Study: Europe blows U.S. away in financial crime spending
A new report found financial institutions spent $181 billion on financial crime compliance worldwide last year, with European firms spending three to four times more than their counterparts in North America.
FRC sanctions KPMG, former senior partner for audit failings
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council has reprimanded and fined KPMG and one of its former senior partners for a failure to exercise “sufficient professional skepticism” and for failure to obtain “sufficient appropriate audit evidence.”
Standard Chartered fined $24.9M for Ukraine sanctions breaches
The U.K. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation hit Standard Chartered Bank for a record fine relating to loans the bank made to Russian financial institutions in violation of the EU’s sanction regime.
Swedish regulator delays SEB money laundering probe
Sweden’s financial regulator announced it will wait until June to conclude its money laundering investigation into Scandinavian Enskilda Banken AB (SEB) due to the coronavirus pandemic.
8 compliance challenges facing European companies in coronavirus crisis
Due diligence, data, solvency, and supply chain management risks are just some of the issues Europe’s employers are struggling with as normal business has come to a standstill during the coronavirus pandemic.
Swedbank cuts ex-CEO’s severance following AML probe
Swedbank has canceled the severance pay of its former CEO and accepted a record fine of 4 billion Swedish Krona (U.S. $390 million) in the wake of the findings of an independent investigation into its anti-money laundering deficiencies.
Confusion around GDPR during coronavirus prompts EDPB response
The European Data Protection Board has released a statement attempting to clarify how personal data can be processed by companies during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
U.K. AML report: Data analysis of risks lacking
Implementation of risk-based processes and the data analysis that sits behind them are among the biggest weaknesses laid out in a review of AML efforts in the accounting and legal sectors conducted by the U.K.’s financial watchdog.
Swedish regulator fines Swedbank record $390M for AML deficiencies
Swedbank AB has been issued a record 4 billion Swedish Krona (U.S. $390 million) administrative fine for what Sweden’s financial watchdog called “serious deficiencies in its management of the risk of money laundering in its Baltic operations.”
Coronavirus disrupts hearings in England, Wales, Scotland
The Presidents of the Employment Tribunals in England and Wales and Scotland announced starting next week all in-person hearings will be converted to a case management hearing by telephone or other electronic means.
Study: Fear of data breaches stifling bank innovation
Research by consultancy firm Accenture shows companies in financial services are more concerned with guarding themselves against the impact of a data breach than realizing any financial benefits of using the data.
Analysis: Cyber-attacks spike in Italy linked to coronavirus
Italy, a region in quarantine, is experiencing a spike in attempted cyber-attacks to capture the login credentials of employees working remotely. But not all the attacks have been successful, and that’s where the lessons lie.
Swedbank announces new risk chief as probe nears end
Swedbank announced the appointment of Rolf Marquardt as chief risk officer just over a week prior to the expected announcement of the findings of a probe into its AML shortcomings conducted by law firm Clifford Chance.
Swedbank notifies OFAC of potential sanctions violations
Swedbank announced it has reported approximately $4.8 million worth of transactions that might be subject to U.S. sanctions to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Advice for European compliance officers dealing with coronavirus
Although the coronavirus situation is constantly changing, lawyers say there are several areas of corporate life that are going to test compliance officers and which management will need greater assurance on.
EDPB chair: Processing personal data in the context of coronavirus
The chair of the European Data Protection Board addresses things companies need to consider as they process different types of personal data in the context of the coronavirus.
Swedish watchdog fines Google $7.6M for GDPR non-compliance
Google has received its second fine to date for violating Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation; Sweden’s Data Protection Authority fined the internet giant 75 million Swedish Kroner (U.S. $7.6 million).
Virgin Media could face GDPR pressure after data breach
Virgin Media is likely to be in the GDPR crosshairs after disclosing a recent breach that affected approximately 900,000 customers to the U.K.’s data regulator.
FCA seeks comment on proposed climate-related disclosure requirements
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority is asking for comment on newly published proposals outlining climate-related disclosure requirements for premium listed issuers.
U.K.’s ICO fines Cathay Pacific for pre-GDPR breach
The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office has fined airline Cathay Pacific £500,000 (U.S. $643,000) for failing to protect the personal data of millions of customers.
Three former Barclays execs acquitted of fraud charges
The Serious Fraud Office suffered another major setback in the U.K.’s first trial against bank executives for misconduct during the 2008 financial crisis, after three former executives of Barclays were acquitted of fraud charges.
FRC sends letter to Big Four outlining ‘operational separation’
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council penned a letter to the Big Four outlining expectations for how the auditors should go about separating their audit work from their consultancy business.
Fictitious soccer players at center of money laundering scheme
Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, announced it has uncovered more than €10 million (U.S. $11 million) from fictitious soccer player transfers in a money laundering and tax evasion scheme.
Proposed EU data strategy spells big changes for Big Tech
The European Commission unveiled its long-awaited plans about how it wants to regulate artificial intelligence as well as promote greater data sharing throughout the EU to stimulate further growth and competition in digital services.
FRC to review how U.K. companies, auditors address climate change
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council announced it will begin reviewing the extent to which U.K. companies and auditors are responding to the impact of climate change to ensure reporting requirements are being met.
