U.S. oil and gas companies strong-armed into participating in the nationalization of Venezuela’s oil industry decades ago now face government pressure of the opposite kind: Invest billions into rebuilding a dilapidated oil and gas infrastructure for a high-risk country that still owes billions in unsettled debts.
CW Subscriber Only
Posted inBest Practices, Opinion, Whistleblowers
Creating effective compliance messages for specific employee groups
As 2026 arrives, have you considered the efficacy of your compliance messaging efforts? We have all seen these compliance taglines “Speak Up!,” “See Something, Say Something,” “Ethics Matter!”
Posted inEthics & Culture
U.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.
Posted inFinancial Services
SFO head to step down as speculation grows over future of agency
Nick Ephgrave, director of the U.K.’s main anti-corruption enforcement agency, the Serious Fraud Office, will retire at the end of March—about halfway through his appointed five-year term. Experts say he leaves the agency in a lot better position than he joined it in September 2023.
Posted inFinancial Services
U.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.
Posted inRisk Management
Six AI questions compliance officers must answer in 2026
As artificial intelligence reshapes business, compliance teams face new questions about risk and oversight. These are the key issues compliance professionals should be asking as they evaluate their programs heading into 2026.
Posted inUncategorized
U.S. sees steep drop in penalties in 2025, while fines elsewhere increase
Firms worldwide got a break in 2025 on penalties for anti-money laundering (AML) failures, a new report has found.
Posted inData Privacy
FTC puts GM’s puts connected vehicle data practices under compliance spotlight
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission finalized its order against General Motors and its OnStar subsidiary over the improper usage of geolocation and driving behavior data of drivers.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Kaiser plans pay $556M to settle Medicare upcoding allegations
Kaiser Health affiliates have agreed to pay more than $556 million to settle allegations originally made by whistleblowers that they ignored compliance department warnings and unlawfully reworked diagnoses for Medicare patients in order to receive higher payments from the federal government.
Posted inEurope
Venezuela 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.