InsightsInsights

What the FCA's non-financial misconduct rules mean for communications compliance

This week the FCA's new rules on non-financial misconduct came into force, significantly expanding the scope of existing regulations. We unpack what this means for communications compliance and the steps firms should take to ensure they can respond appropriately.

Oliver Blower5 Sept 20267 min read

AI in communications Surveillance: FCA Roundtable

Senior compliance leaders' roundtable event with Dominic Holland, Director of Market Oversight at the FCA debating AI, accountability and the future of communications surveillance in financial services. Read the key takeaways and report.

Nikki Paul10 Aug 20264 min read

Communications Surveillance in 2026: How to Build a Defensible, End-to-End Framework

Communications surveillance is entering a new phase, driven by expanding channels, increasing regulatory scrutiny and the rise of AI. In this blog, we explore what “good” communications surveillance looks like in 2026 and introduce a practical readiness checklist to help compliance teams assess their current capabilities and identify gaps.

Calum Douglas25 Mar 20267 min read

Native vs Federated vs Cloned WhatsApp Capture: What’s the difference and why it matters

The first in VoxSmart's WhatsApp Compliance series - explaining the most common terms, the main capture models, and the practical pros and cons of each.

Stuart Park8 Jan 20268 min read

The Future of Communications Surveillance in Brazil

Brazil’s financial sector is at a turning point. With global regulators handing out billions in fines for off-channel communications, communications surveillance has become a board-level priority. For Brazilian firms, where WhatsApp dominates professional interactions, the challenge isn’t if to monitor — but how to capture, retain and govern mobile, voice, and messaging data effectively.

Achent Chawla25 Sept 20253 min read

Why Surveillance is Still Exciting - Looking back at a Decade

As 2024 wraps up, VoxSmart reflects on over a decade of redefining surveillance, evolving it from a compliance necessity to a powerful commercial tool. At the recent XLod conference in London, the spotlight was on surveillance’s growing role in efficiency and revenue generation, particularly with real-time voice transcription. This technology now helps banks track client interactions, missed opportunities, and mitigate risks, offering insights that drive revenue and trust. With the market finally catching up, VoxSmart is poised to lead this shift, making surveillance a key driver of success in modern finance.

Oliver Blower18 Nov 20245 min read

Digital Assets and Everyday Currency: Building a Transparent, Usable, and Trusted Ecosystem

Blockchain's potential as a trusted currency hinges on transparency, usability, and trust. The EU's MiCA regulation offers a framework to transform digital assets into reliable, everyday currency, emphasizing security and accountability. VoxSmart’s CEO supports this evolution, advocating for tools that ensure compliance and foster trust, setting a standard for mainstream adoption globally.

VoxSmart4 Nov 20243 min read

Building Software for Imperfect Customer Data Scenarios

Voxsmart Trade Reconstruction. The 10000hp turbo diesel locomotive that runs on triple distilled ethanol, unfiltered chip fat and everything in between.

Calum Douglas19 Sept 20242 min read

Decoding Powell: The Dovish Turn in Fed Communications

Ahead of the Federal Reserve's update, Jerome Powell's recent speeches have been labeled as "dovish" by Bloomberg's NLP model, hinting at a potential pause or reduction in interest rates to support economic growth. While NLP tools offer useful insights, traditional economic analysis remains crucial. The blend of AI-driven interpretations and human judgment adds complexity to market strategies, reflecting an evolving financial landscape.

VoxSmart5 Sept 20244 min read

Phases of Division: Navigating Vendor Pressure and Emerging Innovations in Cloud-Computing

Looking at the divisive world of cloud-computing deployments and the vendor-pressure and latest innovations which push them ever further apart.

Chloe Aitken27 Aug 20245 min read

Latest Twist in AI Tale Shouldn’t Deter Investors from Funding its Building Blocks

Oliver Blower20 Aug 20245 min read

The Cloud Computing Conundrum: Navigating the Future of Banking Technology

Chloe Aitken13 Aug 20244 min read

All Quiet on the Watchdog Front – For Now

Oliver Blower6 Aug 20244 min read

The Pace of Progress: Balancing Innovation and Regulation in the Ether ETF Market

The launch of Ether ETFs, spearheaded by financial giants like BlackRock, marks a significant milestone in the integration of cryptocurrencies into mainstream finance. We look at this rapid advancement and the pressing need for equally swift regulatory frameworks to prevent market fraud and protect investors.

Chloe Aitken30 Jul 20245 min read

Coverage of Hwang’s conviction mustn’t eclipse lingering market threat

Oliver Blower23 Jul 20245 min read

BL(A.I.)R: Misunderstanding the Present and Fearing the Future.

