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Insight
2021
Top 5 e-books that our members have enjoyed in 2021
Cybersecurity, financial crime compliance trends, integrated risk management and governance, risk and compliance were among the key topics that attracted our members' interest in 2021....More
3 major talking points from 2021 for the compliance industry
With 2021 quickly drawing to a close, now seems an apposite time to reflect on the last 12 months
EU Whistle-blowing regulations: the right questions to ask in and outside Europe
The deadline for Member States, to transpose the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive into national laws, is 17th Dec 2021....More
SARs reporting in the service sector
Why is the number of SARs being raised in the service sector so low when compared to credit institutions, like banks?
Old crimes, new methods
Times and technology may change, but the fundamental means by which criminals attempt to launder money and carry out their nefarious acts are still rooted in the same criminal process – commit a crime, evade capture and benefit from the proceeds.....More
Why study with ICA?
Have you decided it’s time to progress your career and that a professional qualification is the perfect way to enhance your knowledge and skills?
Compliance must carve out role in company ESG efforts
Respondents to Compliance Week's “Inside the Mind of the CCO” survey agree compliance should play a key part as businesses determine their ESG strategy—either through primary oversight or meaningful participation....More
Why I loved being an MLRO
Being an MLRO can be tough, but it is also exciting and fulfilling with many opportunities for personal and professional development
Compliance must be a force for good
Ethics and purpose should underpin every effort to meet the challenge of climate change, writes James Thomas....More
What it takes to work in sanctions compliance
Sanctions impact almost every aspect of our lives, and is one of the few topics with real, day-to-day significance
The journey toward integrated risk management
Discover four practical steps to realising the gains of IRM....More
Putting the ‘G’ into GRC
Governance plays a significant role in determining how a business’ objectives are set and achieved, how risk is monitored and addressed, and how performance is optimised.
Suex sanctions: the compliance implications
Deepa Chandrasekhar considers the significance of the recent OFAC decision to sanction cryptocurrency exchange Suex....More
Ethics Masterclass: A Plantation Adventure
In this four-part series, Dr. Kara Tan Bhala will guide you each week through a case study taken from her book, Ethics in Finance: Case Studies of a Woman’s Life on Wall Street.
Counterfeiting, Covid and Conscience
Are you inadvertently contributing to criminality? As we acclimatise to the ‘new normal’, we examine how the global pandemic has helped facilitate unprecedented growth in the UK’s counterfeit market and how compliance professionals utilise their skills to combat it.....More
A milestone case in Singapore: Failing to perform KYC/CDD & false statements
Proper due diligence work is very important; so important, that it is vital it isn’t undermined in practice by banking and finance professionals, nor by the firms in which they work.
Nord Stream 2: A study in sanctions complexity
The political fallout has been described as ‘the biggest diplomatic crisis in transatlantic relations since the Iraq War....More
Why compliance needs to talk about sustainability
Recently, we conducted a poll of ICA members and the wider compliance community on sustainability and the role compliance has in addressing it. The results were not only revealing, but pointed to a potential new direction for compliance as its responsibilities expand.
Whistle-blowing: Good apples, bad apples and behavioural science
This blog series will explore sensitive questions around whistleblowing. It will consider the social and individual processes that surround deviant corporate behaviour and why these are strong barriers to ‘speaking up’. It will also ask how we can bring those barriers down. A field operation plan for whistle-blowers will also be built, sharing techniques that individuals can adopt to assist them in the face of corporate misdemeanours.....More
What every compliance professional needs to know
Why every compliance professional needs to know how to protect customers’ monies and assets – and why they should encourage others to do the same.
6 ways to mitigate a bad day at the office
Throughout this mini-series, we have explored how compliance faces unprecedented challenges and exciting new opportunities in our rapidly changing, digitising world.....More
5 tips to help you file more effective SARs
What could you be doing to file more effective suspicious activity reports (SARs)?
Are companies ready to trust artificial intelligence?
A recent roundtable, sponsored by Wolters Kluwer and organised by ICA, looked at the importance of balancing machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) with human intelligence and intervention.....More
Effective AML training: four questions to answer
Ensuring your employees are adequately trained in anti money laundering (AML) is a crucial component of managing financial crime risk. Not only is it vital to protect your firm, but its often required by regulations.
Has human trafficking grown during the pandemic?
Many aspects of life over the last year have stagnated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the virus grinding whole countries and economies to a halt. However, one thing that defied the slowdown – depressingly – was the number of human trafficking victims.....More
The importance of transaction monitoring – and the cost of getting it wrong
In this week’s #ICAInsight, Teodora Harrop considers what can be learnt from recent enforcement action and provides best practice examples from which firms can learn.
The qualities demanded of a GRC professional
An effective GRC practitioner must face problems rather than avoid them, hold to principles when it is easier to dodge them and challenge commonly accepted beliefs when needed. What psychological research tells us is that these qualities do not come naturally to us as humans.....More
Who will be suited to compliance roles in the 2020s?
We are already seeing signs that the 2020s will be vastly different from the 2010s and unrecognisable in many ways from, say, the 1980s. Back then, a ‘job for life’ was a reality and a career within a single profession or trade, perhaps even with the same employer was common place. These days, rather than seek a job for life, Generation Z are more likely to question how they can leverage their value now and start their own business or, at least, a side hustle. This article will explore these differences and look at how compliance could be reimagined in the future and who is best suited for a role within this burgeoning industry.
