MyComplianceOffice Blog

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler said in a speech to the Practicing Law Institute that during the fiscal year that just ended on September 30, the agency filed over 700 actions and obtained judgments and orders totaling $6.4 billion, including $4 billion in civil penalties.

 The actions, outlined in a recent press release, covered a wide range of misconduct including charges around insider trading, disclosure failures and omissions, market manipulation and fraud, misleading investors, executive accountability, failure to maintain books and records, failure to register crypto as a security and insufficient policies and procedures. 

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 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.

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has released its three-year strategy for 2022-2025. The document sets out the FCA’s areas of focus for the next few years along with the goals of preventing serious harm, setting higher standards and promoting competition.

 What does compliance need to know about the regulator’s updated longer term plans?