2021 brought with it many challenges for regulated industries as regulators increased governance, supervision and surveillance expectations for capital markets in the onset of the global pandemic. Compliance teams can expect to see similar instances throughout 2022 as authorities are expected to further implement measures in what many may deem overdue.
We highlight some key areas in which we expect to see advancements in over the next 12 months. Here’s VoxSmart’s RegTech Trends to watch in 2022!
Hybrid Working Model.
Despite best efforts to quash covid, it still remains part of our daily lives. With WFH structures in place, 2022 will see the continuation of this hybrid model of work – bringing with it challenges for regulated markets as has been the case over the last number of months as addressed in Novembers FCA Market Watch Newsletter.
Despite the initial speed and acceleration of RegTech developments to tackle the issue of a hybrid working model in the financial sector, challenges still remain. Firms will need to find a scalable solution to effectively assess conduct and foster culture within this new work environment.
What VoxSmart’s Product Advisory Council say;
“Regulatory pressures regarding need for supervision, surveillance, systems, and controls while remote working will remain, as illustrated by the recent JP Morgan fine in the US, and as remote working misconduct surfaces, that pressure will increase again in support of multi-platform communication surveillance”
Regulatory Focus Institutional Shift
For years big banks have been the primary focus of regulatory expectations, however 2022 may be set to bring about an institutional shift with increased attention placed on various organisations within capital markets as seen by SEC actions in traditional and emerging areas in 2021. Smaller banks, brokers, buy side firms, as well as hedge funds, should seek to be regulator ready from the offset.
What VoxSmart’s Product Advisory Council say;
“2022 may see a move away from regulatory focus of big banks, given progress made in recent years to change culture, enhance controls etc related to conduct. Firms in various sectors that are well prepared with existing communication surveillance systems such as VoxSmart’s will be to better placed to defend against potential litigation”.
Diving deep into the data lake.
Banks should be placing cloud at the heart of its strategy for 2022. However, with an active approach in using this data to gain real value for their business. Firms must take the adequate steps to read, index and create output using this data in order to increase agility, global scale and durability, with “anytime, anywhere” data access. Outsourcing to big cloud vendors will continue to rise on grounds of the increase security it provides – yet managing and understanding this data will continue to raise concerns if an active approach is not adopted.
One-Platform Surveillance System
The hesitation to link 1st and 2nd lines of defences has for years created regulatory challenges within firms, raising the cost and effort needed in assessing a range of information. The opportunity to unite these lines of defence and automate processes brings increased benefits to firms in the effort to abate malpractice and market manipulation whilst also assessing company conduct and culture all on the one platform.
What VoxSmart’s Product Advisory Council say;
“Firms need to squeeze value out of investments made pre-Covid downturn, with extra use cases from existing products at a premium. Firms need to think more broadly when it comes to monitoring, a single view of the firm leaves businesses open to additional cost, stress and increased human resources needed in the management of various systems. A one platform, one vendor approach mitigates this headache for firms.”
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
Investments in AI and Machine Learning will rise as the market matures around its usage, with the cost reducing and efficacy increasing. The benefits to be taken through the implementation of AI and ML is a no brainer when it comes to assuring regulatory compliance which increase speed and reduce resources necessary in the analysis of data.
What VoxSmart’s Product Advisory Council say;
“Traditional alert, lexicon-based trade, communications supervision and surveillance are now a base-line control expected by regulators of all big banks, and many mid-tier and smaller firms, including buy-side. While AI/ML is still in its early stages, it will increasingly become a core part of the control framework and as it develops, and as it is proven to work the use of alert/lexicon-based surveillance will reduce.”
Crypto Communications
In recent months there has been increased focus on cryptocurrency regulation and enforcement demonstrating the digital currency’s place as an established component of the financial landscape. There have been calls for more regulation from the SEC as tokens may be unregistered securities which leaves prices open to manipulation and investors vulnerable with limited investor protection within the market.
The digital asset markets, which widely utilizes Telegram for communications, has been rocked with a number of hefty fines in the past 12 months such as BitMEX who paid a $100 million penalty to FinCEN and the CFTC for failing to comply with U.S. anti-money laundering (AML) laws. With the scale of fines, and regulatory boards resolve on more regulation within the crypto markets, getting regulator ready has never been more important.
What VoxSmart’s Product Advisory Council say;
“Financial Crime continues to be a hot topic globally, with crypto trades an increasing regulatory concern with high degree of skepticism from central banks, politicians and regulatory boards. However, as the asset becomes mainstream, ‘Old school’ financial institutions will have to get more involved, to generate revenue stemming from this new asset class. Scandal, prosecutions and regulatory frameworks are inevitable as this new financial infrastructure evolves.”
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These predictions, although not new concepts in many instances, are expected to colour the regulatory landscape of 2022. Assessing your firm’s ability to face these challenges is of utmost importance, with futureproofing helping to mitigate risk.
With VoxSmart’s diverse range of products, meeting communication surveillance requirements for the year ahead has never been easier. Growing our technology in 2021 to include NLP has unleashed greater accessibility for our clients to their data, understanding this information and applying this knowledge to grow and expand.
To discover more about how VoxSmart can help your business for the future get in touch with us here!
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