Samuel Rasmussen

At the 27th Annual Symposium on Building the Financial System of the 21st Century, Federal Reserve Governor Michelle W. Bowman addressed the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the financial sector. Speaking to an audience of industry professionals and regulators, Bowman emphasized the importance of striking a delicate balance between fostering innovation and ensuring the stability of the financial system.

In the high-stakes world of energy, a cyberattack isn’t just a technical failure—it’s a business disruption. And for Halliburton, one of the largest oilfield services companies globally, that disruption came at a hefty price. In August 2024, the company was hit by a ransomware attack linked to the notorious RansomHub group, leading to a significant financial loss that’s being felt in both immediate and long-term ways.

Southeast Asia is rapidly emerging as a digital powerhouse, with its booming markets and growing data center infrastructure attracting the attention of global tech giants. But as this region strengthens its digital economy, it’s also tightening its grip on data protection. Countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia are overhauling their data protection laws, which could bring both opportunities and challenges for businesses—especially those looking to expand in these fast-growing markets.

The Justice Department’s $3 billion settlement with TD Bank may have closed one chapter in a decade-long money-laundering saga, but Sen. Elizabeth Warren is far from satisfied with how the story ends. In a fiery letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Warren pulled no punches, calling the DOJ’s handling of the case a form of “absurd legal gymnastics” that shields TD’s top executives from facing the music. Her frustration underscores a growing concern in Washington: are these settlements really justice, or just another line item in the cost of doing business?

The February cyberattack on Change Healthcare, now confirmed to have affected a staggering 100 million individuals, is more than a historic breach—it’s a wake-up call for the entire healthcare sector. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently confirmed the scale of this incident, making it one of the most significant exposures of personal health data in U.S. history. The breach shines a harsh light on cybersecurity fundamentals, particularly the overlooked areas of access management, incident response, and third-party risk oversight.

On October 3, 2024, American Water, the largest regulated water and wastewater utility in the U.S., fell victim to a cybersecurity breach that has since drawn attention to the broader risks facing critical infrastructure sectors. Serving over 14 million individuals across 14 states, American Water’s systems were infiltrated, forcing the company to disconnect key services and pause customer billing as part of their containment strategy.

In an unprecedented enforcement action that marks a watershed moment in compliance and regulatory enforcement, TD Bank has pleaded guilty to multiple felonies and agreed to pay $1.8 billion in criminal penalties, with total penalties reaching approximately $3 billion when combined with civil enforcement actions. The resolution represents not only the largest penalty ever imposed under the Bank Secrecy Act but also introduces a novel enforcement approach: the first-ever daily fine against a bank for persistent compliance failures.