GRC Report Staff

The FCA has issued a warning about smartpaynet.com, an unauthorized clone firm falsely claiming to be the FCA-authorized Money Compass Limited (FRN 480594). Consumers who deal with the clone have no access to the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Compliance teams should treat this as a fraud and impersonation risk that affects customer protection, payment screening, and brand integrity.

ASIC's Form 384 lets directors of eligible small proprietary companies controlled by a foreign company, and not part of a large group, notify ASIC of a resolution not to prepare financial or directors' reports under Instrument 2017/204. The lodgement window is strict and no extensions are available, so a missed filing means the company loses the relief and must prepare, audit, and lodge full financial statements. Compliance teams should note that the form is dated 2017, so the publication date of 2026-09-16 likely reflects a republication or website update rather than a new rule.

Japan's Financial Services Agency has published the results of its public comment process on partial revisions to the Comprehensive Supervisory Guidelines for Financial Instruments Business Operators, etc. The revisions align supervisory expectations for publicly offered investment trusts with IOSCO's May 2025 liquidity risk management recommendations and take effect October 1, 2027. Investment management companies should begin gap assessments now to prepare for the revised supervisory expectations.

EIOPA has rejected Q&A 3616, which asked for clearer asset type definitions (c0050) and for guidance on expired policies in the S.27.02 and S.27.03 templates, because Q&A 3612 already addresses the matter. The rejection introduces no new requirements. Compliance and reporting teams should review Q&A 3612 for the operative interpretation and confirm that their QRT reporting aligns with it.

Finanstilsynet (the Norway Financial Supervisory Authority) has published a warning on "Velomarkets," referencing a notice originally issued by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The entry indicates the firm is likely not authorized and may be targeting investors. Compliance teams should treat it as a prompt to update screening lists and reinforce fraud and client-protection controls.

The Board of Appeal of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) published a declaration of commitment and interests form, as required under Article 59(6) of the ESA founding regulations. It is a governance and independence safeguard for the body that reviews ESA decisions, and it has no direct new obligations for financial institutions. Compliance teams should treat it as a signal of the standards applied to adjudication and the integrity of appeal proceedings.

On September 16, 2026, the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) publicly named TiH GmbH and announced a sanction for managing an alternative investment fund (AIF) without authorization under the Alternative Investment Fund Manager Act (AIFMG). The action shows the FMA's willingness to enforce the AIFMG perimeter and use public naming. Compliance teams should treat it as a reminder to verify the licensing status of fund managers and counterparties.