Regulatory & Compliance

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the SEC to review proxy adviser rules as part of a wider crackdown on ESG influence in corporate governance. According to Bloomberg (paywall), the order instructs SEC chair Paul Atkins to evaluate and potentially revise or rescind regulations, guidance and related rules governing proxy advisory firms that critics say have pushed politically charged agendas rather than focusing solely on shareholder returns. It specifically cites ISS and Glass Lewis, claiming they have backed proposals on racial equity audits, greenhouse-gas…

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – The head of the SEC Paul Atkins said the regulator should ease listing and disclosure rules for small firms to help revive the IPO market. As reported by Bloomberg (paywall), in a December 2 speech at the NYSE, he argued that companies with a public float as low as $250 mn face the same regulatory burdens as firms 100 times larger, which discourages capital raising and inhibits growth. He proposed extending the ‘on-ramp’ period for newly public small companies to gradually comply with full reporting standards, instead of…

Hot off the heels of his NYSE address, SEC chair lays out his vision for the Commission in 2026 and beyond On December 2, 2025, SEC chairman Paul Atkins rang the opening bell at the NYSE and delivered a keynote address titled Revitalizing America’s markets at 250. In a sweeping vision for the future of US capital markets, he argued the rule that over decades have piled up around public companies have made going public costlier and more burdensome – causing the number of listed firms to decline by roughly 40 percent since the mid-1990s. Atkins painted the exchanges not…

The US banking sector is preparing for a new regulatory landscape that could reshape risk management across financial institutions and markets NYSE-listed social media company Snaphas appointed long-term outside counsel Zachery Briers as its new general counsel. He joins from Munger, Tolles & Olson where he worked for 13 years as a partner. Briers succeeds Michael O’Sullivan, who in September announced plans to step down from the role at the end of the year. In a LinkedIn post announcing his appointment, Briers says: ‘Snap continues to redefine how people communicate and express themselves and I look forward to contributing to…

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…

Effective entity management has become a critical strategic function, but what happens when it’s neglected? Entity management remains the often overlooked yet crucial foundation supporting effective governance. Operating behind the scenes, entity management functions as the quiet engine that ensures transparency, mitigates risk and enables strategic agility across multinational enterprises. Despite its critical importance, it frequently remains delegated solely to legal or compliance teams, disconnected from the boardroom’s strategic oversight. This disconnect can expose companies to significant risks, from compliance failures and regulatory penalties to delays in M&A and erosion of corporate reputation. The starting point for recognizing entity management’s…

Promising tokens before they exist is a common practice in the crypto industry – but also has the potential of becoming a legal and economic landmine. A recent Seoul court ruling against Wemade Co. shows how quickly a ‘future token’ promise can harden into liabilities. When does a promise become a liability? For South Korea’s Wemade, the answer was clear: the moment it told employees they would receive WEMIX tokens. A Seoul court recently ordered the company to deliver over $7 mn worth of tokens after failing to honor those commitments. While this ruling is not binding in the US,…