To understand the impact of increasing global regulatory fragmentation, the International Regulatory Strategy Group (IRSG)* has developed a ‘Global Regulatory Coherence Dashboard’ to map the extent of global alignment or divergence in financial regulations across key policy areas affecting UK-based financial and related professional services.

After more than two years of negotiations, the European Union’s Financial Data Access (FiDA) regulation is close to being finalized. The initiative is intended to strengthen open finance by granting third parties access to financial institutions’ customer data.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has accused ANZ of “acting unconscionably” in its management of a $14 billion bond deal for the Australian Government, alleging the bank overstated its bond trading volumes by tens of billions of dollars over nearly two years.

Zelle, the popular bank-backed peer-to-peer payments service, is defending itself against a lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James, who claims the platform allowed scammers to steal over $1 billion between 2017 and 2023.

In July, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) released its final disclosure framework for the prudential treatment of cryptoassets, ahead of the new standard (SCO60) taking effect in January 2026. While the framework aims to provide regulatory clarity, it has been met with resistance from leading industry bodies that argue the rules do not align with the realities of crypto-related risks.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has named Valerie Szczepanik, formerly head of the SEC’s Strategic Hub for Innovation and Financial Technology, as its first Chief AI Officer. In her new role, Szczepanik will lead the newly formed AI Task Force, signaling a strategic move by the SEC to embrace artificial intelligence as a tool for strengthening regulatory operations.

Barclays Bank has been hit with a £42 million fine by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for failing to adequately assess and monitor money laundering risks in two high-profile client relationships.