Belgium’s competition watchdog has formally opened proceedings against Google over its practices in the online advertising sector, adding fresh regulatory pressure to a business model that sits at the heart of the digital economy.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has taken a step toward shaping the future of dollar-backed digital assets, issuing a proposed rule to implement the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act, better known as the GENIUS Act.
South Korea’s Financial Services Commission is preparing to dramatically expand financial incentives for whistleblowers, scrapping long-standing payout caps and tying rewards directly to the scale of illicit gains recovered in market manipulation and accounting fraud cases.
Walmart has agreed to a $100 million judgment to settle allegations that it misled gig workers about how much they would earn delivering orders through its Spark Driver platform, closing out a case brought by the Federal Trade Commission and 11 states.
In its Supervisory Priorities for 2026, the Malta Financial Services Authority outlines a roadmap that leans heavily into financial crime compliance and consumer protection, while continuing to track digital transformation and cross-border risks. The document reflects a regulator balancing two pressures at once: keeping pace with sweeping EU reforms and reinforcing domestic standards across a diverse financial services landscape.
New figures released by Australian Securities and Investments Commission show that between July and December 2025, the watchdog secured $230.9 million (AUD $349.8 million) in court-ordered civil penalties, the highest six-month total in its history. Over the same period, its actions set in motion $385.1 million (AUD $583 million) in refunds, remediation payments, and investor returns.
Spain’s competition authority is once again turning its attention to Apple and Amazon, and this time not for the original conduct that led to a €194 million fine, but for what it says was a failure to stop it quickly enough.