Week of January 26 - February 2, 2026

🗓️ January 26, 2026

• SEC and CFTC Reschedule Joint Event on Harmonization, U.S. Financial Leadership in the Crypto Era. Washington D.C. - Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul S. Atkins and Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael S. Selig will hold a joint event on Thursday, Jan. 29, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at CFTC headquarters to discuss harmonization between the two agencies. The event aims to address unclear and misaligned regulatory boundaries and support innovation under American law to enhance the U.S.’s position as a global crypto leader. 🔗 Read more
• SEC Files Settled Action as to Massachusetts Resident for Alleged Insider Trading in Massachusetts-Based Biopharmaceutical Company. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a settled insider trading action against Massachusetts resident Brian Suthoff, who allegedly avoided losses of almost $20,000 by trading ahead of negative news from Sage Therapeutics, Inc. Suthoff, who owed a duty of trust to a Sage insider, learned material non-public information about the FDA’s decision to remove major depressive disorder from the proposed label of Sage’s drug. Before Sage’s August 4, 2023 announcement of the FDA’s denial, Suthoff liquidated his Sage shares, avoiding a 53% drop in share price. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Suthoff consented to a judgment that includes disgorgement, interest, a civil penalty, and a five-year bar from serving as an officer or director of any public company. 🔗 Read more
• CFTC Chairman Selig Announces Alex Titus as Chief Advisor. Washington - Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael S. Selig announced Alex Titus as Chief Advisor to the Chairman, highlighting Titus’s extensive experience in economic and financial policy and his previous role at the White House during President Trump’s administration. Titus, who served as Chief of Staff at the White House Council of Economic Advisers, was instrumental in global trade rebalancing, tax legislation, and deregulation efforts. He joins the CFTC with a background in public service preparation and policy advising, holding a B.S. in Economics from the University of Oregon. 🔗 Read more
• The EBA outlines the medium to long term objectives of its interest rate risk in the banking book Heatmap. The European Banking Authority (EBA) published a Report on the medium- to long term objectives of its interest rate risk in the banking book (IRRBB) Heatmap, completing the medium to long term milestones and providing an analytical review with observations and recommendations designed to inform supervisory dialogue and support institutions’ practices. Key areas of focus include the Supervisory outliers test (SOT) analysis, monitoring of the 5-year cap, commercial margin modelling, the Credit Spread Risk in the Banking Book (CSRBB) perimeter, and hedging strategies, while noting that all recommendations should be applied in a proportionate manner and the Report does not introduce new regulatory requirements. The publication also situates this work in the strengthened IRRBB regulatory framework and confirms that ongoing monitoring of IRRBB implementation remains an integral part of the EBA’s supervisory responsibilities. 🔗 Read more
  

