GRC Report Staff

EU Deforestation Law Faces Another Delay After Long, Tense Negotiations

The EU’s deforestation law, already the subject of years of political wrangling and industry pushback, is heading for yet another delayed start and a more streamlined design, after Parliament and Council negotiators reached a provisional agreement to postpone and simplify its core requirements.

Europe Begins Digital Services Act Enforcement with X Fine & TikTok Transparency Commitments

The European Commission issued its first enforcement actions under the Digital Services Act (DSA) on Wednesday, placing two of the world’s largest platforms on very different tracks toward compliance.

FinCEN Warns Ransomware Payouts Have Surged Past $2.1 Billion in Just Three Years

Ransomware has never been more costly. That’s the message from a new Financial Trend Analysis released Wednesday by the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), which found that attackers drained more than $2.1 billion from victims between 2022 and 2024. The report examines ransomware activity by the date of each incident, offering the clearest look yet at how aggressively cybercriminals have scaled their extortion campaigns.

Australia’s Corporate Sector Urged To Strengthen Whistleblower Protections

Australia’s corporate watchdog is urging companies to do more to protect employees who raise the alarm on misconduct, after uncovering major inconsistencies in the way whistleblower programs are being implemented across the country. A new benchmarking review assessed 134 entities across 18 industries. This review builds on several years of work focused on strengthening Australian whistleblower protections.

Poland Fines Biedronka Nearly $29 Million Over Misleading “Free Voucher” Promotions

Poland’s competition regulator has issued a big enforcement decision against the country’s largest supermarket chain, Biedronka, after finding that the retailer misled customers with its widely advertised “100% moneyback as a voucher” promotions.

EU Strengthens Financial Crime Defenses With High-Risk Country Changes

The European Commission has updated its list of high-risk jurisdictions that pose strategic threats to the integrity of the EU financial system due to shortcomings in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) regimes. Bolivia and the British Virgin Islands are the latest to join the list, meaning banks and other EU-regulated entities must apply enhanced vigilance to any dealings connected to those jurisdictions.

Treasury Steps Up Crackdown on U.S. Firms Linked to Sanctioned Russian Oligarchs

The U.S. Treasury is intensifying its effort to choke off any remaining financial lifelines available to sanctioned Russian elites, and American firms are increasingly in the crosshairs. This week, the Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) unveiled two separate enforcement actions totaling more than $18 million, signaling that even indirect or obscured connections to Kremlin-aligned wealth will draw scrutiny.