Compliance & Ethics

ASIC's Form CF08 is the prescribed notice that entities must lodge to rely on Class Orders [CO 14/1000] (listed bodies) and [CO 14/1001] (unlisted bodies) for employee incentive scheme offers. There is no lodgement fee and the form is not published on ASIC's public register, but failing to lodge a valid notice could jeopardize the disclosure relief. Compliance teams should confirm that their equity plan processes include accurate and timely CF08 lodgement.

The Information Commissioner's Office has revised its Freedom of Information Act guidance on the public interest test to reflect the Supreme Court's ruling in DBT v ICO [2025] UKSC 27, which permits public interest factors supporting multiple qualified exemptions to be weighed cumulatively against disclosure. The update also sets out expectations for refusal notices and for handling ICO complaints. Compliance teams at organizations subject to FOIA, or that supply information to public authorities, should review their withholding procedures and templates.

ASIC's Form 5211 is the mechanism by which a retail corporate collective investment vehicle (CCIV) lodges its annual compliance plan audit report under s1226G(4) of the Corporations Act 2001. The corporate director must lodge within three months of financial year-end and disclose whether the auditor issued a qualified opinion on compliance or on plan adequacy. Compliance teams should build this filing into their annual calendars to avoid late fees and regulatory scrutiny.

The SEC Office of Municipal Securities issued a staff statement explaining when a non-solicitor municipal advisor's participation in drafting, reviewing, or assembling disclosure documents is "advice" and municipal advisory activity, and how antifraud and fiduciary exposure follows. It creates no new legal obligations, but it shows how staff will assess advisor liability. Compliance teams should use it to recalibrate engagement scopes, supervisory controls, and disclosure-related practices.

EIOPA's final Q&A (ID 3528) states that derivatives, including forward bond contracts, should not be included in the market value of fixed-income assets (MVFI). Whether repacks are included depends on their contractual specifics. Insurers using long-term guarantee measures should review how they classify these exposures, because the classification affects the calculation.

ASIC's Form 5240 is the mechanism a corporate collective investment vehicle (CCIV) must use to notify ASIC of a proposed sub-fund name change under the Corporations Act 2001. The form carries strict lodgement windows of 14 or 60 days depending on the trigger, and late fees apply. Compliance teams at CCIV operators should confirm that their name-change workflows meet these deadlines and the related requirements.

The Norway Financial Supervisory Authority (Finanstilsynet) has listed a warning on GooeyTrade that originates from the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). The AFM source URL places the entity in its "boilerroom" warning category, which signals suspected high-pressure investment fraud. Compliance teams should treat GooeyTrade as a high-risk counterparty and update screening and customer-protection controls.