Compliance and reporting trends: essential strategies

Abstract

The digital age, with decreasing barriers to entry, paving the way for low-cost competition, saw an influx of new financial products and services globally. Soon the increasingly technology-driven financial landscape transformed itself with the democratization of finance diffusing to all levels of society. The standing rules and regulations of financial markets were confronted with an epitome of complexities marked by higher transparency, increased efficiencies, a wide range of substitutes, abundant information, a huge number of stakeholders and a bulk of aspiring entrepreneurs. However, a new game necessitates new rules, and a considerable disruption in old ways of doing is sure to witness unorthodox problems that need to be dealt with, and preferably foreseen, through a different lens. Sooner or later, these new digitally enhanced financial markets are destined to break down, dragging down everyone who once had faith in them, if not supported by proper compliance and corporate social performance and reporting standards. This chapter explores newly emerging trends in compliance and reporting standards for financial institutions.