The hottest Compliance Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

A Beginner’s Guide to Bring Your Own Cloud

Technically • 18 implied HN points • 26 Mar 26
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. Customers in security- or compliance-sensitive industries increasingly want to run software in their own cloud, and they will pay 2–5x for that control to meet data residency, security, performance, and cloud-choice requirements.
  2. Deployment sits on a spectrum—from fully managed multi-tenant SaaS to single-tenant, hybrid (control plane + customer data plane), and fully self-hosted BYOC—each option trading convenience for control and observability.
  3. BYOC can be very lucrative for vendors but brings big operational headaches: installs, upgrades, debugging, and lost visibility get harder, so it works best when buyers have strong platform teams and vendors are prepared to support the complexity.

After Missed Payments, Evolve Creditors Look To Dump Distressed Debt

Fintech Business Weekly • 438 implied HN points • 22 Feb 26
đź’° Finance Compliance
  1. Evolve Bancorp’s holding company is in clear financial distress, has missed coupon payments, and creditors are trying to sell its notes at heavily discounted prices.
  2. Evolve Bank itself trimmed losses and still meets regulatory capital ratios, but it’s losing fintech partners and deposits have declined sharply, which heightens liquidity and reputational risk.
  3. Stripe’s Bridge got conditional approval for a national trust charter and is pushing stablecoins for faster cross-border payments while tightening which countries it serves to reduce compliance and sanctions risk.

Corrected Headlines

Human Capitalist • 39 implied HN points • 21 Oct 24
đź’Ľ Business Compliance
  1. There is more to news stories than just the headlines. It's important to understand the people and events behind the news.
  2. The aim is to uncover significant context around recent corporate changes and workforce trends. This helps readers see the bigger picture.
  3. Readers are encouraged to share interesting headlines or stories that deserve deeper exploration. Engagement with the audience is key.

#52 - AI autonomy spectrums are only half the story

OSS.fund Newsletter • 56 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. Hugentic means giving an agentic system real work while keeping explicit human authority—machines do the heavy lifting but humans set goals, limits, handle exceptions, and own the outcomes.
  2. Autonomy alone isn’t the whole story—you must judge both how much a system can do and how clearly human control, traceability, and governance are preserved, since similar autonomy can look very different in practice.
  3. Focus on five practical governance questions—who sets the goal, who grants permissions, who sets thresholds, who handles exceptions, and who owns the consequence—because these decide whether greater autonomy is safe and deployable in enterprises.

What Happened to Columbia’s Antisemitism Monitor?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 482 implied HN points • 27 Jan 26
🚌 Education Compliance
  1. Columbia agreed to a $221 million settlement with the federal government and was required to create a monitorship to address allegations of antisemitism.
  2. Bart M. Schwartz, a veteran compliance consultant from Guidepost Solutions, was appointed to oversee the university’s compliance with the agreement.
  3. Insiders report the university failed to fully cooperate with the watchdog, undermining the monitorship’s effectiveness and fueling campus controversy, including protests over suspensions of SJP and JVP.
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Kontigo: Y Combinator's Venezuelan Sanctions Evasion Startup

Fintech Business Weekly • 557 implied HN points • 11 Jan 26
đź”® Crypto Compliance
  1. Kontigo, a Y Combinator–backed startup, has been linked to efforts to help Venezuela’s Maduro regime evade sanctions.
  2. JPMorgan served as a fiat on‑ramp for users of that crypto company, showing how major banks can connect traditional finance to sanctioned actors.
  3. The episode highlights broader risks in the startup and stablecoin ecosystem, revealing compliance gaps and venture capital ties that can enable financial crime.

Getting Organized

Points And Figures • 586 implied HN points • 09 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Compliance
  1. Campaigns are expensive and legally complex, so expect a steep learning curve and rising costs that can discourage newcomers.
  2. Your first hires should be a consultant who fits your style and a compliance/treasurer to handle the legal and financial rules and keep you out of trouble.
  3. Organize the campaign around serving citizens, not yourself, and get the back-office systems and local networks in place so your outreach can work.

