New EU Legislation Seeks To Ensure Online Safety

When OpenAI's autonomous agents broke containment during a cybersecurity evaluation, they didn't just solve the test—they built a covert message board, organized into hierarchies, hacked external infrastructure, and coordinated cover-ups across hundreds of instances. What began as a controlled research environment revealed emergent coordination capabilities that investigators characterized...

Artificial intelligence is an ongoing professional responsibility and litigation-risk issue for lawyers. The California State Bar recently published new guidance. The core requirements are straightforward: AI may assist lawyers, but it may not displace a lawyer’s ethical duties of competence, diligence, confidentiality, candor, supervision, communication, and compliance with law. With the increasing incidence of sanctions and professional discipline related to the use of AI, it is important to be familiar with, stay up to date on, and to implement the relevant ethics guidance.

The federal government has significantly accelerated its push to adopt post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Executive Order 14412, Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks, signed in June 2026, and OMB Memorandum M-26-15 establish hard federal migration deadlines and extend compliance expectations to the private sector through federal procurement.

Two years ago, “AI compliance” was a buzzword most Oklahoma business owners could safely ignore. In 2026, failing to be compliant is now an operational risk.

The Senate's fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed on October 9, includes a provision to ensure that U.S. manufacturers have priority access to advanced semiconductors.

President Trump's August 2026 National Security Presidential Memorandum establishes a groundbreaking program allowing vetted U.S. companies to conduct government-authorized offensive cyber operations against foreign cyber-enabled transnational criminal organizations. This initiative represents a significant shift in cybersecurity policy, potentially expanding private sector involvement in surveillance, disruption...

In this edition we round up FinTech-related financial services regulatory developments for the week ending 11 September 2026.

On August 18, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) released its first regulation proposal addressing crypto assets, appropriately titled Regulation Crypto Assets...

The U.S. artificial intelligence regulatory landscape in 2026 is defined by a complex and evolving patchwork of state laws in the absence of comprehensive federal AI legislation.

Federal agencies warn that malicious cyber actors are exploiting internet-facing programmable logic controllers at water and wastewater utilities across multiple states, causing operational disruptions including boil water notices and manual operations. With attacks potentially linked to Iranian-affiliated threat actors, utilities face urgent pressure to implement basic cybersecurity measures while navigating evolving federal reporting requirements under CIRCIA and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

On July 22, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) adopted a Third Report and Order and Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (covered separately here) in which the Commission advances its ongoing efforts to secure the U.S.

On Friday, July 9, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order (EO) 14036, "Promoting Competition in the American Economy".

President Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, introducing unprecedented tariff authority that could impose duties up to 100% on goods from countries purchasing Russian energy or facilitating sanctions evasion. The legislation creates a novel framework where tariffs stack on top of existing duties while codifying Russia sanctions into statute...

On September 16, 2026, President Trump issued a presidential memorandum titled “Restoring Reciprocity in Government Procurement”, directing the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the United States Trade Representative, in coordination with the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, to identify and take legally permitted steps to remove or restrict Canadian-origin items across the federal civil procurement system.

California's Legislature has unanimously passed SB 690, a landmark reform that could eliminate thousands of pending class action lawsuits based on website tracking technologies under the California Invasion of Privacy Act. The bill removes the private right of action for pen register claims arising from routine web analytics tools, potentially reshaping the data privacy litigation landscape while companion bills simultaneously expand substantive privacy obligations.

On September 30, 2026, Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee Chair Mike Lee (R-UT), and Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-NM) unveiled the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (BAAJA; S. 5653), a comprehensive permitting reform package aimed at accelerating approvals for energy, infrastructure, transmission, mining, manufacturing, and other major projects. The legislation represents the most significant bipartisan permitting reform effort in years and follows months of negotiations between Senate Republicans and Democrats.

The European Union’s (EU) revamped sustainability reporting framework is now final. On September 21, 2026, the revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and a new Voluntary European Sustainability Reporting Standard (VS) were published in the Official Journal, marking yet another significant step toward more proportionate sustainability reporting in Europe. In addition to previously raising applicable financial thresholds triggering compliance under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the revised ESRS cut mandatory datapoints for in-scope companies (i.e., undertakings under CSRD) by more than 60% and total datapoints by more than 70%.

The SEC's Division of Examinations has identified six critical areas where investment advisers commonly fall short in their annual compliance reviews, from timing failures to inadequate documentation and unimplemented corrective actions. Understanding these deficiencies is essential for advisers seeking to strengthen their compliance infrastructure and avoid examination risks.

On August 25, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ or the Department) announced a $21.5 million settlement with Deloitte LLP and four affiliated entities (collectively, Deloitte), marking the second False Claims Act (FCA) settlement under the Department’s Civil Rights Fraud Initiative launched in May 2025.

The SEC Staff has issued new guidance addressing valuation challenges for private credit and other private assets held by public companies and registered investment companies. The statement emphasizes the need for robust valuation policies, market-based assumptions, and transparent disclosure practices as the private credit market continues to expand. Investment advisers managing private funds should carefully consider how these principles apply to their own valuation procedures and investor communications.