the issues that led to apparent FCPA violations and how the team used data analytics to assess risks and implement compliance solutions.
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AT&T: Data leak exposed info of 73M customers onto dark web
AT&T said personal account data on approximately 73 million current and former customers was released on the dark web two weeks ago but has not yet identified when and where the breach occurred.
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CBP stats show persistent problem areas under UFLPA
It’s been nearly two years since the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act took effect, and as enforcement statistics and recent reports demonstrate, many businesses are still not adequately vetting their supply chains.
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Treasury report identifies AI use ‘capability gap’ between large, small FIs
A Treasury Department report assessing the use of artificial intelligence tools by the financial sector identified a “growing capability gap” in in-house AI use between large and small financial institutions.
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SEC to review registrants’ preparation for next-day trade settlements
The Securities and Exchange Commission wants broker-dealers and certain clearing agencies to know the expectations for the reduction of the settlement cycle for national and international trades from two business days after the trade date to one day.