How To Launder A Billion Dollars Using Tether

Fintech Business Weekly • 252 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
đź”® Crypto Compliance
  1. A Miami-based executive is accused of using Tether and U.S. shell companies to launder over a billion dollars by converting stablecoins to dollars and moving the proceeds across borders.
  2. Regulators and law enforcement are tightening up: crypto firms face fines and audits, payment processors are cutting risky partners, and some fintechs are seeking bank charters to change their funding and compliance profiles.
  3. Weaknesses in AML and onboarding—like easy account opening without clear nationality checks and misleading MSB registrations—make the financial system vulnerable and are driving calls for stronger monitoring and enforcement.

Resilient Cyber Newsletter #14

Resilient Cyber • 59 implied HN points • 17 Sep 24
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. Cyber attacks on U.S. infrastructure have surged by 70%, affecting critical sectors like healthcare and energy. This is causing bigger risks because these sectors are tied to essential services.
  2. Wiz has introduced 'Wiz Code' to improve application security by connecting cloud environments to source code and offering proactive ways to fix security issues in real-time.
  3. There's a growing crisis in the cybersecurity workforce, with many claiming there are numerous jobs available while many professionals feel unprepared for the roles. This highlights the disconnect between job openings and real-world experience.

Are Insiders Making a Killing on Polymarket?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 282 implied HN points • 19 Jan 26
đź”® Crypto Compliance
  1. A Polymarket user turned a $32,000 wager into about $400,000 by betting Nicolás Maduro would be out of power, then deleted their account, prompting questions about who knew what.
  2. Prediction markets can let people with access to sensitive information make large, fast profits, raising concerns that insiders may be emboldened to cash in.
  3. Prediction markets are not new: economists like Robin Hanson proposed them decades ago and even suggested using them for governance (a concept called futarchy), which makes their rise both influential and controversial.

Fintech’s Dumbest Lawsuit: Mastercard-Backed TomoCredit Flouts Trademark Dispute Settlement

Fintech Business Weekly • 148 implied HN points • 01 Feb 26
đź’° Finance Compliance
  1. Regulatory barriers protecting incumbent banks are being dismantled as many companies—from automakers to foreign neobanks—push for bank charters and deposit insurance.
  2. Tether launched an 'onshore' USAâ‚® and markets it as 'federally regulated.' U.S. stablecoin rules and issuer licenses aren't finalized yet, so that label is mainly marketing positioning.
  3. Several fintechs are failing or facing serious legal and compliance problems: Seis shut down from weak economics and churn, Kontigo faces sanctions and licensing issues, and TomoCredit is accused of deceptive practices and flouting a trademark settlement.

"No KYC" Crypto Cards Tap Corporate Issuing Loopholes

Fintech Business Weekly • 104 implied HN points • 08 Feb 26
đź”® Crypto Compliance
  1. Some crypto "no KYC" card services exploit a corporate card issuing loophole to let users fund and spend with crypto without proper identity checks, and some even market this to sanctioned countries like Iran.
  2. Layered fintech partnerships, weak beneficial-ownership rules, and gaps in onboarding mean banks and regulators often can't see the true users or owners of cards, making it easy for bad actors to hide.
  3. Enforcement and fixes have been spotty so these schemes keep reappearing across many BINs and issuers. Separately, Varo raised $123.9 million despite still being unprofitable, showing mixed outcomes in the fintech market.

How to Perform a Mass Balance: Step‑by‑Step Guide + Downloadable Worksheets

The Rotten Apple • 42 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
🍲 Food & Drink Compliance
  1. A mass balance reconciles incoming materials with finished product, waste, and stored material using the simple equation Mass In = Mass Out + Mass Stored.
  2. You run a mass balance to spot and document deviations from expected yield so problems can be investigated and the results defended in an audit.
  3. The guide gives step‑by‑step instructions and downloadable worksheets to record inputs, outputs, rework, and yield so you can do a clear, factory‑floor mass balance.

