United States
Cybersecurity
Allegations have been made suggesting that a hacking campaign targeting prominent American climate activists was ordered by a lobbying firm working for ExxonMobil.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) said it was investigating a potential data breach after claims that sensitive information, including product source codes stored on GitHub, had been stolen by hackers.
Data
Meta has indicated that it will keep its fact-checking program in place outside the US, likely to forestall potential regulatory action should it eliminate fact-checking in countries where it is obligated to maintain specific content standards.
Enforcement
Apple was accused by the Democratic Republic of Congo of knowingly sourcing “blood minerals” (subscription) from the country with criminal complaints against the tech giant filed in Belgium and France.
ESG
Morningstar reports that ESG funds endured capital outflows of nearly $20b in 2024.
Regulation
The SEC has rescinded Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) No. 121 (SAB 121) that had hindered banks from offering bitcoin and crypto custody services.
The CFPB published a compendium of bureau guidance documents issued from 2021 to January 2025.
The Supreme Court has unblocked the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) as its legality is litigated in a federal trial court, though FinCen noted it remains paused due to a ruling from another trial court. The Act requires corporations to disclose information about their owners.
China
30% of respondents to an annual survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in China reported that they were exploring alternatives to manufacturing in China (subscription) – a record number that underlines the potentially disruptive effect of a trade conflict.
EU
ESMA launched a new governance structure to support the transition to the T+1 settlement cycle in the EU.
Hungary threatened to veto the renewal of EU sanctions against Russia (subscription) unless Ukraine permits the reopening of the gas export route through its territory.
International
The annual World Economic Forum held at Davos was overshadowed (subscription) this year by the flurry of activity in the US that swiftly followed on President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Japan
The Bank of Japan raised its interest rates to the highest level in 17 years in response to increasing consumer prices.
UK
Proposed stricter audit rules for private companies (subscription) were the likely next victim of the Labour government’s bid to reduce the regulatory burden in order to encourage economic growth in the UK.
Bank of England delays tough capital requirements until 2027 as it waits to see how US banking regulation will unfold.
