Sunrise Brokers LLP has been fined over £600,000 for deficient anti money laundering systems and controls. This is the second case brought by the FCA in relation to cum-ex trading, dividend arbitrage and withholding tax (WHT) reclaim schemes. The first FCA case relating to cum-ex trading concluded in May 2021. The FCA found that Sunrise had deficient systems and controls to identify and mitigate the risk of facilitating fraudulent trading and money laundering in relation to business introduced by the Solo Group, between 17 February 2015 and 4 November 2015. Continue reading…

The European Commission has proposed to update the rules on coordination of safe and free movement in the EU, which were put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the summer, vaccine uptake has increased significantly and the EU Digital COVID Certificate has been rolled out successfully, with more than 650 million certificates issued to date. At the same time, the epidemiological situation in the EU continues to develop with some Member States taking additional public health measures, including administering booster vaccines. Taking into account all those factors, the Commission is proposing a stronger focus on a ‘person-based’ approach to travel measures and a standard acceptance period for vaccination certificates of 9 months since the primary vaccination series. The 9 month period takes into account the guidance of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on the administration of booster doses as of 6 months, and provides for an additional period of 3 months to ensure that national vaccination campaigns can adjust and citizens can have access to boosters.
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Mr. Robert Marinescu-Muster was a speaker during the Risk & Resilience Festival on November 4, 2021. During his lecture, he explained how many problems with data and cyber attacks are based on people. His recommendation was to give people in organization more knowledge on how to spot an attack and what to do with the attack.

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The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has recently published a statement to support preparations for LIBOR cessation. Most LIBOR panels will cease at the end of this year, with certain key USD settings continuing until end-June 2023 to support the rundown of legacy contracts, executed before January 1 2022, only. Continued reliance of global financial markets on LIBOR poses risks to global financial stability. With only a few weeks remaining to the end of 2021, it is now critical that market participants act urgently to complete any remaining steps set out in the FSB’s Global Transition Roadmap. Global and national financial regulators will be closely monitoring progress. Continue reading…

On 19 November, European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič hosted Lord David Frost in Brussels to discuss the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland. This was their fifth meeting following the package of far-reaching solutions that the EU proposed on 13 October to facilitate the implementation and to strengthen stability and predictability for the people and businesses in Northern Ireland. Vice-President Šefčovič reiterated the need to shift into a result-oriented mode and to deliver on the issues raised by Northern Irish stakeholders. It is essential that the recent change in tone now leads to joint tangible solutions in the framework of the Protocol.
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Frank Elderson, Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, recently gave a speech at the COP26 Finance Day Presidency Event on “A Financial System for Net Zero”, Frankfurt am Main, Glasgow on 3 November 2021. This is his official speech. Our collective journey started in Paris almost four years ago, when eight central banks and supervisors from an already diverse background decided to join forces. Our aim was to rise to the climate challenge and work together to develop the tools we need as central banks and supervisors to foster and accelerate the greening of the global financial system. As a coalition of the willing, we have been working together in the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), which I am proud to chair. Continue reading…

Last week, the European Commission has adopted the fifth list of energy Projects of Common Interest (PCIs). These are key cross-border energy infrastructure projects for building a more integrated and resilient EU internal energy market and pursuing our energy and climate goals. This fifth PCI list comprises 98 projects: 67 projects in electricity transmission and storage, 20 in gas, six CO2 network projects and five smart grid projects. All PCI projects are subject to streamlined permitting and regulatory procedures and eligible for financial support from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
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Police forces across the world have arrested 150 alleged suspects involved in buying or selling illicit goods on the dark web as part of a coordinated international operation involving nine countries. More than EUR 26.7 million (USD 31 million) in cash and virtual currencies have been seized in this operation, as well as 234 kg of drugs and 45 firearms. The seized drugs include 152 kg of amphetamine, 27 kg of opioids and over 25 000 ecstasy pills. This operation, known as Dark HunTOR was composed of a series of separate but complementary actions in Australia, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, with coordination efforts led by Europol and Eurojust. Continue reading…