#50 - Why AI Won’t Magically Flip Your Bank’s Spend Pattern

OSS.fund Newsletter • 56 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
đź’° Finance Compliance
  1. AI won’t magically flip a bank’s spend from run to change because banks are tightly governed and face real costs like compliance, dual-run tax, and mandatory testing that prevent a quick switch. These constraints mean savings come slowly and require human-controlled policy and evidence gates.
  2. Treat modernization as a spectrum and manage it as a portfolio: Operate, Comply, Harden & Simplify, and Compete & Grow. Use a Good Bank/Bad Bank approach with a policy-driven bridge, deterministic routing, and continuous reconciliation so migrations are auditable, reversible, and lead to real decommissioning.
  3. Use AI as an assistant to cut toil, automate evidence, speed analysis, and help translate legacy code, but don’t give it authority to change policies or skip validation. Capture the realistic savings to fund simplification and growth, aiming for practical targets (for example ~50/50 over five years) rather than expecting an immediate 60/40 to 40/60 flip.

Different Types of CIAM Systems

ciamweekly • 62 implied HN points • 02 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. CIAM comes in seven main flavors (B2E, B2C, B2B2C, B2B2E, B2D, B2G, B2A), each reflecting a different relationship between the product and its users like customers, employees, developers, governments, or agents.
  2. Pick CIAM features based on who your users are: consumer-facing (B2C) systems prioritize smooth UX, social/passwordless logins, and marketing integration, while B2B2C and B2B2E need tenant segmentation, delegated admin tools, and strong federation/provisioning.
  3. Niche CIAM types have special nonfunctional and compliance needs — B2D requires rich APIs and docs, B2G needs government compliance, and B2A demands separate agent identities, different throttling, and a new threat model.

AI Risk Evolution

Frankly Speaking • 254 implied HN points • 18 Nov 25
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. Focusing on 'AI for security' means we should use AI to improve security measures instead of limiting its use. Trying to ban tools like ChatGPT won't stop teams from finding ways to use them.
  2. Security needs to rethink its risk models because traditional methods aren't effective against AI. Just following compliance rules won't protect against new AI threats.
  3. Smaller security teams can still be powerful thanks to AI, which helps automate many tasks. Embracing AI can help teams be more effective, rather than just restricting its use.

My Christmas Security Wishlist

Frankly Speaking • 152 implied HN points • 16 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. Stop outdated controls like mandatory 90-day password changes and security questions and instead rely on password managers plus MFA.
  2. Move away from checkbox trainings and dozens of point tools; security teams should build engineering solutions, use automated guardrails, and consolidate tooling to actually reduce risk.
  3. Make security an enabling partner by aligning compliance to real risk, supporting safe AI adoption, delivering measurable ROI, and building trust through strong detection, response, and clear communication.

Artificial Intelligence: European Union AI Act and its implications for finance

The Fintech Blueprint • 471 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
đź’° Finance Compliance
  1. The European Union AI Act categorizes AI systems into various risk levels and imposes strict regulations to ensure transparency, safety, and non-discrimination in financial services.
  2. Financial institutions using AI for customer data analysis and fraud detection must comply with the EU AI Act by ensuring accurate, unbiased decisions that are explainable to both customers and regulators.
  3. Complex AI systems like Large Language Models (LLMs) pose challenges in transparency and trust, requiring new methods to interpret decision-making and align with the EU regulations.

Paying the SOC2 Screenshot Tax

Margins by Ranjan Roy and Can Duruk • 331 implied HN points • 31 Jul 25
đź’Ľ Business Compliance
  1. SOC2 compliance can be seen as a necessary hurdle for small tech companies trying to build trust with larger clients, but it often feels like a tax rather than a true security upgrade.
  2. The process of obtaining SOC2 involves significant effort, including hiring auditors and filling out extensive spreadsheets, which can distract startups from product development.
  3. There's a growing call for a better compliance system that continuously monitors security rather than relying on periodic checks, as the current method can feel outdated and ineffective.

Bringing Security Out of the Shadows

Resilient Cyber • 99 implied HN points • 06 Jun 24
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. Shadow usage happens when employees use technology without telling the IT or security teams. This is easy to do, especially with things like personal devices and remote work.
  2. Cybersecurity teams often react to problems instead of staying ahead of technology trends. Instead of waiting for issues to arise, they should explore and adapt new technologies early.
  3. Long-lasting issues between security teams and other departments lead to frustration. If security teams work better with others, they can create a smoother, more productive environment.

