Insights

In August 2022, the Irish Government approved the Climate Action Framework (“the Framework”) for the commercial semi-State sector. Developed by the New Economy and Recovery Authority (NewERA) in collaboration with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, the Framework applies to all commercial semi-State (CSS) companies.

Money laundering is on the rise globally. Between 2016 and 2021, the yearly number of cases brought to the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation doubled, bringing the total number of registered cases for that period to 3,000. In Ireland alone, the number of recorded money laundering crimes increased significantly from 86 in 2018 to 701 in 2021.

Creating and implementing watertight Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures can be problematic for many organisations since the process remains a people-driven, manual operation.

Ensure compliance with DORA. Discover requirements for cybersecurity resilience, testing standards, and best practices for EU financial service providers.

Following enactment of the Central Bank (Individual Accountability Framework) Act 2023 on 9 March 2023, the Central Bank of Ireland (“CBI”) has launched a three-month consultation on key aspects of the implementation of the Individual Accountability Framework (IAF), including the publication of draft regulations and guidance.

For many businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic’s manifestation as a black-swan event highlighted the shortcomings of the organisation’s risk awareness and risk management ability. In 2023 and beyond, the need for a trusted Internal Audit business partner, with a truly enterprise-wide risk lens, has emerged as a must-have rather than an optional extra. Knowing yourself, and in particular knowing which areas pose the greatest risks to your organisation are critical in today’s business and regulatory environment.

As a result of recent amendments to the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing) Act 2010 to 2021, Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) are now “designated persons” and are required to comply with the relevant Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) obligations.

Find out how IA can help you manage risks

Final guidelines on common procedures and methodologies for the supervisory review and evaluation process for investment firms, along with final draft Regulatory Technical Standards on Pillar 2 add-ons for investment firms are published.

The Central Bank of Ireland (‘CBI’) has recently issued its latest Anti-Money Laundering Bulletin, focussing on the Virtual Asset Service Provider (‘VASP’) sector. In this bulletin, the CBI has provided its observations on a number of significant and widespread deficiencies across authorisation applications received from VASPs where roughly 90% of all applications are not meeting the required standard.

DORA is a draft regulation published by the European Commission in September 2020 and forms part of the European Commission’s wider Digital Finance Strategy to support the development of digital finance while mitigating associated risks

The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a revised Directive on Security of Network and Information Systems (NIS 2 Directive).