🗓️ January 27, 2026

• SEC Charges ADM and Three Former Executives with Accounting and Disclosure Fraud. Washington D.C. - The Securities and Exchange Commission filed settled charges against Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) and its former executives, Vince Macciocchi and Ray Young, and a litigated action against its former executive Vikram Luthar, for materially inflating the performance of a key ADM business segment, Nutrition. The SEC’s complaint against Luthar alleges that he directed “adjustments” when Nutrition was falling short of its operating profit targets for fiscal years 2021 and 2022, aiming to make it appear that Nutrition was meeting the 15% to 20% per year operating profit growth projected to investors. The SEC’s settled order finds that Macciocchi and Luthar led efforts tied to fiscal years 2021 and 2022, and that Young negligently approved improper adjustments for fiscal years 2019 and 2021, with the order also finding overstatements for fiscal years 2019, 2021, and 2022 (including the third quarter of 2019 and all quarters in 2021). ADM agreed to pay a $40,000,000 civil penalty, while Macciocchi agreed to pay disgorgement and prejudgment interest totaling $404,343 plus a civil penalty of $125,000, and Young agreed to pay disgorgement and prejudgment interest totaling $575,610 plus a civil penalty of $75,000. Macciocchi also agreed to a three-year officer and director bar, and the order creates a Fair Fund to distribute the ordered monetary relief to investors harmed by the violations. 🔗 Read more
• SEC Charges Former Archer-Daniels-Midland Company CFO with Accounting and Disclosure Fraud. The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed charges against Vikram Luthar, former CFO of Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, for directing improper adjustments to shift operating profit to the Nutrition segment to meet profit targets, misleading investors about the segment’s growth. The complaint alleges that these adjustments rendered ADM’s financial disclosures false and misleading, overstating Nutrition’s performance for fiscal years 2021 and 2022. Luthar is charged with violating antifraud provisions and other securities laws, with the SEC seeking injunctions, penalties, and reimbursement of executive compensation. 🔗 Read more
• SEC Charges Three Former Executives and New York Company in Alleged Financial Accounting and Disclosure Fraud Scheme. The Securities and Exchange Commission charged two former senior executives of Near Intelligence, Inc., Anil Mathews and Rahul Agarwal, with inflating revenue in a financial fraud scheme involving their largest customer, MobileFuse, LLC. The SEC’s complaint alleges that from May 2021 to September 2023, Mathews and Agarwal engaged in a round-trip accounting scheme to overstate Near’s reported revenue by an average of 27% for fiscal years 2021 and 2022 and the first two quarters of 2023, accounting for at least $37.3 million of improperly reported revenue. MobileFuse and its former CEO, Kenneth M. Harlan, were charged with aiding and abetting the fraud. The SEC seeks permanent injunctions, officer and director bars, and civil money penalties against the defendants. 🔗 Read more
• SEC Obtains Final Consent Judgment In Connection With Alleged Fraud and Unregistered Offer and Sale of Securities. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered a final consent judgment against Shannon Illingworth and GP Solutions, Inc. in the SEC’s enforcement action. The SEC’s complaint, filed on January 8, 2026, alleged a fraudulent scheme to conceal Illingworth’s control of GP Solutions and mislead investors about the company’s financial condition. It claimed that GP Solutions issued false financial reports, with related party transactions from 2019 to 2021 accounting for 65% to 89% of revenues. Additionally, Illingworth allegedly raised $11 million through unregistered securities sales from January 2020 to November 2022. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Illingworth and GP Solutions consented to a judgment enjoining them from future violations and ordering Illingworth to pay a $100,000 penalty, with a five-year officer-director bar and a five-year penny stock bar. 🔗 Read more
• SEC Obtains Final Consent Judgment as to Minnesota Individual Charged in Pump-And-Dump Investment Scheme. The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota entered a final consent judgment in the SEC’s enforcement action against Saied Jaberian of Hopkins, Minnesota. According to the SEC’s amended complaint, Jaberian, along with Christopher Rajkaran and Mark A. Miller, engaged in a fraudulent scheme to hijack inactive penny-stock companies and issue false statements between July 2017 and April 2019. In a parallel criminal action, Jaberian pleaded guilty to criminal securities fraud and was sentenced to two years of probation, while Rajkaran and Miller received prison sentences and were ordered to pay criminal forfeiture. The final consent judgment requires Jaberian to pay $66,749 in disgorgement and $10,348 in prejudgment interest, with permanent injunctions barring him from certain securities activities. Default judgments were also entered against Rajkaran and Miller, with disgorgement obligations and injunctions similar to Jaberian’s, partially satisfied by their consent to forfeiture orders. 🔗 Read more
• CFTC Staff Issues No-Action Letter, Announces Implementation Updates to 2024 Large Trader Reporting Rule. Washington - The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Division of Market Oversight has taken a no-action position regarding the compliance date for the Part 17 large trader reporting final rule, extending relief for 18 months after certain actions are executed. The CFTC’s Division of Data has published modifications to the Part 17 Guidebook for clarity, and implementation testing for the Large Trader Reporting Rules will begin, with staff calls starting on February 18. Market participants are expected to comply with the rule by July 26, 2027, under the conditions of the no-action letter. 🔗 Read more
• ECB paves way for acceptance of DLT-based assets as eligible Eurosystem collateral. The Eurosystem will accept marketable assets issued in central securities depositories (CSDs) using distributed ledger technology (DLT) as eligible collateral for Eurosystem credit operations starting 30 March 2026, provided they meet existing collateral eligibility criteria. Further work is being conducted to explore expanding eligibility to assets issued and settled entirely on DLT networks, with a staggered approach to gradually incorporate these assets based on market and regulatory developments. This decision underscores the Eurosystem’s commitment to innovation and technological progress in European financial markets. 🔗 Read more
• ECB amends monetary policy implementation guidelines. The European Central Bank (ECB) has published amendments to its monetary policy guidelines for the Eurosystem, effective 30 March 2026, which include conditional reinstatement of access to monetary policy operations for entities under an open bank resolution scheme, integration of certain temporary asset types into the collateral framework, and the introduction of a climate factor to protect against collateral value declines due to climate-related shocks. Additionally, international debt instruments issued in dematerialised form will be eligible as collateral, subject to meeting eligibility criteria and risk verification by the Eurosystem. The guidelines will be available in 23 official EU languages. 🔗 Read more
• ESMA signs Memorandum of Understanding with the Reserve Bank of India. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to facilitate cooperation and information exchange for the recognition of central counterparties (CCPs) in India. This agreement is crucial for restoring access for EU clearing members to Indian CCPs and is a key requirement under Article 25 of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). ESMA is also in discussions with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) for similar arrangements. 🔗 Read more
  

