How to measure your speak up culture + scoresheet template

Gone are the days when organisations could simply promise a speak up culture. Today, fostering a culture of trust, integrity, and a positive work environment has become crucial for both organisational and individual success. Measuring an effective speak up culture now requires a blend of quantitative and qualitative methods. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be complex.

In our whitepaper ‘How to measure your speak up culture’, we provide practical strategies we gathered from Chief Compliance Officers and a free scoresheet template to help you assess and enhance your workplace culture. This guide is an invaluable resource for building an open, communicative, and ethical environment where everyone feels safe to speak up.

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How to find the right whistleblowing solution for your organisation

The message is clear: organisations must be held accountable for their social and environmental footprint. Therefore, it’s inevitable that speaking up becomes the next social norm for so many countries around the world.

The EU seems to be especially determined to improve conditions, both inside and outside of its boundaries. The well-known Directive for the Protection of Whistleblowers, as well as the upcoming Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive are both proof that social and environmental organisational commitments are the only way forward.

Are you looking to identify and implement a whistleblowing solution for your organisation? Great timing! The global whistleblowing software market is blooming. But the hype around the topic is exactly why finding the right solution is becoming harder and harder.

This buyer’s guide explains what a good whistleblowing tool is all about and helps you find your match in three simple steps.

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Risk in Focus 2024

Economic uncertainty has driven the perfect storm of interlocking risks described in last year’s Risk in Focus in new directions in 2023. Organisations are now grappling with an ensuing poly- crisis – with multiple catastrophic events occurring simultaneously. With Europe’s biggest economy Germany slipping into recession following last year’s energy price shock, some organisations are facing declining cash balances and higher net debt. Organisations are preparing for possible trouble ahead – and to leap forward when conditions improve.

For the past eight years, Risk in Focus has sought to highlight key risk areas to help internal auditors prepare their independent risk assessment work, annual planning and audit scoping. It helps Chief Audit Executives (CAEs) to understand how their peers view today’s risk landscape as they prepare their forthcoming audit plans for the year ahead. This year, the new report identifies leading risks to organisations in 2024 as: cybersecurity and data security and human capital, diversity, talent management and retention.

Risk in Focus 2024 involved a collaboration between 16 European Institutes of Internal Auditors, spanning 17 countries which included Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK & Ireland – the highest number of European countries involved so far.

The survey elicited 799 responses from CAEs across Europe. Simultaneously, five roundtable discussions were organised with 46 CAEs on each of the risk areas covered in the report. In addition, we also conducted 11 one-to-one interviews with subject matter experts that included CAEs, Audit Committee Chairs and industry experts to provide deeper insights into how these top risks are manifesting and developing.

This brand new whitepaper can be downloaded via our platform for free.

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EU Whistleblowing Directive

The EU Whistleblowing Directive changes the way we need to think about and approach incident reporting. For compliance officers and risk managers, what was once a patchwork of random rules haphazardly applied at the country level, or within a company culture, is now more strictly defined. While these changes might be a challenge, it’s also an incredible opportunity for company growth.

At People Intouch, we believe that building a culture in which speaking up is actively supported is more than just ticking boxes to remain compliant. Instead, building a speak up culture is about creating and nurturing an environment where transparency is a guiding principle which leads to innovation, greater diversity of thought, and a healthier space for personal and organisational growth.

In this whitepaper, we highlight some of the major changes presented by the EU Whistleblowing Directive and how these challenges can be turned into opportunities for your organisation.

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Predictions in the KYC & AML space for 2030

A recent analysis showed that the number of FTEs engaged in CDD (Customer Due Diligence) customer screening at the top three banks in the Netherlands is now estimated to be already 15% of the total workforce. In the Netherlands, up to 20% of the total number of bank employees perform a ‘gatekeeper’ function. The volume of money laundering and other financial crimes is growing worldwide—and the techniques used to evade their detection are becoming ever more sophisticated. This has elicited a vigorous response from Financial Institutions which, collectively, are investing billions each year to improve their defenses against financial crime. Additionally, regulators are putting more pressure on Financial Institutions. When regulators impose harsher penalties, the resulting fines tied to compliance rise year over year. The battle against money laundering is a constant problem for compliance, monitoring, and risk groups since banks’ conventional rule- and scenario-based approaches to combating financial crimes have always seemed to be one step behind criminal organisations. AML (Anti Money Laundering) legislation and KYC requirements must advance at the same rate as digital finance, but AML regulations have typically lagged behind illegal behaviour in the past. Businesses might soon notice a change here. End of March 2023, Brussels approved stricter rules to close existing gaps in combating money laundering, terrorist financing and evasion of sanctions in the EU.

