Ruth Prickett
Ruth Prickett graduated from Cambridge University with a BA hons in History and has specialized in business and finance journalism for the past 20 years. She was editor of Financial Management, the magazine for the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, for many years before relaunching and editing Audit & Risk magazine for the Chartered IIA. She has written for a wide range of specialist business titles and drafted white papers and reports for clients including HSBC and Vodafone.
PremiumU.S. sanctions threat over EU digital regulation ramps up geo-economic tensions
President Trump has threatened to sanction EU leaders and impose further tariffs in retaliation for the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Will he carry this out? Nobody knows, but if he presses ahead with either sanctions or increased tariffs, it will escalate his radical use of U.S. economic and political ...
PremiumU.K. prepares to prosecute firms under new Failure to Prevent Fraud rules
The U.K. will start cracking down on companies under the new Failure to Prevent Fraud law on Sept. 1, with the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office ready to enforce it.
PremiumCompliance in the spotlight as tariffs, sanctions turn into geopolitical weapons
Navigating tariffs and sanctions is becoming a core part of compliance for many companies. As the U.S. and others use economic policies for political aims, compliance teams must adapt to this new geoeconomic trend.
ArticleFraud, money laundering, and sanctions prompt global regulators to increase scrutiny of law firms
Legal firms face growing global regulatory pressure, requiring compliance managers to focus on integrated systems, identity verification, and staff training to prevent crime and penalties.
ArticleCrackdown on late payments could lead to U.K. companies facing million-pound fines
Late payers will soon face much larger fines in the U.K. in what is promised to be the “toughest crackdown on late payments in a generation.” The scheme is intended to save the 38 businesses a day that go bust because of poor payment practices.
ArticleSanctions, tariffs, customs and sustainability create global headache for logistics compliance
The global logistics and transport sector is vast and constantly growing – as is the host of regulations that apply to it. Compliance managers must consider everything from planning regulations to employment law and health and safety, to import duties and customs rules, and global sanctions.
ArticleCompliance teams urged to prepare as U.K. Employment Rights Bill nears passage
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.
ArticleU.K. shake up of immigration rules for skilled worker visas should prompt compliance review
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.
ArticleCompliance managers should review sustainability data as U.K. consults on new reporting standards
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.
PremiumU.K. data law tightens compliance rules, expands complaints process and raises penalties
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.
ArticleU.K. extends bullying and harassment rules to 37,000 financial services firms
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.
ArticleU.K. updates pension and asset manager rules, but internal auditors flag governance gaps
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?
News BriefEuropean Commission unveils a simpler, more competitive EU Single Market, but businesses remain skeptical
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.
ArticleEU, UK agree to reset rules on agrifoods, mergers and carbon trading as part of post-Brexit reset
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 ...
PremiumUK’s Failure to Prevent Fraud law may expose firms to unlimited fines and prosecution, says Moody’s compliance risk expert
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.
ArticleU.K. reins in crypto firms to combat ‘scandal’ of freewheeling finfluencers
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 ...
PremiumWhy tight controls matter for financial content on social media, says FPC’s O’Shaughnessy
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 ...
PremiumCalls for audit reforms intensify after hackers attack Harrods and other top UK retailers
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 ...
PremiumQ&A: Symphony general counsel Corinna Mitchell on regulators’ push for supply chain resilience
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 ...
PremiumWhy the benefits of bilingual digital accessibility go beyond compliance
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.