Insider List and Information Management under MAR

The European Market Abuse Regulations (MAR) have been in effect since July of 2016. Regulatory priorities in the UK and across Europe demonstrate that MAR is hardly old news, remaining a consistent focus since its inception. And regulatory enforcement shows that even eight plus years in, firms are still struggling to stay compliant with MAR regulations and the flow of insider information across their organizations.

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Unpacking the SFC’s New Market Sounding Guidelines

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has released new guidelines for market sounding (Guidelines), which will come into effect on 02 May 2025. Firms carrying out market soundings in Hong Kong need to be aware of the actions and regulatory takeaways contained within these guidelines.

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Learn From Compliance Violations to Understand Your Gaps

Violations are a sensitive area for any firm. No one wants to deal with compliance issues. The reality for compliance officers, however, is that someday, something will happen. How you handle the issues – how you identify them, mitigate them and analyze them – reflects the strength of your compliance program.

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Steering Clear of Insider Trading: Chauffeur's Wife Fined $107K

A recent case in Hong Kong has sent a clear signal to financial firms about the dangers of failing to manage material non-public information (MNPI) effectively. The Market Misconduct Tribunal (MMT) ordered the wife of a chauffeur to disgorge $106,968 in illicit profit gained from the insider dealing activity.

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Get the Message! Preserve eComms or Face Steep Regulatory Consequences

Over the past few years, the SEC and CFTC have charged multiple Wall Street firms with widespread recordkeeping failures, handing down staggering penalties of upwards of three billion dollars and counting. In a round of sweeps in August 2024, the SEC levied fines totaling over $390 million against 26 firms, and the CFTC handed down combined additional penalties of $80 million against three of the firms involved. In September, the SEC widened the scope of the regulatory actions to include municipal advisers and handed down even more charges against twelve additional firms. 
 

With no end in sight to the consistent and costly enforcement, are your books and records ready to stand up to regulatory scrutiny?

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