U.K. regulator fines Morgan Stanley $6.8M for off-channel comms
By 
Aaron Nicodemus2023-08-23T17:36:00
The U.K.’s Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) fined Morgan Stanley 5.4 million pounds (U.S. $6.8 million) for allegedly failing to record and retain electronic communications by its wholesale energy traders over two years.
The penalty against Morgan Stanley & Co. International (MSIP), announced Wednesday, is Ofgem’s first fine levied against a firm for use of off-channel communications via WhatsApp for discussing energy market transactions, the regulator said.
From January 2018 to March 2020, Morgan Stanley failed to record and retain electronic communications related to trading wholesale energy products, Ofgem said.
THIS IS MEMBERS-ONLY CONTENT
You are not logged in and do not have access to members-only content.
If you are already a registered user or a member, SIGN IN now.
Related articles
-
PremiumSurvey: Social media remains vexing issue for financial firms
A recent survey by surveillance technology firm SteelEye found most financial institutions do not monitor their employees’ use of social media or factor in market risks exacerbated by social media posts.
-
News BriefBroker-dealers, IAs, credit raters caught in SEC off-channel comms sweep
A dozen financial services firms were penalized by the Securities and Exchange Commission as the agency continues its enforcement sweep of recordkeeping violations regarding employee use of off-channel communications for business purposes.
-
PremiumDiscover ‘paying the price’ for not investing in compliance
Discover Financial Services is “paying the price” for underinvesting in compliance over the past several years and has been ramping up spending and hiring to catch up, two senior executives said in a call with analysts.
More from Regulatory Enforcement
-
News BriefFRC fines PwC, auditor combined $4.1M over 2019 work of Wyelands Bank
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council issued penalties against PwC and a former auditor over deficiencies on work related to the 2019 financial statements of now shuttered Wyelands Bank.
-
News BriefDOJ fines MORSE Corp $4.6M for lax cyber controls amid crack down on federal contractors
Yet another government contractor has been slapped with a fine by the Department of Justice for applying lax cybersecurity defenses on sensitive government data.
-
News BriefEU regulator questions 'culture of compliance' with Digital Markets Act at Apple, Google
The European Commission released its preliminary findings last week regarding Apple and Google not complying with the Digital Markets Act. It issued orders to both companies regarding their business practice and plans to release all of its findings next week.