The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today reported strategic, credit, operational, and compliance risks remain top concerns for the federal banking system in its Semiannual Risk Perspective for Spring 2017.
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A lot can happen in a year. Last June, I was preparing to move to the FCA to take up the role of Chief Executive on 1st July. It was the week before I moved that I realised how much of my time in my new job would be taken up by Brexit.

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The dynamic of risk management and compliance seems to be experiencing a shift toward risk management in operations, and learning to pay attention to detail in order to leverage it. The biggest question often asked is, “I’m aware my company needs to pay great attention to the detail of risk, but I don’t know where to start, or even how to put it into practice.” This is a normal practicality with which most quality professionals struggle. As for what you can do about risk, it’s important to first focus on the process of collecting and analyzing your risks. There are many common, simple, and effective tools to help make risk management a practical option for your business.

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The insurance industry must “redouble” its efforts to maintain relevance in the twenty first century, John Hurrell said in his parting speech as chief executive of Airmic on the opening day of the annual conference.

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Survey finds a quarter of compliance and IT managers believe Brexit will make their firm exempt from MiFID II. A group of compliance and IT managers have said they believe once the UK leaves the EU, their organisation will be exempt from MiFID II.
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A total of eight state-owned commercial and specialised banks in Bangladesh bear the brunt of poor risk management, according to a study by the London-based Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU). In its latest report titled “Banking sector faces challenge”, the EIU said the poor risk management system contributes to a high level of non-performing loans (NPLs), low profitability, large capital shortfalls and balance sheet weaknesses of the banks.

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It is possible to design a structured approach to risk forecasting, according to Richard Jackson, Director of Research, Economics & Country Risk at IHS Markit. Continue reading…

On 28 June 2017, the Council prolonged economic sanctions targeting specific sectors of the Russian economy until 31 January 2018. This decision follows an update from President Macron and Chancellor Merkel to the European Council of 22-23 June 2017 on the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. This paved the way for the renewal of sanctions for a further six months. 
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It is hard to think of many more important subjects in our world than the future of retail banking – that is, if we heroically put Brexit to one side for a day. There are over 72 million personal current accounts in the UK, with retail deposits of over £1.5 trillion, comprising current accounts, savings products and SME banking. Retail lending is a key driver of economic activity. On the latest evidence, UK households owe £1.3 trillion in mortgages and £198 billion in consumer credit. There are over 5.4 million SMEs in the UK. There are over 61 million credit cards in issue in the UK.

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On 26 June, Nordea issued its first-ever Green Bond. The issuance was very well received by investors, including new groups of sustainability investors, and on the back of solid demand, Nordea managed to issue the EUR 500m 5-year bond at a more attractive price compared to Nordea’s normal senior unsecured bond issuances. In addition to providing cost-efficient funding, the Green Bond issuance is a natural step to manifest Nordea’s increased ambition level in the sustainability area.
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