🗓️ January 28, 2026

• Federal Open Market Committee reaffirms its "Statement on Longer-Run Goals and Monetary Policy Strategy”. The Federal Open Market Committee, at its annual organization meeting this week, unanimously reaffirmed its "Statement on Longer-Run Goals and Monetary Policy Strategy," often known as the consensus statement, which articulates its approach to monetary policy. 🔗 Read more
• Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement. Available indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a solid pace, with job gains remaining low and the unemployment rate stabilizing, while inflation remains somewhat elevated. The Committee aims to achieve maximum employment and a 2 percent inflation rate over the longer run, maintaining the federal funds rate target range at 3‑1/2 to 3‑3/4 percent, and is prepared to adjust monetary policy if risks emerge. Voting for the decision were Jerome H. Powell, John C. Williams, Michael S. Barr, Michelle W. Bowman, Lisa D. Cook, Beth M. Hammack, Philip N. Jefferson, Neel Kashkari, Lorie K. Logan, and Anna Paulson, while Stephen I. Miran and Christopher J. Waller voted against it, preferring a 1/4 percentage point reduction. 🔗 Read more
• CFTC Announces Tyler S. Badgley as General Counsel. Washington - The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced Tyler S. Badgley as the new General Counsel, highlighting his talent and experience in developing regulatory frameworks and defending derivatives market authority. Meghan Tente, who served as Acting General Counsel since January 2025, will continue as a Senior Advisor, focusing on harmonizing regulations with the SEC. Badgley joins from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and has a distinguished legal background, including roles at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Litigation Center and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. 🔗 Read more
• The EBA Pillar 3 data hub goes live. The European Banking Authority (EBA) has launched its Pillar 3 data hub, making prudential information from all EEA institutions publicly accessible through a single digital platform. This initiative enhances the availability, usability, and comparability of prudential information, contributing to the resilience and soundness of the European financial system. Institutions can now submit Pillar 3 reports for publication, with the full data set for the first three reference dates expected by June this year. 🔗 Read more
• The EBA publishes updated risk assessment indicators. The European Banking Authority (EBA) released an updated list of indicators and a revised methodological guide for risk assessment and analysis tools, without adding new reporting requirements. This update clarifies the calculation of risk indicators in EBA publications, ensuring consistent interpretation of key banking figures by users and competent authorities. It reflects the EBA reporting framework version 4.1 and includes new indicators related to the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and investment firms. 🔗 Read more
• Fintel Alliance identifies buyers of Australian-produced child exploitation material. Fintel Alliance and AUSTRAC experts conducted three days of action in November 2025 to identify individuals suspected of purchasing explicit material from Australian minors. The collaboration, involving seven Fintel Alliance bank members and one non-member bank, led to the referral of ten individuals to law enforcement based on suspicious transactions. This effort, the third of its kind, marked the first application of a new data typology, enhancing the industry’s ability to combat child sexual exploitation and strengthen financial systems against such crimes. 🔗 Read more
  

