MyComplianceOffice Blog

Competing priorities for compliance departments today include tight budgets, challenges hiring and retaining skilled professionals, the continuing impact of COVID 19 and remote and hybrid work—all while maintaining a culture of compliance in the midst of everything else.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently released the staff bulletin Standards of Conduct for Broker-Dealers and Investment Adviser Conflicts of Interest to reiterate the required standards and obligations for broker-dealers under Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) and for investment advisers the fiduciary duty standards under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

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.

The SEC’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs recently released the Spring 2022 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The report provides an update on the short and long-term regulatory actions that the agency plans to take.

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.