United States
Cybersecurity
OFAC has sanctioned a Chinese company associated with the Chinese cyber group Salt Typhoon along with a hacker associated with compromising systems at the US Treasury.
Enforcement
The US Supreme Court has upheld the ban of TikTok on national security grounds.
OCC fines 3 former Wells Fargo executives a combined $18.5m, one appeals.
BlackRock settles with Tennessee over ESG-conscious investing practices, including proxy voting.
American Express settles for $230m with the DoJ over aggressive advertising.
CFPB fines Equifax $15m for credit report errors.
CFPB fines Cashapp $175m over insufficient fraudulent transaction controls.
Vanguard to pay $106m to settle SEC charges over misleading TDF disclosures.
SEC charges Grubmarket with overstating its revenue by $500m.
Regulation
Tech groups sue CFPB to block rule on payment apps, digital wallets.
Gensler warns about crypto regulation need on his way out.
Federal reserve withdraws from global climate group.
China
The US believes that China uses unfair policies and practices to dominate the global maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors – a determination that will likely lead to sanctions in the near future.
AstraZeneca has “overhauled” the local management team of its scandal-hit China division (subscription).
EU
The EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) applies to in-scope firms from today.
The EBA and ESMA have published a joint report on recent developments in crypto assets.
International
BCBS, the CPMI and IOSCO have published three reports containing proposals and practices to improve transparency in and streamline margin processes. The regulatory intent is to increase the predictability of margin requirements across centrally and non-centrally cleared markets.
Japan
Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors has agreed to pay $1.6bn (£1.3bn) and plead guilty to deceiving US regulators about the amount of emissions produced by its diesel engines.
Canada
CSSB releases final Canadian sustainability disclosure standards.
Music streaming companies fight back over CRTC “streaming tax.”
UK
From the 17th January 2025 the FCA will require controllers and beneficial owners to obtain criminal background checks from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), or overseas equivalent.
On January 14, 2025, the Bank of England (BoE) published a progress update and a design note on the blueprint framework for a digital pound.
US activist investors target under-valued UK investment trusts, a move that concerns UK based asset managers.