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🗓️ January 29, 2026

• Federal Reserve Board announces appointment of seven members, including four new members, to its Insurance Policy Advisory Committee (IPAC). The Federal Reserve Board announced the appointment of seven members to its Insurance Policy Advisory Committee (IPAC), including four new members and the re-appointment of three. The IPAC, established by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, advises the Board on insurance issues, with members having expertise in various insurance-related fields. New members include Marjon Ghasemi, Dom Lebel, Randy Termeer, and Peter Tian, while re-appointed members are Martin Hansen, Steve Jackson, and Kristin Ricci. 🔗 Read more
• SEC Charges Bay Area Entrepreneur and His Business Entities in Alleged Multimillion Dollar Ponzi-Like Scheme. The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Satish Appalakutty and his entities, Lorven Funds and Lorven Advisors LLC, with defrauding at least 100 investors of at least $37 million through a Ponzi-like scheme from 2019 to 2024. Appalakutty allegedly misrepresented investment opportunities, promising returns of 8% to 62.5% annually, while using new investors’ money to pay prior investors and misappropriating $6.7 million for personal use, including $4.4 million for his startup, Vistalytics Inc. The SEC filed charges in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, seeking permanent injunctions, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, and civil penalties against Appalakutty, along with an order to prevent him from being associated with any investment adviser. The investigation was conducted by the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office, with litigation led by Hannah Cho and Jason M. Bussey. 🔗 Read more
• SEC Dismisses Civil Enforcement Action Against Former Infrastructure Company Executive. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a joint stipulation with Dale Swanberg to dismiss, with prejudice, its civil enforcement action against him. The decision to seek dismissal is based on the facts and circumstances of this case, its ongoing review of the evidence, and the narrowed scope of evidence intended to be presented at trial. This decision does not reflect the SEC’s position on any other case. 🔗 Read more
• EBA launches consultation on amendments to Guidelines on the systemic risk buffer. The European Banking Authority (EBA) has launched a public consultation on draft amendments to its Guidelines on systemic risk buffers, aiming to better address climate change-related risks through more detailed sectoral and geographical classifications. Comments can be submitted until 30 April 2026, with a virtual public hearing scheduled for 9 April 2026. The EBA will publish all comments received after the consultation period, unless otherwise requested. 🔗 Read more
  
  

🗓️ January 30, 2026

• FDIC Publishes December Enforcement Actions. Washington - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) published a list of administrative enforcement actions taken against banks and individuals in December 2025, consisting of five orders: two terminating consent orders and three terminating insurance. No administrative hearings are scheduled for February 2026. For more details, visit the FDIC’s web page. 🔗 Read more
• EIOPA's insurance risk dashboard shows overall stability amidst persistent geopolitical tensions. The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) published its January 2026 Insurance Risk Dashboard, indicating that risks in the European insurance sector remain stable at a medium level despite an uncertain geopolitical environment. The macroeconomic environment is stable with continued GDP growth and easing inflation, but geopolitical tensions involving Venezuela, Iran, and Greenland are increasing uncertainty. Financial markets are vulnerable to valuation pressures, and while credit and liquidity conditions are stable, funding dynamics show early signs of pressure. The insurance sector remains resilient with solid capital positions and strong premium growth, but vigilance is needed due to geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions, and cyber events. 🔗 Read more‍
• AUSTRAC backs newly regulated sectors with release of AML/CTF program starter kits. AUSTRAC has launched anti-money laundering program starter kits to assist small businesses in newly regulated sectors, such as those providing services by lawyers, accountants, real estate agents, conveyancers, and jewellers, in meeting compliance obligations and managing ML/TF risks. These kits offer step-by-step guidance and practical tools to help businesses build their own anti-money laundering programs, reducing the time and cost of compliance. Developed in collaboration with industry peak bodies and small businesses, the kits aim to ensure businesses meet their obligations without excessive regulatory burden. They are scalable to the size of the business and the risks posed by customers, providing tools to manage situations involving large cash transactions, unusual behavior, or complex legal structures. AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas emphasized the kits’ role in disrupting illegal enterprises and maintaining an ongoing partnership with industry to lower regulatory costs and fight money laundering. 🔗 Read more