Regulators Flex Tech Muscle: Report Reveals Global Surge in Financial Fines

<p>A surge
is seen in enforcement actions against global financial institutions in 2023,
particularly in the United States. An analysis encompassed penalties imposed by
regulatory bodies including the US Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the UK’s Financial
Conduct Authority (FCA), and counterparts in France, Germany, the Netherlands,
and Singapore. The findings painted a concerning picture of escalating
compliance failures throughout the financial services sector.</p><p>US Breaks Records, Europe Varies and Singapore Targets Money
Laundering</p><p>The SEC
and CFTC took center stage, collectively imposing a staggering $9.2 billion in
penalties, as reported by SteelEye's Annual Fine Tracker. This
figure included 32 fines exclusively for insider trading, with the CFTC setting
an unprecedented record of penalties amounting to $4.3 billion. </p><p>The <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/tag/sec/">SEC</a>, not far behind, filed
a total of 784 enforcement actions in 2023, marking an increase of 3% from the
previous year. This concerted effort signified a crackdown on smaller firms, as
evidenced by an uptick of 17% in <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/tag/cftc/">CFTC</a> actions compared to
2022. In
Europe, regulatory actions presented a mixed bag. While the FCA in the UK saw a
notable decline in fines for the first time in seven years, with only eight
fines totaling £52.8 million. </p><p>France's
Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF) took a firm stance. AMF issued fines
totaling €127.9 million, with a significant penalty of €26 million for market
manipulation. Germany's financial regulators, BaFin and the Federal Office of
Justice, issued 40 fines in 2023, representing a decrease of 13% from the
previous year.</p><p>In
Singapore, the <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/tag/mas/">Monetary
Authority of Singapore</a> demonstrated its commitment to combating
financial misconduct by issuing fines totaling S$7.7 million. These penalties
targeted breaches of anti-money laundering requirements and misconduct by
relationship managers, underscoring the global nature of regulatory scrutiny.</p><blockquote><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SteelEye's Financial Services Fine Tracker 2023<a href="https://t.co/DgxrPkOdsh">https://t.co/DgxrPkOdsh</a></p>— steeleyeltd (@SteelEyeLtd) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteelEyeLtd/status/1750460586402422869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2024</a></blockquote><p>Regulators
Adapt with Technological Solutions</p><p>The
SteelEye report highlighted a growing trend of regulators enhancing their
technological capabilities to keep pace with the evolving landscape of
compliance breaches. The ability to process extensive amounts of data is
becoming crucial for regulators worldwide to create and maintain robust,
stable, and secure financial markets.</p><p>Matt
Smith, the CEO and Co-Founder of <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/tag/steeleye/" target="_blank" rel="follow">SteelEye</a>, commented: “Regulators had their
foot on the accelerator in 2023, led by the enforcement crackdown from the SEC
and CFTC. As highlighted in SteelEye’s 2023 Compliance Health Check report,
over 30% of US firms are not monitoring WhatsApp, which has been borne out in
notable fines. The remaining holes in compliance practices is why the
regulators have cast a wider net in 2023 and imposed tougher penalties –
something I believe we can expect to continue over the coming year.”</p>

This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.