GRC Report Staff

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance is stepping back into gear after the federal government shutdown, and its first order of business is tackling the more than 900 registration statements that piled up while the lights were off. To help issuers understand what happens next, the Division has released new guidance that outlines how filings submitted during the shutdown will move forward now that staff are back at their desks.

The Financial Reporting Council has released its final assessment of how UK-listed companies report under the 2018 Corporate Governance Code, and the picture that emerges is one of boards becoming more comfortable using the Code’s flexibility rather than hiding from it.

The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into whether Google is complying with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) after signs emerged that the company may be pushing news publishers’ content lower in search results. The case marks one of the most significant early tests of how far the EU will go in enforcing the bloc’s landmark digital competition rules.

Singapore’s financial watchdog is moving to tighten oversight of artificial intelligence across the financial sector, issuing a new consultation paper that lays out supervisory expectations for how firms should manage the risks of increasingly powerful AI systems.

Alinta Energy has paid $718,740 ($1,089,000 AUD) in penalties after the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) issued a record 15 infringement notices over alleged mishandling of Centrepay deductions and failures to refund and notify customers within the required timeframe.

The UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has issued a new sustainability assurance standard, International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (UK) 5000 or ISSA (UK) 5000, marking a significant milestone in the country’s push for more credible, high-quality sustainability reporting.

Sweden’s financial watchdog (Finansinspektionen) has reprimanded Avida Finans and fined the lender USD 1.8 million (SEK 20 million) after discovering gaps in its consumer credit practices.