Insights

June 01, 2021

ACA’s celebration of Pride Month is a part of its commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in its workplace. Our LGBTQ+ and ally Employee Resource Group ACA ALLiance is hosting many activities during the month of June to help provide education and resources to employees. To kick off our celebration, we asked employees from across the firm, "What does Pride mean to you?" and have included their responses in this post.

May 27, 2021

Martin Fawzy joins ACA’s dedicated team, offering SEC regulatory consulting for firms located outside of the U.S.

May 26, 2021

Find out what financial firms have identified as three of the knottiest issues facing compliance teams this year, the top five compliance areas that could benefit from better technology, and the biggest hurdles to compliance technology adoption in our latest peer analysis infographic.

May 25, 2021

At ACA, we recognize that the past year has been extremely challenging and trying for our employees. We also understand that our employees have whole lives, and that work is just one component of those lives. To this end, we are doing something we have never done before. We are providing employees with one week of paid time off to Rest, Recharge, and Renew.

May 25, 2021

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) reached its third-year anniversary on 25 May 2021. Three years after implementation, we speak with Alex Scheinman, Managing Director, ACA Aponix, about the impact of the regulation, how the COVID-19 global pandemic, Brexit and Schrems II influence the regime, and where data privacy rules will head next.

May 20, 2021

How can private equity and real estate advisers best prepare for regulatory exams in 2021? While we provided an overview of the 2021 Examination Priorities of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Examinations, advisers should consider whether they are prepared to respond to inquiries in the following areas.

May 20, 2021

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has issued a regulatory notice in response to a noticed increase in customer account takeovers (ATOs). During these ATOs, bad actors compromise account information, gain unlawful entry into customer online brokerage accounts, make fraudulent transactions, siphon out funds, and commit other crimes. Similarly, bad actors have increasingly been using simulated identities to open online accounts, and unlawfully access funds and data. FINRA’s regulatory notice summarizes the observations of 20 firms of various business models and sizes on the subject.

May 19, 2021

The SolarWinds breach and the Microsoft Exchange server breach are striking, both in the extent and the breadth of their damage. The damage is ongoing; as part of the attack pattern, backdoor malware designed to give the attackers persistent access to the compromised organizations has been planted for future criminal activity. The recent executive order on cybersecurity testifies to the severity of the problem and the need for a centralized, proactive response. Learn what patterns we have observed and the mitigating strategies we recommend.

May 19, 2021

The lack of significant Brexit rules currently governing financial services creates some confusion and challenges for firms. We've developed a free to download whitepaper that examines a range of scenarios for how firms with a UK- and EEA-based presence might structure their business in a post-Brexit world

May 19, 2021

How is performance impacted when a firm is acquired, a portfolio management team leaves, or when the firm’s legal structure changes?