by Michel Klompmaker

Last Thursday, June 16, our traditional Risk & Compliance Annual Congress took place at the Groot Kievitsdal Estate in Baarn. The weather was beautiful and all those present could fully enjoy it on the terraces of the Estate. But of course there was also the serious angle, the theme around the role of the gatekeepers in 2022. The three keynotes before the break each had a clear opinion about this from their own background. The international bank customer, through the CEO of HVA International Miltiadis Gkouzouris, started off, after which Jaap van der Molen of the ABN Amro Bank spoke and then the Ministry of Justice and Security, represented by Zosha Zuidema. Later in the afternoon, the Great AML/CDD/KYC Debate took place, led by Michael van Woerden. Geert Vermeulen, who led the day in the right direction, was our chairman. Continue reading…

Last Friday, the European Commission presented its Opinions on the application for EU membership submitted by Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova as invited by the Council. Today’s Opinions are based on the Commission’s assessment in light of the three sets of criteria to join the EU agreed by the European Council: political criteria, economic criteria and the ability of the country to assume the obligations of EU membership (EU acquis). The Opinions also take into account Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia’s efforts in implementing their obligations under the Association Agreements (AA), including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTA), which cover significant parts of the EU acquis. The European Commission has found that Ukraine overall is well advanced in reaching the stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities; has continued its strong macro-economic record, demonstrating a noteworthy resilience with macroeconomic and financial stability, while needing to continue ambitious structural economic reforms; and has gradually approximated to substantial elements of the EU acquis in many areas.
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Ingrid Gacci

What a journey! This is the impression after three days spent at Money20/20. Money20/20 is not only the largest global fintech event where payment and financial industries are connected to commerce, but a fascinating event that gave Risk & Compliance Platform Europe the opportunity to meet innovative top managers and professionals from all over the world. We recently had the pleasure of conducting one of our most insightful interviews together with the CEO of Trulioo, Steve Munford. Trulioo is a Canadian-based company that provides electronic identity and address verification of both individuals and businesses. Continue reading…

The FCA is to use new powers to more swiftly cancel or change what regulated activities firms are permitted to do, these are known as permissions. This new power is available following a change in the law allowing the FCA to streamline and shorten the removals process. The FCA will provide a firm with two warnings if it believes it is not using its regulatory permission. The FCA will then be able to cancel the permission, or change it, 28 days after the first warning if the firm has not taken appropriate action. 

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Dina-Perla Portnaar

Another edition of the leading finance event has gone by. Between 7th and 9th June 2022, Money2020 was vibrant like always. In fact, the 2022 edition seemed even more vibrant than ever. Post-pandemic, it felt like a true gift to meet all those familiar and new faces in one venue. There is something special about meeting up with like-minded people in real-life. Continue reading…

Investigations and prosecutions of the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes (known collectively as core international crimes) have steadily risen within the European Union since 2016. A total of 1,547 new cases were opened in 2021, compared with 1,073 in 2016, which represents a 44% increase.  In 2021, 3,171 cases were ongoing across all Member States. This trend can be attributed, in part, to the escalation of conflicts and grave human rights violations near EU borders (most recently in Ukraine, Belarus and Syria), leading to an influx of refugees into Member States. The higher level of expertise now available among national authorities also explains the increase in investigations.

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Richard Lloyd OBE has become Interim Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority, as previously announced on 4 February 2022. He takes over from Charles Randell CBE, who stood down yesterday after four years as Chair. Richard will act as Chair until HM Treasury appoints a permanent successor. A recruitment process is underway. Continue reading…

The judicial authorities of Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia will become members of the joint investigation team (JIT) on alleged core international crimes, which has been set up with the support of Eurojust. The Prosecutors General of the three EU Member States signed an agreement to join the JIT, together with their counterparts from Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, during a coordination meeting hosted by Eurojust on May 30 and the following day. The JIT was set up on 25 March by Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) became a participant last month. Continue reading…

by Daniel Vaknine

Employees play a key role in an organisation’s well-being. As we all know, it is they who make the organisation work. If the employees in an organisation are dissatisfied or experience injustices in the workplace, it can have major negative effects, ranging from lack of motivation and lack of results to enormous negative media attention or lost partners. A critical component in the well-being of employees is the possibility of whistleblowing. Historically, there have often been situations where people are afraid of being singled out as whistleblowers, either for fear of retaliation, special treatment or getting rid of their jobs. Today, these are well-established facts amongst many within the risk and compliance industry. Continue reading…