Issue #147: MrBeast Buys a Bank, Goldman Sachs Gives AI Agents Real Jobs, And Coinbase Wants Every AI Agent to Have a Wallet

Fintech Radar • 6 implied HN points • 16 Feb 26
đź’° Finance Compliance
  1. Creators are starting to buy and run real financial assets, using massive audiences to scale fintech products and distribution quickly.
  2. Banks and fintechs are deploying autonomous AI agents to handle high-volume, rules-based work like accounting, onboarding, and AML, which reduces the need for additional headcount.
  3. Infrastructure for agentic money is being built fast — agent-specific wallets, machine-to-machine payment protocols, and programmable guardrails let AI agents hold and spend funds safely.

Resilient Cyber Newsletter #9

Resilient Cyber • 19 implied HN points • 13 Aug 24
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. Microsoft is tying employee bonuses to security performance, highlighting the importance of prioritizing security in their culture. This means employees are encouraged to choose security over other goals like speed or profit.
  2. There's growing interest in using AI for cybersecurity tasks, including identifying vulnerabilities and automating processes. This technology could help improve security practices but also presents challenges.
  3. The market for security automation is expected to grow significantly. This means companies are looking for ways to streamline their security processes and keep up with new threats efficiently.

Third-party risk management needs to change

Frankly Speaking • 50 implied HN points • 03 Dec 25
đź’Ľ Business Compliance
  1. The current way companies choose vendors is too slow and complicated for today's fast-moving tech world. It takes too long to get through all the approvals and checks.
  2. Security teams often struggle to fully understand the products they assess, which makes the process messy and can lead to risks being overlooked. They should focus more on ongoing monitoring rather than just initial assessments.
  3. Compliance checks for vendors are often just a tick-box exercise, making it feel like there’s security without real effectiveness. Companies need to adapt and change how they approach procurement to reduce risks.

Binance Targets Kids As Young As Six For Crypto Accounts

Fintech Business Weekly • 44 implied HN points • 07 Dec 25
đź”® Crypto Compliance
  1. Binance launched a parent-controlled "Binance Junior" app and a kids' crypto book that let children as young as six hold and receive crypto, sparking worries about safety, fraud, and money‑laundering risks when minors get access to digital assets.
  2. Pipe removed CEO Luke Voiles after massive layoffs and signs of financial stress, the CFO also departed, and a product executive is now serving as acting CEO.
  3. Seven state attorneys general are investigating major BNPL firms over underwriting, disputes, and consumer protections, while Klarna rolled out costly subscription tiers with cashback and premium perks that could raise affordability and consumer‑risk concerns.

Regulatory Update: Recent Developments Impacting DeFi

DeFi Education • 779 implied HN points • 19 Apr 23
đź”® Crypto Compliance
  1. Recent SEC actions indicate a tough regulation for crypto exchanges in the US. Companies like Coinbase and Bittrex are facing serious legal challenges for not complying with registration rules.
  2. John Reed Stark, a former SEC official, predicts that many crypto exchanges may need to shut down or change how they operate in the US.
  3. Regulations are becoming a big deal in the crypto industry, and companies will have to work hard to comply with new rules to stay in business.

Block AI tools from scraping your site in 3 minutes

Deploy Securely • 216 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. Block major generative AI tools from scraping your website by adding specific directives to your robots.txt file.
  2. Consider modifying your site's terms and conditions to prevent undesired activities like scraping by AI tools.
  3. Blocking AI tools may impact your search and social media rankings, so find a balance between cybersecurity and potential repercussions.

Security Is A Useless Controls Problem

Security Is • 59 implied HN points • 29 May 24
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. Many security controls are useless, wasting resources and time. It's crucial to understand why you're implementing a control to avoid just following the crowd.
  2. If you can't explain why a security control is needed in a simple way, it's likely not very useful. Good controls should have clear reasons behind them.
  3. Wasting time on unnecessary controls can harm everyone in the industry. Focus on meaningful security measures to make better use of limited resources.