Compliance lessons from Julius Baer’s ‘serious AML failings’
Compliance officers can learn a lot from the anti-money laundering compliance shortcomings at Julius Baer Group, as well as from what the bank is now doing to enhance its risk management and AML compliance controls.
Ireland GDPR caseload nearly doubled in 2019
The Irish Data Protection Commission received 7,215 complaints during the first full year the General Data Protection Regulation was in force, representing a 75 percent increase on 2018’s figures of just over 4,000.
Ireland raid over privacy concerns jilts Facebook Dating
Facebook wants to play Cupid in Europe, but the Irish Data Protection Commission got its arrow in the tech giant first.
Google begins argument to try to overturn $9B in EU fines
Attorneys for Google, seeking to overturn $9 billion in EU antitrust fines, argued in a European court Wednesday that the tech giant should not be forced to prop up its competitors in the course of promoting facets of its own business.
Airbus contractors feeling ripple effect from record fine
Airbus is free to go about its business after paying a record fine to three anti-corruption agencies for widespread bribery, but the trouble is only beginning for some of its implicated contractors.
Experts weigh in on Brexit consequences for GDPR, AML, more
The wheels to the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union are finally in motion, but the hard work still remains as to what kind of future trading relationship the country has with the single market.
Ireland probing Google, Tinder for GDPR violations
Ireland’s data regulator has announced new investigations into Google and MTCH Technology Services—the company behind dating app Tinder—over complaints users’ personal data is being misused in violation of the GDPR.
Germany’s dual approach to data regulation under the GDPR
Germany is staying ahead of the game with an advanced crackdown on data privacy and competition law violations.
Airbus resolves global bribery scandal for record $4B
Airbus has agreed to pay a total of $4 billion in penalties split between the United States, United Kingdom, and France—the world’s largest global resolution for bribery.
NBCUniversal fined $15.9M for EEA sales restrictions
NBCUniversal has been fined €14.3 million (U.S. $15.9 million) by the European Commission for restricting traders from selling licensed merchandise within the European Economic Area to territories and customers beyond those allocated to them, marking the latest case in a wider enforcement trend.
Europe’s high court strikes blow to drug companies in ‘pay-for-delay’ case
The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority won a victory in a decision by Europe’s high court, ruling GlaxosmithKline’s entering of a financial deal with industry rivals to delay the generic version of its drugs violates EU competition law.
Effective AML training: Four questions to answer
There are a multitude of factors that need to be established when determining training requirements. What is clear is that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work.
SFO guidance could help companies combat U.K. Bribery Act charges
New internal guidance from the U.K. Serious Fraud Office outlines what the regulator considers in determining if a company’s compliance procedures are adequate enough to defend against U.K. Bribery Act charges or qualify for a deferred prosecution agreement.
Study expects GDPR fines to rise in 2020
DLA Piper’s latest data breach survey suggests the penalties handed out under the General Data Protection Regulation thus far are not as harsh as they could have been—though that could change in 2020.
App firms, adtech industry in firing line over possible GDPR violations
The Norwegian Consumer Council, a consumer rights champion, has uncovered a serious no-no in the world of GDPR: popular apps sharing user data, such as religious beliefs and sexual preferences, to advertising and marketing firms in order to drive their own revenue.
Germany hits pesticides wholesalers with large fines
Seven pesticide wholesalers have been fined a total of €155 million (U.S. $173 million) for operating a 17-year price-fixing cartel.
British retailer Dixons fined for pre-GDPR breach
The ICO has fined Dixons Carphone for failing to take “basic, commonplace” security measures that would have alerted it to one of the country’s worst cyber-attacks.
FRC calls for better reporting to improve trust
U.K. regulator the Financial Reporting Council’s annual review shows many of Britain’s largest companies use a “tick-box” approach to compliance with the U.K. Corporate Governance Code—often providing scant explanations and little detail.
UK Finance slams overregulation in financial services sector
UK Finance, the U.K. regulator responsible for the financial services sector, is offering recommendations to curb the abundance of intersecting rules in FS.
ICO hands out first GDPR fine as BA, Marriott cases linger
The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office has levied its first fine under the GDPR against a London-based pharmacy. Record-setting penalties announced by the ICO in July against British Airways and Marriott are still not finalized.
Compliance playing an increasingly important role in ESG disclosure
Environmental, social, and governance disclosures are becoming common practice, but equally pressing is the regulatory compliance risk associated with non-disclosure or disclosures that are not accurate, truthful, or complete.
SFO confirms DPA with Güralp Systems after three acquitted
The founder and two former employees of Güralp Systems were acquitted of charges they conspired to bribe a South Korean public official, making it the latest corruption case in which the U.K. Serious Fraud Office failed to secure individual convictions.
Top EU advisor: Clauses used for EU-U.S. data transfers ‘valid’
Big Tech can breathe a sigh of a relief that the mechanisms it uses to transfer data outside of the European Union to “third countries” provide sufficient privacy protection, according to a key advisor to the EU’s top court.
France Telecom execs jailed over workplace bullying
The ex-chief executive of France Telecom and two other former executives have been jailed for pursuing a cost-cutting policy that was so severe it led to a spate of employee suicides.
Review urges changes to U.K. audit profession
The latest report to examine the shortcomings of the U.K. audit market recommends separating audit from the accountancy profession, among other suggested changes.