Regulatory & Compliance

How the industry moved from hand-delivered filings to digital disclosure, machine-readable data and the next generation of reporting infrastructure. SEC reporting has undergone a profound transformation over the past several decades. What began as a manual, paper-based process has evolved into a digital, structured data environment that delivers greater speed, accessibility and analytical value across the capital markets. While the technologies and formats have changed, the underlying objective has remained constant: providing trusted, timely and transparent information to regulators, investors and the market. In the era of hard-copy financial print, the reporting process was highly physical, time-sensitive and operationally complex.…

Shareholder organization compares rowing back core disclosure framework to the movie ‘Don’t Look Up’ As You Sow has formally challenged proposed changes to Regulation S-K, filing a comment letter with the SEC in response to chairman Paul Atkins’ January statement on reform. The organization is urging the regulator not to weaken what it describes as a core disclosure framework governing how public companies report risk, governance and financial information to investors. Instead, it argues that the rules should be strengthened to reflect growing market complexity and rising material risks. ‘Regulation S-K is the foundational disclosure framework that governs risk, governance…

The proposed overhaul of AML and CFT rules will force governance professionals to adopt compliance programs that are genuinely effective US financial regulators are proposing a major overhaul of anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CFT) rules that would change how compliance programs are designed, assessed and defended. Under proposals published by FinCEN alongside parallel rulemakings from the FDIC, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), supervisors would move away from judging compliance by the volume of documentation produced. Instead, they would focus on whether AML and CFT frameworks actually work in practice…

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – ExxonMobil has launched a legal challenge against California in a case that could shape US corporate climate disclosure rules, according to Reuters (paywall). The dispute centers on California’s Climate-Related Financial Risk Act (SB 261), which requires companies with over $500 mn in revenue to disclose climate-related risks and mitigation strategies. Implementation of the law, originally due in January 2026, is on hold pending a decision by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals. Exxon and business groups argue the rule violates free speech and conflicts with federal securities…

General counsel are facing a sharp escalation in complexity, yet many are responding with notable composure A lawsuit filed by shareholder advocate As You Sow against insurer Chubb is fast becoming a defining test of shareholder rights in the US proxy system, highlighting how climate governance disputes are shifting from regulators to the courts. Filed in March 2026 in federal court in Washington DC, the case challenges Chubb’s decision to exclude a shareholder proposal from its AGM. The proposal asked investors to vote on whether the company should commission a report examining the potential to recover climate-related losses from responsible…

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – The White House is reviewing a SEC proposal that would shift corporate reporting requirements to a semiannual basis and away from quarterly reporting, as reported by Bloomberg (paywall). The plan, submitted to the Office of Management and Budget, must clear this review before the SEC can formally release it for public comment. Commissioners would later vote again on a final version, meaning implementation may still take months. The proposal aligns with broader efforts by SEC leadership to reduce disclosure burdens and encourage companies to go public by easing…

Regulators will monitor TD Bank’s US operations as the lender implements required AML program reforms after a $3 bn settlement In December of last year, TD Bank published its fourth quarter and full‑year 2025 financial results, showing it had absorbed the financial impact of a notable US anti‑money‑laundering (AML) settlement while still delivering solid underlying performance. A rise in adjusted net income for the quarter and the full year confirmed that the bank had provisioned for the settlement and related compliance costs and remained on track with its strategic priorities. The year‑end results highlighted the approximately $3 bn resolution of criminal…

As SEC disclosure demands grow more complex, is the hybrid reporting model the best path to accuracy, transparency and control? A structural shift is underway in SEC reporting. As structured data requirements expand and filing workflows become more complex, the traditional model,often built on manual step, disconnected tools and late-stage reviews, is becoming harder to sustain. For many issuers, XBRL has historically been treated as a compliance task handled outside the core reporting process. But that approach is increasingly at odds with today’s regulatory environment, in which consistency, traceability and governance matter as much as timely submission. The question is…

New proposal for stablecoin licensing could reshape how corporate boards oversee digital asset operations Delaware lawmakers have introduced a proposed stablecoin licensing framework, a move that is drawing close attention from boards and governance professionals assessing regulatory risk and digital asset strategy. Industry participants say the proposed framework known as, the Delaware Payment Stablecoin Act, is notable not only for its substance but also for how it may shape broader regulatory alignment. Speaking to Governance Intelligence, Adrian Wall, managing director of the Digital Sovereignty Alliance, said: ‘Delaware’s move isn’t creating fragmentation risk. It’s accelerating the timeline on which that risk…

From ransomware to AI missteps, boards are navigating an unprecedented surge in liability exposure The directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance landscape in the US is shifting rapidly in early 2026 as emerging threats like cyber‑security incidents and AI risks reshape litigation patterns, underwriting practices and coverage disputes. As boards confront expanded liabilities and insurers adjust to complex exposures, the traditional features of D&O coverage are under pressure from technology, litigation trends and changing regulatory expectations. One of the most definitive recent developments highlighting the importance of precise policy language came from the Delaware Supreme Court. On January27,2026, the court…