What are the most likely scenarios for the development of digital KYC and AML compliance in the future? How will technology help pave the way forward? In this Hyarchis market report, launched at in Amsterdam, 6-8 June 2023, we provide predictions in het KYC and AML space for 2030, presented by opinion leaders and early adopters. Hyarchis is the leading provider of AI-driven compliance solutions for client onboarding, monitoring and remediation to financial institutions in the Netherlands.

You can download this report in English for free.

Is Risk Management Redundant?

Marinus de Pooter has put forth a brand new white paper on the subject of risk management. Conventional, compliance-driven risk management practices easily degenerate into a separate illusory system. He argues that companies should instead focus on improving decision making and dilemma reconciliation. This article has also been published in Strategic Finance.

You can download this white paper on our platform for free.

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Building Artificial Intelligence in Credit Risk: A Commercial Lending Perspective

Are you about to deploy AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) in your risk modelling processes? Would you like to discover the benefits of automatic decision models in combination with the right choices, governance, scalability and control? Then we recommend that you download this content-rich white paper from SAS for free with topics about Commercial Lending, Credit Application Phase, Data Gathering, Credit Risk Quantification, Pricing, and RAROC, to name a few items.

The use of AI and ML can have a direct impact on customer satisfaction. The administrative work for both customers and back-office employees is greatly reduced. The speed to reach a decision is increased. In addition, credit files are handled much more efficiently and faster, which benefits both the financial institution and the customer. The additional advantage of the use of AI and AM for the account manager is that he/she has more time to focus on business development.

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Top Trends in RegTech – Shaping Financial Services With Regulatory Technology

The total value of money laundering is estimated to be at 2 to 5% of the global Gross National Product (GNP). That amounts to hundreds of billions of euros per year. In the fight against money laundering, national and international supervisors are imposing more and more rules on financial institutions and banks in order to curb money laundering practices. These rules have the disadvantage, which is that well-intentioned and bona fide customers are repeatedly harassed and have to prove their identity again and / or explain where their money comes from. However, this can be arranged differently using RegRech.

This new white paper from Hyarchis takes a closer look at the five most important trends and discusses them one by one in greater detail. The five trends described in the white paper are, first of all, Customer Due Diligence, where there is a risk of high fines if not executed properly. The second trend is transaction monitoring, in which Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning play an important role. The third trend mentioned is Platformication, in which the existing infrastructure is preserved, but at the same time it is flexible enough to integrate new products via external service providers. The fourth trend that is discussed is Cloud Security, or in other words, cybersecurity today that comes into play. The fifth and final trend discussed in this white paper is Regulatory Reporting, where the integrated reporting obligations imposed by regulators in particular are an enormous challenge.

Download this white paper now for free.

The Total Economic Impact™ Of Diligent Entities

Cost Savings And Business Benefits Enabled By Diligent Entities

Today’s businesses are interconnected with one another, increasingly becoming more complex, and often facing various forms of external uncertainties. Risk and compliance professionals are expected to contribute to if not actively play a role in mitigating emerging risks, innovate at breakneck speed, keep pace with changing regulatory requirements, and identify areas of growth. For organizations operating hundreds or thousands of entities and subsidiaries, these challenges are often amplified.

5 Climate Change Risks You’re Probably Not Talking About… (But Should Be)

Support for environmental proposals has never been higher, and companies are feeling the pressure from stakeholders of all kinds: not only investors, but also customers and employees. The climate crisis can have a huge impact on your business – and while the longer-term implications may be obvious, there are a number of specific operational and business risks that your organization may not have considered. In their brand-new whitepaper, Diligent outlines five key climate change risks you could be in danger of overlooking – and highlights the benefits of addressing them proactively.

* Transition Risk – we’re all familiar with the business-adjacent physical risks that come with climate change. But organizations must also give serious consideration to transition risk: the legal, technology, market and reputation risks associated with climate transition planning.

*Scope 3 Emission Risk – the regulatory grip is tightening on Scope 3 emissions (defined as all indirect emissions that occur in the company value chain, including both upstream and downstream emissions). While reporting on Scope 3 emissions is not yet mandatory for most businesses, it will soon become a requirement.

*Talent Risk – the success – or failure – of an organization is dependent on the skills and expertise of those leading the way. As companies adjust to a low-carbon economy, they must anticipate the operational, reporting and leadership challenges ahead – and anticipate the skill sets they will need across all lines of business.

*Diversity Risk – diversity needs to be given serious thought from a climate standpoint. Failure to include marginalized voices will encourage a myopic approach to climate issues, which need to be considered from every angle.

*Profit Risk – organizations must identify ways to create value now through investments in businesses or in capabilities that will contribute to solving the climate crisis.

Your reaction to climate change now will define how your business fares in the future. Download this whitepaper on our platform for free to discover what the benefits are of addressing these climate change risks.