Amid rapid change, unprecedented new risks, and the growing complexity of organisations, The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) recently announced a major update to the widely accepted Three Lines Model. Originally known as the Three Lines of Defense, the model has gained popularity for organising governance and risk management in organisations. However, acknowledging that risk-based decision-making is as much about seizing opportunities as it is about defensive moves, the new Three Lines Model helps organisations better identify and structure interactions and responsibilities of key players toward achieving more effective alignment, collaboration, accountability and, ultimately, objectives. Continue reading…

by Frank Staelens

I would like to explain the regulation’s broad impact and to offer guidance for compliance. Most listed companies and large public organisations already consider whistleblowing management as an important governance mechanism with, in most cases, boards/audit committees being accountable to measure its effectiveness. This group is now moving toward the use of whistleblowing systems beyond reporting wrongdoing and starting to understand that instilling a transparent, “speak up” culture is perceived by stakeholders as a sign of good health. However, many other organisations still have a different position on the subject. But keep in mind, within the EU all member states have until December 17, 2021 to transpose the new whistleblower protection rules into national law.  Continue reading…

The European Central Bank (ECB) recently published the aggregate results of its vulnerability analysis of banks directly supervised within the Single Supervisory Mechanism. The exercise assessed how the economic shock caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak would impact 86 euro area banks and aimed to identify potential vulnerabilities within the banking sector over a three-year horizon. Overall, the results show that the euro area banking sector can withstand the pandemic-induced stress. Continue reading…

by Michel Klompmaker

Let’s start with the facts. Last week was the worst week to date, with 1.794,124 registered infections. Many politicians seem to be turning a blind eye to this reality and we should fear the fact that global figures, especially in Asia and Africa, are not correct. After all, not all cases of infections were registered in a reasonably civilised country such as the Netherlands. Meanwhile, EU Commissioner Gentiloni says “It is time to pump new confidence and new money into our economies in this critical situation.” There are now more than 17 million registered coronavirus patients worldwide and the EU has adjusted its economic expectations for the EU countries downwards. Continue reading…

by Claudia Zimmermann

It may sound a bit strange at first glance. Censorship in Germany, that has definitely been over since World War II? That’s right. Fortunately, there is freedom of expression in Germany and there is freedom of the press. But still there is something strange going on. Not a single journalist is arrested and sentenced to death in Germany, unlike in some other countries such as China and Iran. This is fortunate, but some strange things do happen. And why then, you wonder? Well, the answer is simple. Very large companies like to sit on the heads of government and ministers and state secretaries of their interest to defend their own major financial interests. I will explain very specifically how this works in my case.  Continue reading…

The European Commission recently recommended that Member States do not grant financial support to companies with links to countries that are on the EU’s list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions. Restrictions should also apply to companies that have been convicted of serious financial crimes, including, among others, financial fraud, corruption, non-payment of tax and social security obligations. The aim of today’s recommendation is to provide guidance to Member States on how to set conditions to financial support that prevent the misuse of public funds and to strengthen safeguards against tax abuse throughout the EU, in line with EU laws. By coordinating restrictions on financial support, Member States would also prevent mismatches and distortions within the Single Market.  Continue reading…

The Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures’s (CPMI) report entitled ‘Enhancing cross-border payments: building blocks of a global roadmap’ comprehensively sets out the necessary elements to improve cross-border payments to make them faster, cheaper, more transparent and inclusive. The CPMI is committed to taking a leading role in developing and implementing a global roadmap as part of the G20’s mission to tackle this multidimensional task. It also aims at resolving the longstanding frictions and challenges in cross-border payments that would boost global trade, development and economic growth. Continue reading…

by Michel Klompmaker

The WHO has reported a record number of new infections worldwide in recent days. The health organisation reported last Saturday that 224,260 new infections worldwide were registered in one day. And then we are only talking about the cases known to WHO. It can be guessed that the situation is even more serious, because even in a civilised country like the Netherlands, many infections were simply not reported. But what does this mean for the global economy? Let’s take a closer look at two major players from across the ocean, then it will soon be clear that the worst is yet to come. Most reports from the past few days come from the United States and Brazil. Together these countries account for almost half of all new infections worldwide, but many people in India have also tested positive for the virus. A few figures: The number of new worldwide registered new infections in the week of June 29 – July 5 was 1,230,000. Last June, the WHO recorded a record number of new infections of 5,303,000 compared to more than 2,300,000 last April. Continue reading…

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has recently issued the updated version of its guidelines on Sound management of risks related to money laundering and financing of terrorism: revisions to supervisory cooperation, with guides on the interaction and cooperation between prudential and anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) supervisors for banks. These guidelines are intended to enhance the effectiveness of supervision of banks’ money laundering and financing of terrorism (FT) risk management, consistent with and complementary to the goals and objectives of the standards issued by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and principles and guidelines published by the Basel Committee. Continue reading…

by Michel Klompmaker

In many parts of the world, the coronavirus has been ruthless. This is also the case in the southern states of the USA. Viewed from a Western European perspective, the pandemic appears to be somewhat extinguished, but this is by no means the case from the perspective of the coronavirus itself. Very worrying is the recent increase in the worldwide number of registered infections from about 10 million on June 27 to more than 13 million on July 12. In part two of our series “Lockdown or Knockout?” we take a moment to reflect on what has recently happened in Texas and in passing we take the opinion of a German virologist from the University of Bonn. Continue reading…