Regulatory & Compliance

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web —The Environmental Defense Fund and Union of Concerned Scientists have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over use of a secretively convened group of climate skeptics to prepare a report in its attempt to undo the Endangerment Finding. The two environmental groups allege are challenging the activities of the ‘Climate Working Group,’ which is a group of hand-picked climate skeptics convened months ago by Secretary of Energy Christopher Wright. They allege that the Trump administration used the report published by the group unlawfully, called A Critical Review of…

AI has huge potential but many governance teams are still struggling to manage the risks Agentic AI is expected to drive a leap in productivity and innovation. But how can companies harness its potential without risking their values, security or profits? The Financial Reporting Council’s latest Review of Corporate Governance report reveals that 73 percent of companies are now addressing AI in boardroom discussions, whether it’s about risk, opportunities or operational integration. Meanwhile, ISS Corporate’s analysis of S&P 500 proxy statements shows a dramatic increase in board-level AI oversight: there’s an 84 percent jump in AI-related board disclosures between 2023…

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web —The SEC has told the US Court of Appeals that it will not review or reconsider its climate disclosure rules for companies and has requested the court to rule on pending legal challenges. The SEC comments form part of a status report provided by the regulator, in response to a request made by the Eighth Circuit court in April. Before the court’s request, Mark Uyeda, acting chairman of the SEC, hadalready saidthat the Commission would end its legal defense of the rules, without actually having to rescind the rules.…

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – The SEC is in discussions with US stock exchange operators on potentially easing regulatory requirements for public companies. According to Reuters (paywall), the regulatory reform seeks to attract more high value startups to list publicly, with discussions said to involve the SEC, Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange. The reforms under discussion include reducing the number of disclosures required, lowering the costs of going public and making it harder for minority investors to put investee companies under pressure. The talks, which are several months in, come in…

Governance professionals do not have the luxury of being able to avoid political issues Governance professionals, from the corporate secretary to the IRO to the chief governance officer, are at the frontline for communication and engagement with shareholders. These roles are as complex as they are satisfying while navigating the constant turbulence. At any given time, new regulatory requirements, shareholder tendencies or political factors demand a response. As a public company and transfer agent to thousands of companies, Computershare has a unique perspective on numerous topics governance leaders face. In particular, the economic and social impact of the current geopolitical…

SEC asks whether rules are a compliance headache Firearm maker Sturm, Ruger has promoted its vice president of administration to take over as its vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Sarah Colbert will succeed current general counsel Kevin Reid, who is retiring after serving in the role since 2008. As a vice president, Colbert will maintain her role on Sturm, Ruger’s leadership team, a position she has held since June 2017. In this capacity, she will continue to help shape strategic decisions and guide cross-functional collaboration across the company, according to a press release. She will also take on…

New SEC filing rules represent a significant shift EDGAR Next represents the most significant shift in SEC filing access in over two decades. Beginning September 15, 2025, public companies must transition to a more secure, role-based access system that replaces shared credentials with individuallogin.govaccounts. Failure to comply may result in loss of filing access and missed disclosure deadlines. To avoid disruptions in filing access, enrollment should be completed between March 24 and September 12, 2025. Although the enrollment window remains open until December 19, filings cannot be submitted until the process is finalized, potentially delaying time-sensitive disclosures. Filers who do…

This week’s governance, compliance and risk-management stories from around the web – The listing of Brazilian meat packing company JBS on the New York Stock Exchange has put it in the firing line of animal rights groups, Reuters reported (paywall). Various groups condemned the move publicly and criticized the SEC, citing JBS’ deforestation in the Amazon and several criminal investigations into the firm’s activities. In recent years JBS has been implicated in a corruption scandal in Brazil and was fined heavily over charges bribery relating to its 2009 acquisition of US meat company Pilgrim’s Pride. – Shein is considering ways…

-Anonymous sources with the SEC have told Reuters (paywall) that the organization haslost 16 percent of its employees in the past 12 months. Some of those in the count include the 600 employees who accepted US President Donald Trump’s offer toretire early back in February. Kenneth Johnson, SEC chief operating officer, allegedly cited the 16 percent figure in aninternal email to staff this week. An additional 150 contractors have also been cut, leaving the organization withoutexpertise in certain areas. -HSBC is considering throwing in the towel on in-person AGMs, according to FinancialTimes’sources (paywall). The bank has asked those involved to…

Bank of American survey revealed uncertainty in wake of Trump’s decisions Bank of America’s April survey of fund managers painted a bleak picture for the US and world markets, with a record high of 82 percent of respondentsexpecting the global economy to weaken. The bank surveyed 164 people with $386 bn in managed assets the week of April 4, just after Trump announced his so-called ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs on April 2. Those surveyed were a net 17 percent overweight on US stocks in February, but fast forward two months to April and they are36 percent underweight – the biggest drop…