MyComplianceOffice Blog

A conflict of interest happens when a person with multiple interests serves one to the detriment of another. For example, an individual may seek to create personally-beneficial outcomes at the expense of fairness and competition. They may engage in activities that put the confidentiality of their firms’ information at risk or put personal financial gains ahead of their firms’, clients’, or broader financial market’s interests.

Temperatures are hot across the United States right now – and so is U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement activity. The last few weeks have seen a flurry of Insider Trading actions from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice against individuals ranging from a Chief Compliance Officer to a Chief of Police.

Recent enforcements by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) highlight the need for SGX-listed companies to actively work against conflicts of interest within their organisations and maintain robust corporate compliance processes.

The 1MDB scandal saw Malaysia’s former Prime Minister jailed for 12 years with a fine of 210m Malaysian Ringgit (USD $46.8m) - and the end of the 61-year political dominance of the country’s Barisan Nasional coalition political party.

The stability of the global banking system is a top-of-mind concern for everyone right now. And as the world worries about bank liquidity and the safety of their deposits, a handful of executives have been using access to insider information to turn staggering profits by selling off company stock.