MyComplianceOffice Blog

For every registered firm with the SEC, it’s not a matter of if you’ll be examined but when. COVID-19 drove a necessity for the SEC to adapt its examination processes from traditionally in-person activities to remote. As a result, companies operating in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region must now be ready and able to support the SEC in its procedures.

“Remember - NO TWO-TIMING - NO MOONLIGHTING”, reads a recent email from Infosys to its employees. The communication stresses the clauses of Infosys employment contracts, which restrict its employees from taking up secondary employment.

The modern workplace has undergone a significant evolution in recent years. The pandemic has changed employee priorities and organisations’ attitudes towards remote and hybrid work environments. These changes have also brought a greater acceptance of workplace flexibility - from both employer and employee perspectives. However, there are also new challenges.

Southeast Asia is a region of diverse cultures, religions, and political frameworks that holds a unique growth opportunity. Asia’s consumer markets are rapidly growing and diversifying. McKinsey Global Institute research found that consumers in Asia are now reaching higher tiers of the income pyramid. At the same time, diverse cohorts are developing within key cities. New behaviours, demographics, and growth angles and being created by emerging segments such as Gen Z gamers, digital natives, and older generations moving online, to name a few.

I recently had the privilege of speaking on the sessionRegTech Adoption – The Way Forward at the 2022 ASIFMA Compliance Asia Conference as part of a panel of industry experts. The conference featured three half-days of info-packed sessions that covered the latest compliance issues and emerging regulatory trends.