Regulation and Compliance

The financial services industry is experiencing a regulatory wave in the wake of the Hayne Royal Commission’s final recommendations. There is a dramatic increase in broad principles-based laws such as the proposed Financial Accountability Regime, focus on individual liability and the regulators have become much more hawkish in terms of enforcement activity.

Gadens’ national Financial Services Regulatory Team continues to advise leading banks, insurers, superannuation firms and other financial services clients in relation to compliance with new and newly significant laws, responding to increasing regulatory inquiries and acting in associated court disputes. We are at the forefront of the significant developments in this sphere, including in advocating for what form changes to the laws should take.  We are a trusted adviser to many of Australia’s largest financial institutions on their most complicated and sensitive regulatory matters.

Working closely with a variety of industry bodies and regulators (whether on their behalf, or representing the interests of financial services firms they are investigating) including the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), we advise clients in relation to the Financial Accountability Regime / Banking Executive Accountability Regime, the Design & Distribution / Product Intervention Powers regime, whistle-blowing frameworks, the modern slavery regime, anti-hawking reforms, breach reporting reforms, responsible lending, competition law, contracts and unfair terms, financial services and credit licensing applications and compliance, privacy / cyber obligations, anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, international sanctions and white-collar crime prevention.