In July 2025, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) released a dramatically slimmed-down version of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), part of a broader rethink of how the EU balances transparency with practicality. At the heart of the update is fewer datapoints, more usability, and a clearer nod to the real-world pressures companies are facing.
In an abrupt course correction, OpenAI has pulled the plug on a controversial ChatGPT feature that allowed users to publicly share conversations—after discovering that some of those shared chats were being indexed by Google and turning up in search results.
On August 1, the European Banking Authority (EBA) dropped the results of its 2025 EU-wide stress test, a formidable what-if scenario designed to see how banks would hold up if the global economy went sideways. And not just a little sideways. We’re talking trade wars, inflationary flare-ups, crashing asset prices, and real estate meltdowns, the financial equivalent of a perfect storm.
Two of the fashion world’s biggest names (Giorgio Armani and Shein) have just been pulled off the sustainability pedestal by Italy’s competition watchdog. The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has fined both companies for painting an ethical and eco-friendly picture that didn’t quite match reality. The charges? Misleading consumers through glossy green claims and hollow promises on worker protections.
The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has published its July 2025 Risk Dashboards, and on the surface, risks across Europe’s occupational pension funds and insurance sector remain largely stable. But dig a little deeper, and a more nuanced picture emerges, one shaped by geopolitical tensions, market jitters, and persistent uncertainty.
Genomic sequencing giant, Illumina, has agreed to pay $9.8 million to resolve allegations that it sold systems with serious cybersecurity vulnerabilities to U.S. federal agencies, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has issued a £1,785,000 fine against Barents Reinsurance S.A., London Branch, marking the first time it has sanctioned a reinsurer-only firm for significant internal control, governance, and regulatory reporting failures. The fine underscores the PRA’s heightened expectations for firms operating under the post-Brexit regulatory framework, particularly those falling under the UK’s Temporary Permissions Regime (TPR).