All articles by Ruth Prickett
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ArticleLuxury brands told to tighten AML compliance as Dutch regulator fines Louis Vuitton
Money laundering is no longer a concern just for financial services and real estate. It is everybody’s business. But are most businesses adequately prepared for tighter AML rules? What does compliance need to know?
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ArticleQ&A with Isabella Agius, client compliance head at Apex Group: AML keeps EU fund managers awake
Anti-money-laundering rules are the chief compliance concern for fund managers – and other sectors should take note – according to Isabella Agius, product head, corporate solutions, in the client compliance and regulatory services at Apex Group.
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ArticleSanctions enforcement set to increase, but gaps and inconsistency create compliance risks
Geopolitical volatility is causing rapidly changing sanctions regimes, but diverging rules in different jurisdictions create enforcement gaps that are exploited by sanctioned individuals and entities – and the routes used to evade sanctions are constantly developing.
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ArticleEuropean regulators fine banks for compliance failures and warn more investigations will follow
Crédit Agricole and J.P. Morgan were among financial institutions that found themselves in the cross-hairs of the European Central Bank for faulty risk assessments and risk reporting and failing to protect consumers from fraud risks. All of those companies fined also missed compliance deadlines.
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ArticleU.K. listed companies must adapt to new sustainability reporting regime by 2027
Sustainability reporting rules for U.K. listed companies are set to change. The U.K. financial regulator has launched a consultation laying out its proposals, which aim to align the reporting regime with the international ISSB standards.
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ArticleU.K. ‘buy now pay later’ regulation signals end of ‘Wild West’ fintech loans system
Firms offering “buy now, pay later” financing will become part of the regulated financial services sector in the U.K. from July 15. Compliance teams must act now to ensure they are ready to introduce rules and establish creditworthiness assessment processes, adapt systems, and change data processes before the deadline.
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ArticleEU and U.K. demand evidence to back sustainability claims
Businesses must come clean about green. The U.K. and the EU are enhancing and clarifying rules around corporate sustainability claims, with supply chains in their sights.
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ArticleU.K. financial regulator cuts cases to focus on investigations that achieve results
The U.K. financial regulator has dropped 100 investigations without action over the past three years, but compliance should expect a refocus of resources rather than a retreat from enforcement.
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ArticleDecision time for compliance as U.K. CCI regime ditches formulaic reporting to engage investors
A new U.K. Consumer Composite Investments regime comes into force on April 6 and will apply to all firms that manufacture or distribute CCI products to retail investors in the U.K. This includes some firms that are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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News BriefEY compliance partner leaves after independence failings prompt regulatory investigation
Four senior partners at Big Four accountancy firm Ernst & Young, including a leader in the firm’s compliance function, have left the company because of spiralling repercussions from a costly compliance failure.
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ArticleQ&A with Norm Ashkenas, CCO at Robinhood, on compliance challenges, opportunities and being a strategic adviser
Chief among Norm Ashkenas’ priorities is positioning compliance as a strategic adviser, supporting those leading this global expansion in a complex financial services world. He stresses that compliance puts a huge effort into ensuring that it is not seen as a back-office function.
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ArticlePrada cleans up supply chain with zero tolerance for compliance failings
Luxury fashion brand Prada has terminated contracts with over 200 suppliers in the past five years after a focused “zero tolerance” supply chain audit aimed at identifying compliance failings.
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Article‘Significant’ rule changes for EU alternative investment funds set for April 16
Significant changes to rules for EU alternative investment fund managers come into force on April 16, but most still have work to do to be compliant, experts warn.
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ArticleFrench investigators target anticompetitive practices in largest accounting firms
Major accountancy firms in France are under investigation for anti-competitive practices. The French competition watchdog embarked on a series of “unannounced inspections” and removed documents relating to audit and reporting on Jan. 13.
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ArticleExperts warn of increased global AML risks as criminals seek to launder Venezuelan money
The U.S. action to remove President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela and reopen access to the country’s oil reserves will have a significant impact on geopolitics and organized crime activities – creating new challenges for global compliance teams.
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ArticleU.K. Employment Rights Act will lead to rise in tribunal claims
The number of U.K. employment tribunal cases could rise following reforms in the Employment Rights Act 2025. Several changes take effect this year, including shorter unfair dismissal qualifying periods, day-one worker rights, stronger protections for pregnant women, and an end to exploitative contracts.
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ArticleU.K. government scraps long-awaited audit reforms to prioritize growth
Long-awaited reforms to the U.K. audit regime have been “scrapped” from the government’s legislative plans. The decision has led to an outburst of disappointment and frustration from audit bodies and pension funds that argued the reforms would increase trust in companies and support growth.
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ArticleVenezuela military intervention highlights critical resources as a new compliance hotspot
President Donald Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela has sent a message across the world that he regards resources as critical to U.S. national security and will act to secure them. In Venezuela, this primarily means crude oil reserves. However, oil is not the only valuable resource in the U.S. sights.
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ArticleEU extends carbon border tax to 180 downstream products and targets ‘loopholes’
The EU is extending its ground-breaking carbon border adjustment mechanism, which imposes carbon pricing on raw materials imported from outside the EU, to 180 downstream products made from those materials.
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ArticleEU vows to reform financial single market rules to unlock growth and boost investment
Financial markets thrive on consistent rules across the widest markets. This is the thinking behind the European Commission’s package of measures intended to simplify and streamline the zone’s single market for financial services.