GRC Report Staff

The financial landscape is shifting fast. While digital banking services and cryptocurrencies bring innovation, they also open the door to new risks that criminals are quick to exploit. As we enter 2025, the Swedish financial watchdog is focusing its efforts on addressing these emerging threats. From money laundering to terrorist financing and sanctions evasion, financial firms face growing pressure to safeguard the system from exploitation.

Every year, Europe’s cybersecurity landscape grows more complex. With digital infrastructures evolving, cyber threats becoming more sophisticated, and the stakes higher than ever, it’s clear that certain sectors are facing serious challenges when it comes to cyber resilience. ENISA’s 2024 NIS360 report offers a deep dive into the cybersecurity maturity and criticality of sectors that are essential to Europe’s economic and social fabric—and the results are both encouraging and concerning.

In a shocking new report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), consumers in the U.S. reported losing over $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024. That’s a staggering 25% increase from the previous year, underscoring a rising tide of fraud that businesses, consumers, and regulators are struggling to keep up with.

At the TechUK Tech Policy Conference today, Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), shared a vision for a more dynamic, responsive, and competitive regulatory landscape in the digital markets. She emphasized the CMA’s role in shaping the future of the UK’s tech ecosystem, signaling a new phase of regulation that will hold Big Tech accountable while encouraging growth and investment.

The French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) is leading the charge in using technology to ease the burden of financial market supervision. Over the past couple of years, the AMF has been delving into the world of artificial intelligence (AI), testing how well these tools can automate the processing of regulatory data. This isn’t just about keeping pace with innovation—it’s about creating a smarter, more efficient system for overseeing a rapidly expanding regulatory landscape.

FINRA has recently settled with Redbridge Securities LLC and Network 1 Financial Securities Inc. over notable compliance shortcomings in their operations. Both firms have been fined for deficiencies in their anti-money laundering (AML) programs, customer identification procedures, and supervisory systems. While the penalties are substantial, they reflect the importance of maintaining strong regulatory frameworks within financial institutions.

Robinhood Financial is facing some tough consequences for its failure to meet critical regulatory standards. In an action that marks a significant moment for the fintech giant, FINRA has ordered the company to pay $3.75 million in restitution to impacted customers. Additionally, Robinhood Financial and Robinhood Securities have been hit with a combined $26 million in fines for a series of missteps related to anti-money laundering (AML) practices, trade execution flaws, and other serious compliance issues.