Next year, the SEC is sending a clear message: safeguarding customer data is no longer optional On November 17, the SEC’s Division of Examinations released its 2026 examination priorities –a document that, as always, serves as both a roadmap for registrants and a clear statement of where the agency believes the biggest risks to investors and markets now lie. While the list is not exhaustive, it provides an unusually sharp look at how the SEC is recalibrating its approach heading into the next regulatory cycle. This year, that recalibration is significant. Keith Cassidy, acting director of the Division of Examinations…

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web –The SEC is weighing changes to conflict of interest rules that restrict which companies the ‘big four’ accounting firms – KPMG, Deloitte, PwC and EY – may audit, according to the commission’s chief accountant Kurt Hohl. As reported by the Financial Times (paywall), speaking at Baruch College’s annual auditing standards conference, Hohl warned that long-standing independence rules may no longer be ‘fit for purpose’ as technology and AI companies form increasingly complex partnerships. Because large accounting firms now sell software and AI tools from companies such as Microsoft and…

Regulator will reduce oversight of shareholder proposal disputes in a step critics say will leave investors in ‘legal limbo’ The SEC has changed its rules around how companies seek permission to exclude certain shareholder proposals from proxies, in a move that will make it more difficult for activists to force votes on contentious issues. Earlier this week, the commission’s Division of Corporation Finance announced that it will not substantially review no-action requests under Rule 14a-8 for the 2025-26 proxy season, except for procedural exclusions it specifies in the legislation. The regulator blamed ‘current resource and timing considerations following the lengthy…

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web –US officials are reviewing an executive order that could reshape shareholder voting power by imposing curbs on major proxy advisory firms and index fund managers. As reported by the Wall Street Journal (paywall), the planned measures would target firms such as ISS and Glass Lewis, limiting their ability to issue vote recommendations for companies to which they also provide consulting services. According to people familiar with the discussions, the government would also place constraints on large asset managers like BlackRock, Vanguard Group and State Street – which collectively control…