How firms can protect vulnerable customers
Recent research from the FCA revealed that, by October 2020, 27.7 million adults (53%) possessed some characteristics of vulnerability....More
Roundtable highlights: best practice in risk assessment
A recent roundtable on best practice for risk assessment, sponsored by OneTrust and organised by ICA, uncovered some fascinating insight from those on the front line of compliance.
5 reasons why your employer should sponsor you to do an ICA qualification
Many employers all over the world recognise the value of ICA qualifications in increasing the confidence and ability of their staff....More
Are compliance officers good board material?
Outside of our profession, a common frame of reference for compliance is the historical context of enforcing rules and regulations
5 reasons to sponsor an employee’s ICA qualification
Here are five reasons that funding a course for your employee can be a wise investment....More
Financial Crime: A Global Perspective
A fascinating collection of global industry insights on current and emerging trends, challenges and opportunities in 2021 and beyond
Can you really help stop wildlife trafficking?
Wildlife trafficking is a big issue. We’re not just talking about endangered animals from Africa being poached and sold on the black market. There are many other ways that wildlife trafficking can be a part of your life, without you even realising it.....More
How global compliance works at the local level
This insight article will consider what global compliance looks like at a local level. It will also examine how different regions understand and adapt definitions of compliance to their own purposes, and the consequences of this for businesses.
Take part in ICA's sanctions risk survey
Share your input into a short survey about your organisation’s approach to sanctions control....More
Can a compliance team change a culture?
Compliance teams need to think and act more holistically, strategically and embrace innovation – to ‘design in’ rather than ‘bolt on.’ It’s vital they play their part in unlocking synergy and adopt a mindset that values reflection.
BIG Compliance Festival 2021 - Highlights
The 2021 edition of the BIG Compliance Festival, the biggest event for compliance professionals globally, attracted over 650 participants from 82 countries worldwide. Attendees enjoyed an array of insightful presentations on a variety of topics. Below we present a summary of some of the event’s highlights and key takeaways from the discussions that took place.....More
Why curiosity is important for compliance professionals
Curiosity is not often seen as an attractive trait: as the saying goes ‘curiosity killed the cat’. But for compliance professionals, I would argue that it is a key skill we need to improve both personally and professionally, and in order to protect our firms from risk.
Combating terrorist financing: Coordination and the ‘human element’
The nexus between transnational organised crime and terrorist financing is a contentious, ongoing topic of debate. The extent of their connection is disputed, but what is accepted is that the motivation and ideology of a terrorist differs fundamentally from that of organised criminal groups.....More
Sanctions are constantly changing. Here’s what firms can do.
Over the last five years, there has been a significant shift in the sanctions world, from traditional jurisdictional and list-based sanctions to those that are more nuanced and thematic.
You’ve got your ICA qualification - what happens now?
The key steps you can take to maximise the potential for professional success that your ICA qualification offers.....More
Is compliance staying the same in a rapidly changing digital world?
In a rapidly changing digital world, thinking around compliance needs reframing. The question today is whether compliance can keep up in world moving faster than any had thought possible
ICA's Monthly News Chat: episode 1
We are pleased to announce the launch of ICA’s Monthly News Chat, a brief and informative video series, providing a rundown of key topics trending that month.....More
Bonuses and bias: the risks of variable pay for compliance professionals
When a compliance professional perceives their pay package may be reduced as a result of their actions, there is a risk of biased decisions
Anti-corruption developments in 2020: China, India make strides
A global panel of experts with law firm Gibson Dunn share insights around recent anti-corruption developments in some of the world’s largest regions, including China, India, Latin America, and Africa.....More
Keeping pace with the latest AI trends
What challenges and opportunities does artificial intelligence present and how can risk and compliance practitioners best respond to these? James Thomas reports on recent ICA Roundtable events
Identity Fraud Report 2020
In this report, Onfido analyses data from its roster of global clients to understand where current and future risk lies....More
Compliance training – the real value and benefit to the modern compliance professional
What is the real value and benefit of training to the modern compliance professional?
[Video] All you need to know about 6AMLD
In this video, James Wood-Rickett, Course Director, Global Lead - Anti Money Laundering, ICA, considers the key changes of 6AMLD.....More
UK sanctions – under new management
The UK has completed the process of leaving the European Union. This article is a follow up to a previous piece where the complicated relationship between sanctions and the UK’s transition from the EU was assessed. Here we will look at the reality of post-transition UK sanctions and the new sanctions landscape in the UK.
Breaking barriers: Advancing diversity and inclusion in the compliance world
As a global organisation, we understand that diversity and inclusion is different around the world - the challenges faced by different groups vary significantly.....More
Compliance, bias and illogical decision-making
Most people understand and accept that human decision-making is tainted by bias. But what is less well-understood is how these human biases can creep into technology intended to streamline, improve or make fairer decisions made by machines.
The role of HR in driving diversity and inclusion
What is the role of the HR function in driving D&I, and the importance of compliance management in overseeing changes in organisational behaviour and practices?....More
COVID-19, cryptocurrencies and fraud
James Thomas considers fraud risks associated with cryptocurrencies in the context of COVID-19
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