MyComplianceOffice Blog

Compliance is expensive. But non-compliance can cost you even more. Businesses paid nearly $26 billion in compliance-related fines globally in 2017, aside from the severe reputational damages that accompanied those monetary losses. That’s according to a recent article in Forbes by Julie Myers Woods, CEO of Guidepost Solutions.

UK Finance, Britain’s trade association for banks in the country, has published the financial industry’s first major appraisal of the Senior Managers and Certifications Regime(SMCR). The requirements under SMCR were introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2016 as part of regulatory reforms following the 2007-09 financial crisis.  

Prominent regulators around the globe agree data-driven regulation and compliance is key to a healthy financial services industry. The Financial Conduct Authority (FSA), the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the BVI’s Financial Services Commission are all championing, and in many cases, investing in new data technologies. 

The French Anticorruption Agency (FAA) made an unsuccessful attempt to take its first enforcement this July as reported by a JD Supra news alert. The move followed the regulator’s three-month audit of an undisclosed company's corporate compliance program.  

It’s a tricky thing to understand what a high-performing compliance program actually looks like. Aside from activities and checklists and even anonymous tips, a high-performing compliance program must include the human element. Do we, as a company, believe we’re always doing the right thing? Because in the end, that is what compliance is all about.

We’ve been fortunate to work with and have at MCO some of the most respected leaders in the compliance space. And from them, we’ve crafted a few best practices for high-performing compliance programs that everyone can easily put into place.