Governance professionals are increasingly regarded as being more critical to the success of their organizations, according to a recent survey which found that two-thirds of respondents thought the influence of the governance function was growing.
UK
Posted inAccounting & Auditing
U.K. increases fines for poor audit practices while audit firms criticized for poor practices and quality failures
U.K. audit regulator, the FRC, has fined audit firms and their partners $17.37 million for audit misconduct over the past year.
Posted inSanctions
U.S. continues to dominate sanctions penalties, but EU and U.K. penalties are increasing
Sanctions regimes in the U.S., U.K. and EU are evolving rapidly, causing continual changes, and the penalties for failure – civil and criminal – are potentially huge. Multiple inconsistent sanctions lists and increased focus on supply chains and third-party entities are making compliance for global organizations a full-time headache.
Posted inInsurance
Former Lloyd’s CEO breached code of conduct
The former CEO of Lloyd’s of London breached the insurance market’s compliance rules after his relationship with a fellow director was deemed to be so close that it created “a perceived conflict of interest.”
Posted inSanctions
FCA calls out good and poor practices in sanctions reporting
Financial firms have made progress in preventing sanctions breaches, but serious gaps in governance and compliance remain, which are likely to result in keener regulatory scrutiny and potentially more penalties in the future, say experts.
Posted inRegulatory Policy
U.K. waters down final crypto rules after industry feedback
The U.K.’s financial watchdog has watered down some of the key compliance requirements for crypto firms as it released its first full set of rules for the industry to follow.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
U.K. regulator fines Virgin Media $38 million for repeat competition offense
Virgin Media has been fined a record $37.5 million for making it unreasonably difficult for customers to close accounts or switch to a better telecoms deal.
Posted inESG/Social Responsibility
Compliance must focus on due diligence as U.K. aligns with EU deforestation laws
Products using wood, cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber and soy are set to come under new U.K. deforestation legislation.
Posted inCryptocurrency and Digital Assets
U.K.’s sanctions on cryptocurrency exchanges signal new focus on illicit digital financing
Cryptocurrency exchanges believed to be financing Russia’s war in Ukraine have been sanctioned by the U.K. government in the first attempt to prevent evasion via “dark networks.”
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Sabre Corp subsidiary fined $1.3 million for U.K. sanctions circumvention
The U.K.’s sanctions office has imposed its largest penalty for circumventing Russian sanctions since the war in Ukraine began in 2022.