Compliance & Ethics

At the 2025 SIFMA Anti-Money Laundering and Financial Crimes Conference in Washington, D.C., Matthew R. Galeotti, the head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, unveiled significant changes to the Department’s approach to white-collar crime enforcement. In his speech, Galeotti underscored a shift towards increased transparency and fairness for businesses, with an emphasis on self-reporting and cooperation in exchange for more predictable outcomes in investigations and penalties.

The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) has imposed a €600,000 fine on Innovestica Holdings Inc. The company found itself on the wrong side of Germany’s Securities Trading Act (WpHG) after failing to submit necessary voting rights notifications within the required time frame.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued a hefty penalty of $215,988,868 against GVA Capital, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm. The firm is being held accountable for knowingly managing investments linked to Suleiman Kerimov, a Russian oligarch already under sanctions, and for failing to respond properly to an OFAC subpoena. This is a case that underscores the immense risks involved when gatekeepers like venture capital firms fail to uphold sanctions compliance.

Four individuals, including a U.S. government official and three business executives, have admitted their roles in a decade-long bribery and fraud scheme that cost American taxpayers more than $550 million. The guilty pleas mark the end of an extensive investigation into corruption within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where bribery was used to bypass the fair contracting process, all in the name of personal gain.

Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) is often seen as a necessary but burdensome overhead, essential for meeting regulatory demands but rarely viewed as a driver of business value. But what if that perception is holding your organization back? In a new guide titled From Overhead to Advantage: Reframing GRC Investment, we explore how GRC can shift from a passive function into a proactive strategic asset that not only ensures compliance but also accelerates growth and strengthens business resilience.

When you’re seeking help for substance use disorder, the last thing you need is to be misled. But that’s exactly what Evoke Wellness, a Florida-based treatment clinic, was accused of doing in a deceptive advertising scheme that spanned Google search ads and telemarketing.

Americas Securities has reached a settlement with FINRA after admitting to multiple rule violations related to inaccurate trade reporting and supervisory failures. Under the terms of the settlement, the firm has agreed to pay a $275,000 fine and accept a censure.