A critical look at Tony Blair's speech at TBI's "Future of Britain" conference - examining how far AI has come and how much is yet to be achieved.

Chloe Aitken16 Jul 20246 min read

Unchecked Alliances: Boeing, Regulators, and the Blindspots They Underscore

Re-examining the fatal ramifications of Boeing's fraudulent actions and the proximity of their relationship with regulatory boards.

Chloe Aitken9 Jul 20247 min read

The Declaration of Data: How Independence Day Finds Parallels in Today's Financial Markets

Looking at the disappearance of the original Declaration of Independence- a mirror of our current need for centralised records-keeping platforms.

Chloe Aitken5 Jul 20246 min read

Greater reg tech investment could see England score listings and innovation brace

With Euro 2024 in full swing, it can be easy to forget that England and France compete fiercely over more than just football. Both nations are also home to the two largest stock markets in Europe, with London recently overtaking Paris to reclaim its crown as the biggest bourse on the block for the first time in nearly two years.

Oliver Blower2 Jul 20244 min read

Further PE reg rumblings require attention on both sides of the pond

There has been no shortage of headlines surrounding private markets regulation over recent weeks, with watchdogs on both sides of the pond baring their teeth...

Oliver Blower18 Jun 20244 min read

Maven invests in communications surveillance provider VoxSmart

Maven Capital Partners (“Maven”), one of the UK’s most active private equity firms, has co-invested alongside lead investor Toscafund Asset Management in VoxSmart, a communication surveillance platform for financial institutions. The business is evidencing strong growth in key markets, supported by an impressive pipeline of near term opportunities and expanding partner relationships.

VoxSmart11 Jun 20244 min read

Transcription accuracy is bedrock on which data-driven strategies must be built: part 2

In part one of this transcription-focused blog series, we provided a detailed overview of the industry’s progress in its quest for automated transcription perfection. In other words, a future where every word uttered between a trader and their client is captured at near 100% accuracy – jargon and all.

Antoine de La Gardette28 May 20246 min read

IPC Systems and VoxSmart collaborate to deliver next generation transcription technology for Financial Institutions

22 May 2024, London/New York - IPC, the leading provider of secure, compliant communications and multi-cloud connectivity solutions for the financial markets, has joined forces with global communications surveillance tech firm VoxSmart to significantly enhance the accuracy and efficiency of multilingual transcription technology for financial institutions.

VoxSmart22 May 20245 min read

Transcription accuracy is bedrock on which data-driven strategies must be built: part 1

The results of our recent survey on the transformative potential of transcription tech – which canvassed the views of nearly 100 financial markets professionals spanning trading, sales, compliance, risk management, operations and IT – are in. And they are conclusive: the industry remains uneasy over the level of accuracy transcription engines offer.

Antoine de La Gardette16 May 20247 min read

Have your say on the transformative potential of transcription tech

The financial sector is one of the most vast and complex industries in the world, and the utility and impact of advancing transcription services will vary greatly across its countless roles, departments and sectors. With this in mind, we want to canvass the opinions of our broad network to gauge where transcription could have the most – or the least – impact, as well as how it is perceived by those at the coalface of markets.

Oliver Blower23 Apr 20242 min read

15 years since Madoff taught us ‘bull’ isn’t always followed by ‘market’ on Wall St.

This week marked 15 years since Bernie Madoff – declared ‘the monster of Wall Street’ by a harrowing Netflix documentary on his demise – pled guilty to masterminding the largest known Ponzi scheme in history, worth an eye-watering $65bn. Formerly one of the most revered and respected figures on Wall Street, the one-time chairman of the Nasdaq stock exchange was sentenced to 150 years in federal prison, eventually dying three years to the day on April 14, next month.

Oliver Blower15 Apr 20245 min read

Telegram headlines pose headaches for compliance professionals

Few instant messaging apps have made the headlines as often as Telegram Messenger over recent months. The latest is that a Spanish court has u-turned on its move to temporarily suspend Telegram nationwide, after media firms complained of intellectual property rights violations.

Oliver Blower2 Apr 20245 min read

PE firms must opt for collaboration over resistance against SEC

An eye-catching story broke last week around the ongoing regulatory crackdown on instant messaging misconduct across the financial services industry. After several years of the Securities and Exchange Commission – among other regulators – imposing hefty fines on financial institutions for failing to preserve work texts sent by employees on messaging apps, it appears several large hedge funds and private equity firms are beginning to launch a sort of counteroffensive against the regulator.

Oliver Blower27 Mar 20244 min read

AI bubble debate hinges on delivery of more practical use cases

If Nvidia’s unprecedented growth is anything to go by, the future looks more than bright for AI. Heralded as the ‘most important stock’ on planet Earth by Goldman Sachs’ trading desk, the chipmaker last week revealed stunning financial results that exceeded even the most optimistic expectations.

