by Oli Rehn

As Governor of the Bank of Finland, I am glad to see so many of you here in Helsinki. It is a great privilege to share my thoughts with you today. First and foremost, we have made significant progress in disinflation since our last rate hike in September 2023. Inflation has fallen by more than 2.5 percentage points, and the inflation outlook has improved markedly. Barring further setbacks, for instance in the geopolitical situation and energy prices, or in wage developments for that matter, inflation is projected to converge to our 2% target in the medium term. Euro area economic activity is showing increasing signs of recovery, and the labour market has remained robust. The growth outlook was revised upwards yesterday, which is obviously good news. Continue reading…

The FCA, working with the Metropolitan Police Service, has conducted an operation to arrest two individuals, aged 38 and 44, suspected of running an illegal cryptoasset exchange. More than £1 billion of unregistered cryptoassets are believed to have been bought and sold through this business. The FCA inspected the offices associated with the suspects and the police seized several digital devices during searches of two residential London properties.

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Dr Felix Martin has been appointed chair of the FCA’s new, independent Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) Panel. Dr Martin will lead the Panel as it examines how the FCA and Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) assess the proportionality of proposed policy changes. It will provide advice to the regulators on preparing and improving CBAs. The FCA estimates around a third of its CBA will be subject to the Panel’s review. Following consultation with the panel, the FCA and PSR will publish further details on which CBAs will qualify for review in the summer. Continue reading…

The EU Innovation Hub for Internal Security, of which Eurojust is one of the main partners, has on 10 June published its first report on the use of encrypted communications in criminal investigations. The report stresses the balance that needs to be struck between securing private communications and fundamental rights, while enabling investigations and prosecutions to combat organised crime and terrorism. Continue reading…

Nasdaq and the Indonesia Stock Exchange announced an expansion of their technology partnership which will see IDX upgrade its core trading platform to Nasdaq’s most advanced matching engine. The deal also includes an extension of Nasdaq’s market surveillance partnership with IDX, and an agreement to enhance IDX’s Index business to help foster a deeper and sophisticated global capital markets ecosystem. The agreement builds on Nasdaq’s broad range of partnerships across the Indonesian financial system. In addition to Nasdaq’s long-standing relationship with IDX, Nasdaq provides market surveillance technology to OJK, Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority, the core technology platform that underpins KSEI, Indonesia’s central securities depository, and its Calypso treasury solution to Bank Indonesia, the country’s central bank. Continue reading…

marcusevans is excited to announce that the US General Counsel Summit returns in September 16-17 at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, CA USA! The 4th US General Counsel Summit is an invitation-only, premium Summit bringing leading General Counsel and innovative suppliers and solution providers together. The Summit’s content is aligned with key legal challenges and interests, relevant market developments, and practical and progressive ideas and strategies adopted by successful pioneers. Continue reading…

The European Commission has informed Alchem International Pvt. Ltd. and its subsidiary Alchem International (H.K.) Limited (together ‘Alchem’) of its preliminary view that they have breached EU antitrust rules by participating in a long-lasting cartel concerning an important pharmaceutical product. Alchem is a producer of the pharmaceutical ingredient N-Butylbromide Scopolamine/Hyoscine (‘SNBB’). The Commission has concerns that Alchem may have coordinated and agreed with other market participants to fix the minimum sales price of SNBB to customers (i.e., distributors and generic drug manufacturers) and to allocate quotas. In addition, Alchem may have exchanged commercially sensitive information with competitors. In October 2023, the Commission adopted a settlement decision in relation to the same cartel and concerning other companies. Continue reading…

by Craig Ramsey

The entire EU financial system is on countdown. By January 9th 2025, it will be a legal requirement for the region’s payment service providers to receive real-time credit transfers in Euros thanks to the new Instant Payments Regulation. Time is ticking and there are countless challenges to overcome. But the single biggest issue of all is consumer protection from fraud. To explain, a real-time payment is a credit transfer that makes funds available in a payee’s account within ten seconds of a payment order being made. Once received, it’s irreversible and the money can be withdrawn immediately. Continue reading…