Compliance

SEC nears settlement with financial services firms over WhatsApp

Around 16 broker-dealers noted SEC probes into their communications

The latest settlement is likely to see firms finalising deals that would include an admission of wrongdoing and commitment to fixing the issues

2 min read

Problems with its vendor system led to Goldman's failure to retain records of thousands of calls

Goldman Sachs to pay $5.5m to settle charges over pandemic-era audio records

The failures to comply with record-keeping rules for swap dealers relate to the investment banks’ staff communications during the Covid-19 pandemic

3 min read

'Investment will need to continue to meet mounting regulatory pressure'

City firms ramp up compliance spend to monitor messaging apps

The majority of banks and brokerage firms are now monitoring channels like WhatsApp

2 min read

Employees will be mulling the way forward after polling showed a lack of confidence in the FCA’s board

FCA set for management talks over falling morale after staff survey blasts bosses

Leaked memo shows the FCA’s top brass are preparing to meet in September to discuss actions after critical feedback

3 min read

Banks target money launderers in data sharing drives

Technology can help banks team up to find money launderers, but the legal basis for information sharing is murky in many countries

5 min read

De-risking is used by banks to manage potential financial crime risks they are exposed to, but it's no panacea to beat money laundering

Why banks axing clients won’t stop the scourge of financial crime

Banks and regulators need to get on the same page about stopping financial crime

3 min read

NatWest accepts $35m fine in guilty plea over Treasury market spoofing

Banks are facing increasing scrutiny over whether they are living up to previous settlement deals

3 min read

UK regulators issued $32.9m in fines in the first half of 2021, compared to US regulators' $711m in penalties over the same time period

Fines for money laundering breaches total around $930m globally, drop 40% in second pandemic year

It comes despite widespread predictions of an uptick in financial crime during the Covid crisis

3 min read

The pandemic has supercharged a growing trend of employee surveillance

More than a third of UK remote workers fear bosses’ spyware

A poll of 1,000 UK-based employees found that 38% were concerned about their employers spying on them

3 min read

Fidelity International is among firms grappling to find better ways to monitor home-bound employees during the pandemic

Fidelity International turns to new surveillance tech to track staff communications

The company says the tech will enable ‘our ability to identify, stop and prevent adverse behaviours’ among regulated staff

A trader at Goldman in London told FN that the memo was interpreted, especially among equities desks, as a warning about the GameStop saga

Goldman Sachs warns traders: No ‘manipulation,’ social media or spreading rumours amid GameStop frenzy

A trader said staff are interpreting the memo as a caution about the GameStop market frenzy that has rattled some funds while triggering investors to reposition their portfolios

Somerset Capital names Wellington’s Wilson as first-ever compliance chief

James Wilson, who has worked as a compliance officer at hedge fund Wellington Management since 2016, joined Somerset Capital on 25 January

Some banks will spend the next 12 weeks testing an app that enables compliance teams to track staff chats on Signal, as traders ditch rival WhatsApp

Banks rush to spy on traders’ Signal chats amid WhatsApp exodus

Surveillance firms are luring in bank clients to track Signal in what is becoming a perpetual whack-a-mole game between City workers and their compliance teams

The recent surge in the use of the encrypted messaging app Signal and its rival Telegram among bankers, traders and portfolio managers has compliance workers worried

Trader exodus from WhatsApp to Signal creates surveillance blind spot for City firms

Firms that provide surveillance services to the City, in one of the world’s most regulated industries, said they’re fielding calls from finance firms wondering how to address the new blind spot

5 min read

HSBC taps StanChart-backed AI startup for multi-year deal on financial crime

HSBC saw a spike in alert volumes and unpredictable volatility during the pandemic

2 min read

Hiring plans got curbed in 2020. But there is one department bosses are keen to grow: Compliance

Wanted: Compliance hires as finance firms ramp up spying on staff

A survey from Nasdaq, which polled 210 banks, funds, and market infrastructure firms globally, found that investment in compliance talent increased this year across almost all levels in the profession

4 min read

Helena Morrissey

City grandee predicts shift to corporate apps as Credit Suisse launches WhatsApp rival

Morrissey's tweet linked to a Financial News report that Credit Suisse had launched a recorded WhatsApp-style texting service for its employees

3 min read

Credit Suisse launched a recorded WhatsApp-style texting service for its employees

Credit Suisse launches WhatsApp rival for staff as banks grapple with text tracking

The Swiss lender has designed a 'collaborative chat solution' to mirror WhatsApp as City firms amp up plans to monitor staff communication

3 min read