Regulatory & Compliance

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – Revolut has abandoned plans to merge with or buy a US bank and will instead pursue a standalone American banking license to accelerate its expansion into the US market. Previously, the UK-based fintech had considered acquiring a US lender to secure a charter quickly, but regulatory and operational hurdles, such as maintaining physical branches and complex approvals, made that route less attractive. According to The Financial Times (paywall), Revolut is now in talks with regulators to apply directly for a license through the Office of the Comptroller of…

John Kim on what it means for his team to make the shortlist Governance Intelligence recently presented its18th annual Corporate Governance Awardsat a gala ceremony this past November in New York City. Live from the red carpet, we spoke with several esteemed guests from across the world of GRC, includingFernando Contreras,VP,chief compliance officer & corporate secretaryatBaker Hughes. In our conversation, Contreras thanks his colleagues for their contribution to his success, speaks on the ESG themes that where key in 2025 and his advice for companies entering in 2026. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements by the governance profession in areas such…

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – Defense contractors are seeking legal advice after President Donald Trump issued an executive order tying share buybacks, dividends and executive pay to weapons delivery schedules under the White House’s ‘Prioritizing the Warfighter in Defense Contracting’ order. According to Reuters (paywall), firms fear penalties, including contract terminations, if they fall behind, even though some executives view the order as vague and difficult to enforce. Concern over administration influence is prompting companies to rethink financial strategies to avoid going against the policy. Lockheed Martin publicly endorsed the focus on speed…

More regulatory changes are on its way as the SEC sets its sights on corporate disclosure reforms In the current critically-acclaimed filmOne battle after another, circumstances compel the lead character, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, to revisit old conflicts and confront former adversaries. A similar narrative could prove to be one of the major themes in the shareholder activism world this year, as old battles flare up again and activists continue to push for improved corporate performance. Bruce Goldfarb, president and CEO of Okapi Partners My view is largely based on the momentum generated by last year’s high volume of activist…

Amid a growing debate over the future of quarterly reporting, experts are weighing what a slower cadence of disclosure could mean for companies, markets and the investors who rely on them As policymakers and corporate leaders debate the future of quarterly financial reporting in the US, a significant shift looms over how public companies communicate with investors and how they are held accountable. Beginning in 1970, the US has required its public companies to report its earnings every three months. Any previous attempts to cut this back has been met with opposition from shareholders and industry groups who argue that…

As regulatory pressure intensifies and AI becomes embedded across the enterprise, industry leaders share their thoughts on how this will evolve in the new year When we spoke to governance leaders about their predictions for the wider GRC profession in 2026, their answers were less about distant hypotheticals and more about responding to forces already reshaping how organizations operate. Whether these commentators sit in AI, governance, compliance, transformation, board oversight or enterprise risk, there is a shared view that incremental change will not be enough. The coming year will force organizations to rethink fundamentals rather than refine the margins. Below,…

New York’s new emissions reporting rule is about to shake up how companies track responsibility, risk and reputation, but the biggest changes may unfold beyond the compliance desk December saw the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) finalize regulations establishing the state’s Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program under Part 253 of the environmental code. This program will require specified entities to annually measure and report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and related data to DEC, with the first reports covering emissions from calendar year 2026 due by June 1, 2027. The program is a core component of implementing the…

Governance Intelligence looks back on the most read stories of 2025 and what that means for changing governance priorities Nasdaq-listed Gilead Sciences has named Keeley Wettan as its EVP, general counsel, legal and compliance. Effective immediately, she will join the company’s senior leadership team and report to chairman and CEO Daniel O’Day. Wettan has been with Gilead for 14 years, during which time she has held a number of senior legal leadership roles, most recently as SVP leading the global legal business partners team. Before that, she led the litigation and government investigations and the corporate governance and strategic transactions…

Shifting political winds in Washington and a regulatory retreat will have unintended consequences for companies Corporate boards and management face a stark and defining choice this proxy season. Shifting political winds in Washington – and a retreat by the SEC from investor protection and enforcement – will offer companies what might seem like a ‘get out of jail free’ card. But this proxy season and the three years that follow will be a litmus test for corporate America. The question on everyone’s mind is How will public corporations behave in a world where the SEC is actively attempting to reduce…

Regulators and industry voices examine how far financial oversight should extend as digital asset markets mature Earlier this week the SEC’s Crypto Task Force held its sixth roundtable, addressing what chairman Paul Atkins described as one of the most consequential questions for the digital age: whether US citizens ‘can participate in modern finance without surrendering their privacy.’ The event brought together regulators, privacy advocates, industry participants and observers in a wide-ranging discussion about how financial surveillance and individual privacy should coexist in an increasingly blockchain-driven world. In his opening remarks, Atkins said the federal government has a duty to protect…