Oliver Blower5 Mar 20245 min read

The non-financial rationale for comms surveillance mustn’t be ignored

Leading City compliance professionals have been bombarded with reasons to enhance their employee communications surveillance capabilities over recent months, with fresh headlines making the case on an almost daily basis.

Oliver Blower27 Feb 20244 min read

No signs watchdogs will quit messaging crackdown for Lent

We couldn’t even reach Shrove Tuesday this year before news of another significant round of messaging-related penalties hit the headlines. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) handed out $81m worth of penalties to 16 financial institutions.

Oliver Blower20 Feb 20244 min read

Financial institutions may need to think outside the (x)box to catch insider trading

Over the last few months, we have witnessed a flurry of insider trading allegations and convictions. One of the most recent came on January 11, when US attorneys announced the guilty pleas of former Goldman Sachs and Blackstone Group employee Anthony Viggiano, who admitted to tipping off close friends about a series of large deals, including a $2.2bn investment by the private-equity group into insurer AIG.

Oliver Blower12 Feb 20243 min read

Block stock and barrel: alt trading full comms oversight now a must

Block trading, whereby an investment bank privately trades a large batch of shares of a given company, has not been immune to criticism over recent decades. Much of the negativity surrounding block trading is routed in its inherent lack of transparency, which leaves the practice open to an elevated risk of insider trading and market abuse....

Oliver Blower25 Jan 20244 min read

Beware of ‘AI washing’ as banking use cases emerge

By now you are of course well aware of the phrase ‘greenwashing’, but beware: there is a new term in town. Last month, Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission Gary Gensler publicly warned businesses against ‘AI washing’, whereby firms make false claims over their use of artificial intelligence in much the same way others have over their unfounded sustainability assertions. The warning comes after the Federal Trade Commission in February cautioned companies that it would be on the lookout for bogus AI claims.

Oliver Blower17 Jan 20244 min read

WhatsApp update could spell unhappy New Year for compliance teams

While many of us will be making tough lifestyle changes this January, from adopting strict fitness regimes to cutting down on calories, there are other changes afoot in the realm of WhatsApp that could impact many of us over the coming days. For regulatory compliance teams at financial institutions worldwide, these could spell an unhappy start to the new year if precautions are not taken.

Oliver Blower11 Jan 20244 min read

Looking back to look forward 2023: WhatsApp, AI, and a familiar foe

The dramatic rise of AI intrigued financial markets, the fallout of 2022’s sweep of WhatsApp fines for the major banks continued to spill over, and spoofing continued to make headlines throughout the year. In this blog we take a look at just some of the key news stories which rocked financial markets and regulated industries over the last 12 months.

VoxSmart20 Dec 20234 min read

Safety proofing against spoofing – using trade reconstruction technology as an extra layer of armour

Last week, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra) fined BofA Securities $24 million for more than 700 – yes 700 - instances of spoofing through two former traders, over a period of 8 years.

VoxSmart12 Dec 20233 min read

What to do about WhatsApp misuse? The answer isn’t sacking

The recent sacking of Goldman Sachs' global head of transaction banking services, Hari Moorthy, once again spotlights a complex dilemma facing banking compliance professionals across the world: what to do about WhatsApp?

VoxSmart6 Dec 20234 min read

Dubai-based firms must double down on market abuse monitoring

Earlier this month, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) fined Dubai-based FFA Private Bank $370,000 over the firm’s failure to identify, assess and report instances of suspected market abuse by traders between 2018 and 2021.

Oliver Blower21 Nov 20234 min read

Why are so many financial institutions facing the CFTC swaps reporting wrath

Over the past month, the Commodity Futures Trading Commissions (CFTC) stance on transparency and accountability in swap markets has been stronger than Suella Braverman’s immigration rhetoric – and that is saying something!

Oliver Blower14 Nov 20234 min read

AI for Fixed Income

Every man, woman and their dogs are talking about AI right now – but it seems they are only doing so in the abstract. Worryingly, even global institutional investors appear to be gripped by the constant hype and hyperbole....

VoxSmart11 Jul 20234 min read

VoxSmart acquires GreenKey Technologies to expand NLP capabilities

London/New York – 28th September 2021 – VoxSmart Ltd., the global leader in communications surveillance, has announced the acquisition of GreenKey Technologies Inc., the industry-leading automated speech recognition (“ASR”) and natural language processing (“NLP”) provider, to further bolster its communications surveillance offering to global financial institutions.

VoxSmart28 Sept 20213 min read