Increasingly tough and complex Russian sanctions carry many hidden risks for lenders, write Collyer Bristow’s Robin Henry and Anna Battams.

The post-crisis focus on ensuring systems are separated by internal risk ‘buffers’ is being questioned, as distributed ledger technology promises to bring benefits to banks, regulators and businesses. But can anything interconnected also be safe? Dixit Joshi investigates.

It is up to academics and policy-makers to educate the public on the benefits of greater state control of money supply, says Martin Brown, professor of banking at the University of St Gallen.

The General Data Protection Regulation is now here, and financial institutions need to ensure they are fully prepared if they are to avoid major fines. Adam Mertz gives his checklist for compliance.

The Basel Accords oblige banks to use two methods to measure and limit risk – value at risk and expected shortfall – but research shows these are insufficient to curtail the behaviour of rogue traders. Damiano Brigo and John Armstrong suggest a different approach. 

A new UK anti-corruption authority looks set to wield an increased level of power, meaning compliance officers may have to review their strategies in the country, write Steven Farmer and Aaron Hutman.

After years of preparation, the rollout of MiFID II in January provided relatively little drama. But, says PwC’s Luke Nelson, it is early days and Brexit could still complicate matters, so firms should stay on their toes. 

A two-pronged approach to financial oversight will be vital for the EU after the UK finally leaves, write Dirk Schoenmaker and Nicolas Véron of Brussels-based economic policy think tank Bruegel.

Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto originally suggested it as a peer-to-peer form of electronic cash. But as the cryptocurrency gains credibility as an asset class, and demand grows for its use in emerging markets, it is beginning to resemble gold as a store of value, writes Daniele Bianchi. 

The European Central Bank’s guidelines regarding non-performing loans are the result of an irregular process and mean more compliance headaches for banks, writes Giovanni Sabatini of the European Banking Federation.