From record anti-money laundering penalties to new oversight of ESG ratings, regulators on both sides of the Atlantic have been busy. Here’s what compliance professionals need to know:

• AML enforcement is intensifying: FINRA fined a broker-dealer $4.2 million for AML, identity theft, and best execution failures; the OCC imposed record AML penalties on large national banks; and FinCEN urged firms to factor FATF’s updated high-risk jurisdiction lists into their compliance programs.
• The SEC is busy on several fronts: It raised the thresholds that define small entities for funds and advisers, granted relief from certain Treasury clearing requirements, and charged an adviser over undisclosed conflicts and misleading hedge clauses.
• ESG ratings come under UK oversight: The FCA will begin authorizing ESG rating providers in June 2027, with its new framework taking full effect in June 2028.
• AI is outpacing workplace support: Gallup found U.S. employee engagement fell to 29%, a 15-year low, with the steepest declines at organizations adopting AI.

But wait, there’s more. This week’s full roundup, as well as the penalties, remediation requirements, and practical steps firms should take now, from FiSolve is here.

From regulators sharpening their focus to markets reshaping the trading day, this week brought developments that compliance teams, in-house counsel, and market participants will want on their radar. Here are five stories worth your attention:

• SEC sets its 2027 exam agenda. The Division of Examinations will zero in on advisers’ fiduciary duties, conflicts, fees, and private fund oversight, along with Reg BI, AML controls, cybersecurity, and how firms govern their use of AI. Read more.
• FINRA overhauls outside activities rules. New Rule 3290, effective October 25, 2027, replaces Rules 3270 and 3280 with a single, narrower framework focused on investment-related activities, and changes how work at unaffiliated investment advisers is treated. Read more.
• AI’s cost savings fall short. Gartner finds 77% of board members expect AI to cut costs, yet only 3% of organizations are beating their savings goals through productivity gains alone, suggesting AI’s real value may lie in innovation and growth. Read more.
• Private equity’s $300 billion debt wall. The Wall Street Journal reports that roughly $300 billion in risky loans owed by PE-backed companies, about a third tied to software, comes due in 2028 and 2029, pointing to tougher refinancing terms or restructurings ahead. Read more.
• NYSE stretches the options trading day. Eligible NYSE American Options, including SPY, IWM, GLD, and several big tech names, can now trade from 7:30 to 9:25 a.m. ET and from 4:00 to 4:15 p.m. ET. Read more.

But wait, there’s more. This week’s full roundup also covers the CFTC and NBA’s new pact to protect integrity in prediction markets, NFA’s shorter retesting wait times for futures and forex exams, and ESMA’s push to simplify EU Taxonomy reporting. Read the full update from FiSolve here.

AI takes center stage in this edition, as regulators on both sides of the Atlantic push firms to innovate responsibly. We also cover a Supreme Court petition challenging FINRA, a cooling job market, new cross-border cooperation, and a major crypto enforcement action:

• The SEC’s Brian Daly urges advisers not to wait for guidance before adopting AI, and outlines a “responsible retailization” initiative
• A broker asks the Supreme Court whether constitutional challenges to FINRA proceedings must first go through the SEC
• Hiring slows as the labor market cools, which may ease recruiting pressure in compliance and risk roles
• The SEC will host a November 9 roundtable on machine-understandable data and super intelligence
• The FCA calls for responsible AI adoption as finance moves toward an “agentic” future
• The SEC and France’s AMF sign a supervisory MOU covering cross-border investment firms
• Ireland’s central bank fines Coinbase Ireland €3.25 million for safeguarding and outsourcing failures

Read the full update from FiSolve here.