GRC Report Staff

The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) reviewed a draft regulation on the Smoking Cessation Programme Scheme and identified a single but significant deficiency: the draft fails to specify which categories of personal data healthcare providers must exchange when declaring mutually provided services. This matters for compliance teams because it reinforces the DPA's consistent expectation that any legal basis permitting data sharing, particularly data touching on health information, must meet strict legal certainty standards under GDPR.

The Deutsche Bundesbank will reopen two existing Bubill lines on September 7, 2026, increasing the January 2026 issue (ISIN DE000BU0E378) by EUR 2 Billion and the June 2026 issue (ISIN DE000BU0E428) by EUR 3 Billion, for a combined EUR 5 Billion supplementary issuance. Compliance teams at institutions participating in the Federal Emissions Bidding Group must ensure bidding procedures, timelines, and minimum nominal amounts are strictly observed to avoid tender non-compliance.

In a speech marking Michael Weber's professorship inauguration, ECB Vice-President Boris Vujčić outlined how household expectations surveys, such as the ECB's Consumer Expectations Survey, inform monetary policy transmission, risk scenario analysis, and public communication strategy. While not a binding regulatory requirement, the speech signals the ECB's continued emphasis on behavioral and survey-based data in policy formation, which can affect how financial institutions interpret forward guidance and anticipate shifts in consumer sentiment-driven market conditions.

The Deutsche Bundesbank has published updated auction rules, effective September 1, 2026, governing the issuance of European Stability Mechanism (ESM) Bonds and Bills via its ESM/EFSF Bidding System (EBS). Compliance teams at eligible credit institutions and investment firms must ensure continued adherence to membership, bidding, and settlement requirements to maintain participation eligibility in the "ESM/EFSF Market Group."

Deutsche Bundesbank published the tender results for an increase in the 2.90% Federal Bonds Series 194 (due 2031), raising total issuance to EUR 17,500.00 Million. This is a routine sovereign debt auction update relevant primarily to treasury, trading, and fixed-income compliance functions monitoring German government bond supply and pricing benchmarks.

Norway's Finanstilsynet has issued a public warning that Fjord Finance, an online platform offering share, ETF, and margin lending services, is not authorized to provide investment services in Norway and is not registered as a tied agent of any licensed firm. Compliance teams should note this as part of the broader regulatory trend of targeting unauthorized online investment platforms and should ensure client-facing staff and fraud monitoring functions are aware of the alert.

The HKMA has issued a public alert regarding fraudulent websites, phishing emails, and spoofed internet banking login screens impersonating five Hong Kong banks: Bank of East Asia, Shanghai Commercial Bank, Chong Hing Bank, Chiyu Banking Corporation, and Ele Bank. Compliance teams should note this as part of an ongoing pattern of scam activity targeting the banking sector and ensure customer communication and fraud response protocols remain current.