The Financial Services Regulatory (FSR) Momentum Monitor is a horizon-scanning tool enabling financial service providers to plan and prepare for coming developments across the jurisdictions in which they operate. Grouping upcoming changes into key business-relevant themes, the FSR Momentum Monitor highlights the extent and expected impact of upcoming regulatory intervention in multiple jurisdictions across the globe.
The Investigating Authority of the Federal Economic Competition Commission published on 2 March 2023, the notice of initiation of an investigation for alleged horizontal monopolistic practices, also known as cartel practices, consisting in agreements between competitors to coordinate their bids in tenders by the Mexican Public Health sector to acquire radiological equipment and related products. Cartel Practices in the public health sector have been consistently considered by COFECE as a serious offense, as such acts have a direct impact on the number and quality of medical supplies purchased with public resources by government institutions for the care of the population.
On 3 March 2023, the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice published details of a three-year Pilot Program Regarding Compensation Incentives and Clawbacks. The Compensation Pilot Program is effective 15 March 2023 and from that date it will be applicable to all corporate criminal matters handled by the DOJ Criminal Division. At the same time, DOJ also updated its Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs guidance document to reflect the criteria introduced by the Compensation Pilot Program, among other updates.
On 12 January 2023, the Government of Indonesia enacted Law No. 4/2023 on Development and Strengthening of the Financial Sector (Pengembangan dan Penguatan Sektor Keuangan). This law amended several laws, including capital markets law, which was regulated under Law No. 8/1995 on Capital Markets.
In this alert, we highlight some changes relating to post-IPO obligations (i.e., share ownership reporting, disclosure of material information and insider trading).
On 22 February 2023, the US Department of Justice announced a new voluntary self-disclosure policy for corporate criminal enforcement in all 94 United States Attorneys’ Offices across the country. This new voluntary self-disclosure policy is a response to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco’s 15 September 2022 Memorandum insisting all DOJ divisions develop a self-disclosure policy, to the extent one does not already exist. Other DOJ components, including the Criminal Division, have already taken steps to issue or update their own policies on this topic.
Spanish Official State Gazette published Law 2/2023 on 20 February 2023, which transposes the EU Whistleblower Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of European Union law) into Spanish law.
On 22 February 2023, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a new voluntary self-disclosure policy for corporate criminal enforcement in all 94 United States Attorneys’ Offices (USAOs) across the country.
This new voluntary self-disclosure policy is a response to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco’s 15 September 2022 Memorandum (“Monaco Memo”) insisting all DOJ divisions develop a self-disclosure policy, to the extent one does not already exist. Other DOJ components, including the Criminal Division, have already taken steps to issue or update their own policies on this topic.
On 16 February 2023, Argentina signed the Second Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime, known as the Budapest Convention, becoming its 35th signatory state. The Second Protocol responds to the challenge of obtaining electronic evidence that may be stored in foreign jurisdictions when carrying out criminal investigations. It also aims to provide tools to enhance cooperation and disclosure of electronic evidence.
On 23 October 2019, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Directive (EU) 2019/1937 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law, informally referred to as the “EU Whistleblower Directive”.
Belgium has implemented the EU Whistleblower Directive separately for the public and the private sectors, with the Act of 8 December 2022 on reporting channels and protection of whistleblowers in federal public sector bodies and the integrated police, and the Act of 28 November 2022 on the protection of whistleblowers of breaches of Union or national law established within a legal entity in the private sector, published on 15 December 2022, which came into effect on 15 February 2023.
The European Whistleblowing Directive (WBD) was supposed to be implemented by the European Union’s 27 member states by no later than 17th December 2021, impacting employers with operations in those jurisdictions.
This article looks at what those key challenges are and the unique support we can offer in helping global employers harmonize their global approach to managing whistleblowing reports within the prescriptive requirements of the WBD.