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The transition from the Banking Executive Accountability Regime to the Financial Accountability Regime is due to take place on 15 March 2024 for the banking industry. Companies covered by the regime need to be aware of these changes and ensure relevant documentation, including relating to accountable persons and variable remuneration, is up to date.

On 13 February 2024, the FCA issued a Final Notice to Floris Jakobus Huisamen, the former director and compliance officer of London Capital & Finance plc (LCF), fining him GBP 31,800 and banning him from working in financial services in relation to misconduct connected to financial promotions issued by LCF. This Final Notice follows the FCA’s previous censure of LCF in October 2023 for connected behaviour. In this alert we draw out the key takeaways that compliance officers should bear in mind from the FCA’s enforcement action.

On 7 February 2024, the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) issued several investment promotion measures under the announcements as follows:- 1) Investment Promotion Measure for Social and Local Development 2) Retention and Expansion Program 3) Relocation Program 4) Investment Stimulation Measure for Economic Recovery

On 24 January 2024, the European Commission published a package compromising five initiatives aimed at bolstering the EU’s economic security amidst growing geopolitical tensions and profound technological transformations. Central to this package is a proposal for a reform of the existing EU foreign investment review screening framework as it currently exists on the basis of Regulation (EU) 2019/452 and essentially provides for a notice-and-comment procedure in its current form.

On 7 February 2024, the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) issued several investment promotion measures under the announcements as follows: 1) Investment Promotion Measure for Social and Local Development 2) Retention and Expansion Program 3) Relocation Program 4) Investment Stimulation Measure for Economic Recovery

To facilitate and support Thai residents’ offshore investments through local licensed intermediaries, the Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a new notification to amend requirements on the existing Collaboration Scheme between Thai Intermediaries and offshore financial institutions in offering investments in offshore securities and derivatives denominated in foreign currencies to investors based in Thailand, effective from 16 February 2024.

On 18 January 2024, the National Assembly of Vietnam passed the new Law No. 32/2024/QH15 on Credit Institutions (“New Law”) at the fifth extraordinary meeting of the National Assembly. The New Law will have a major impact on the development of the banking sector in Vietnam.

The New Law will come into effect and replace the Current Law from 1 July 2024, except for the provisions on enforcement of security over real estate, which will take effect from 1 January 2025, and certain transitional provisions regarding the operation of credit institutions.

On 8 February 2024, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau of Hong Kong (FSTB) released a public consultation (“Consultation”) on legislative proposals to introduce a licensing regime (“Proposed Regime”) for providers of over-the-counter (OTC) trading services of virtual assets (VA). The Proposed Regime will be regulated by the Commissioner of Customs and Excise. The Consultation represents the latest step in the city to further enhance the VA regulatory framework as outlined by the Hong Kong Government in its 2022 Policy Statement on Development of VA in Hong Kong.

We are pleased to share with you our annual briefing looking at financial services regulation and enforcement in 2024, “What does 2024 hold? Key upcoming developments and enforcement trends”.

With Brexit and the pandemic firmly in the rear-view mirror, and the geopolitical ebb-and-flow settling into a somewhat more stable – if preciously perched – pattern, regulators around the world have turned their attention to less reactive, more forward-looking actions. Our London Financial Institutions Regulatory and Enforcement experts explore the key developments and trends expected to dominate the regulatory landscape this year.

Lately, quite a few companies have received so-called discrepancy reports from the German Federal Gazette (“Bundesanzeiger”), the authority in charge of keeping the German transparency register. The number of these reports being submitted has increased significantly recently. Once you receive a discrepancy report, there are quite a few things to observe.