The dismantling of the encrypted communications tool EncroChat, widely used by organised crime groups (OCGs), has so far led to 6 558 arrests worldwide. 197 of those arrested were High Value Targets. This result is detailed in the first review of EncroChat, which was presented today by the French and Dutch judicial and law enforcement authorities in Lille. The successful takedown of EncroChat followed the efforts of a joint investigation team (JIT) set up by both countries in 2020, supported by Eurojust and Europol. Since then, close to EUR 900 million in criminal funds have been seized or frozen. Continue reading…

Eight years ago in Paris, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened the COP21 by stating that “Paris must mark a turning point [-]” towards limiting global warming to 1.5 °Celsius.[*1]. Today, the window of opportunity to achieve this goal is closing before our eyes: The past eight years have been the warmest on record worldwide[*2] and the critical 1.5 C threshold for annual temperatures will likely be exceeded in at least one year before 2027[*3]. Record-breaking droughts, heatwaves and floods are already plaguing the world. They are inflicting suffering and damage on every continent and serve as a mere glimpse into the future. It is everyone’s duty to take every possible step to ensure that the Paris climate goal is reached.
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The International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) has launched the fourth and final public consultation on the Insurance Capital Standard (ICS) before its planned adoption in December 2024. “After ten years of development, three consultations, six field-testing exercises and three years of confidential reporting, I am pleased that the Executive Committee of the IAIS has agreed on the candidate ICS as a prescribed capital requirement (PCR) for a final public consultation,” remarked Vicky Saporta, Executive Committee Chair. “Once adopted at the IAIS Annual General Meeting at the end of 2024, the ICS will provide a common language for cross-border supervisory discussions on insurance group solvency in a world where we face many common and interconnected global risks.” Continue reading…

Aegon’s legal domicile will be transferred to Bermuda. Consequently, group supervision to move from the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) to the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA). Aegon will maintain its headquarters in the Netherlands and will remain a Dutch tax resident. The change in group supervision will have no material impact on Aegon’s capital management approach. Aegon will continue to be listed on Euronext Amsterdam and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Following the closing of the transaction with a.s.r., Aegon will no longer have a regulated insurance business in the Netherlands. Under Solvency II rules, Aegon’s current supervisor, the DNB, can therefore no longer remain Aegon’s group supervisor. After consulting the members of the college of supervisors, the BMA has informed Aegon that the BMA would become its group supervisor if Aegon were to transfer its legal seat to Bermuda. Continue reading…

Dr. Joachim Nagel, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, delivered a welcome message at the 2023 symposium “Ensuring the supply of cash – including in times of crisis” in Berlin, Germany. Ladies and gentlemen, a very warm welcome to our symposium. I’m glad you could make it! As the world around us becomes increasingly digital, it’s often the case that payment instruments other than cash, like cards, smartphones and online payments, grab all the attention. That’s why some regard cash as outdated – just as bicycles were considered old-fashioned when cars and motorcycles became more widespread, or printed books in the era of e-books. But the truth of the matter is that cash continues to be fairly popular here in Germany. In terms of transaction numbers, cash remains the most widely used means of payment at the point of sale, as our latest payment behaviour study shows.  Continue reading…

Project Rosalind has demonstrated that a well designed API layer could work with different private sector applications and central bank ledger designs and that a set of simple and standardised API functionalities could support a diverse range of use cases. The completed initiative, a joint experiment run by the BIS Innovation Hub London Centre and the Bank of England around central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), developed 33 API functionalities and explored more than 30 retail CBDC use cases. These use cases covered a broad range of domains for individuals and businesses, such as peer-to-peer transfers, retail payments for goods and services and small-value business transactions. Continue reading…

The European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA – the ESAs) have launched a public consultation on the first batch of policy products under the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA). This includes four draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) and one set of draft implementing technical standards (ITS). These technical standards aim to ensure a consistent and harmonised legal framework in the areas of ICT risk management, major ICT-related incident reporting and ICT third-party risk management. The consultation runs until 11 September 2023. Continue reading…

Mr Luigi Federico Signorini, Senior Deputy Governor of the Bank of Italy, recently gave a speech at the Villa Mondragone International Economic Seminar, Round table on “Risks from inflation and opportunities from fragmentation” at Monte Porzio Catone, Rome. After the Second World War, multilateral institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation (as it is now called), have provided a framework in which a rule-based system of international cooperation has flourished, though initially only in our part of the world. A similar framework for cooperation in other key fields has been provided by the WHO and other institutions. Continue reading…

Those marketing cryptoassets to UK consumers will need to introduce a cooling-off period for first time investors from 8 October 2023, under new advertising rules announced by the FCA. As part of a package of measures designed to ensure those who buy crypto understand the risk, ‘refer a friend’ bonuses will also be banned. The new rules mean crypto firms must ensure that people have the appropriate knowledge and experience to invest in crypto. Those promoting crypto must also put in place clear risk warnings and ensure adverts are clear, fair and not misleading. The FCA’s rules follow government legislation to bring crypto promotions into the regulator’s remit. 

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