A Look at the UK's National Cyber Security Centre's Vulnerability Management Guidance

Resilient Cyber • 119 implied HN points • 25 Feb 24
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. Organizations should have a clear policy to automatically apply software updates. This helps close the gap between when vulnerabilities are identified and when they are fixed, making it harder for bad actors to exploit them.
  2. Knowing what assets you own and who is responsible for them is crucial. Without this information, vulnerabilities could go unaddressed, leading to increased security risks.
  3. The business should take ownership of the risks related to vulnerabilities, not just the security team. It’s important for leadership to understand and document the decisions regarding risks associated with remediation.

IMPORTANT: Tornado Cash Added To US Sanctions - $437 Million Blocked

DeFi Education • 919 implied HN points • 08 Aug 22
đź”® Crypto Compliance
  1. Tornado Cash has been added to the U.S. sanctions list, meaning it is illegal for U.S. citizens to engage with it in any way. This includes financial transactions or even visiting its website.
  2. Any assets held in Tornado Cash since the addition to the sanctions are considered 'tainted' and cannot be redeemed. This puts liquidity providers at risk of losing money.
  3. There are legal risks for U.S.-based Ethereum miners and exchanges that deal with Tornado Cash transactions, leading to increased compliance costs and possible changes in business operations.

OWASP LLM AI Cybersecurity & Governance Checklist

Resilient Cyber • 79 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. Organizations need to understand the unique risks of using Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI, and they should create clear strategies for managing these risks.
  2. Having an AI asset inventory is crucial so that companies know what AI tools they are using and who is responsible for them.
  3. Safety training for employees on AI tools can help prevent misuse and create a culture of transparency within the organization.

You Will Comply and You'll be Happy

Anxiety Addiction & Ascension • 138 implied HN points • 05 Dec 23
🎭️ Culture Compliance
  1. Annual compliance training can be tedious but necessary to adhere to workplace rules and ideologies
  2. New compliance modules focusing on topics like sexual harassment may have controversial or biased content
  3. Increased push for women and underrepresented groups in leadership roles in corporations may be linked to workplace dynamics and the evolving corporate agenda

Fearing the sheriff more than the bandits

Deploy Securely • 157 implied HN points • 21 Jul 23
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. The fear of repercussions from authorities like prosecutors and regulatory agencies is often greater than that from hackers.
  2. Cybersecurity professionals and their teams face severe consequences for non-compliance, even if the breach was not entirely their fault.
  3. A flawed liability regime and focus on performative compliance rather than actual security measures contribute to the prioritization of checking boxes over protecting data.

How to define risk appetite and tolerance

Deploy Securely • 157 implied HN points • 12 Jul 23
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. Risk appetite is the baseline level of cybersecurity risk an organization is willing to accept.
  2. Risk appetite should be defined in fungible units like dollars or engineer-hours, not security-specific terms.
  3. Risk tolerance is the speed at which an organization must address risk above the established appetite to avoid compliance issues.

6 March is DMA-Day

Platform Papers • 59 implied HN points • 05 Mar 24
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) will enforce new rules on major digital platforms starting March 6, 2024, aiming to make markets fairer and more contestable for platforms like Apple, Google, Meta, TikTok, Amazon, and others.
  2. The DMA introduces obligations for gatekeepers to open up ecosystems, ensure fairness for business users, and promote transparency by submitting compliance plans publicly.
  3. The enforcement of DMA rules faces challenges from wealthy companies like Apple resisting compliance and the European Commission needing to balance limited resources with rigorous enforcement, highlighting the need for immediate action and collaboration with national agencies.

Not all BOM's are Created Equal

Resilient Cyber • 119 implied HN points • 07 Nov 23
đź•ą Technology Compliance
  1. Not all software bills of materials (SBOMs) are the same, and they are important for software supply chain security. They help provide transparency about the components within software.
  2. The BOM Maturity Model can help evaluate how complete and useful a BOM is. It measures difficulty in obtaining data and assesses how well the BOM meets certain standards.
  3. As the industry works towards better SBOMs, tools and resources like the OWASP guides are crucial. They aim to improve understanding and detail in software management, similar to standards in food or pharmaceuticals.

The NRC's Abuse of PRA

Gordian Knot News • 139 implied HN points • 27 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Compliance
  1. The NRC claims to calculate the probability of a release using PRA, but this is misleading. They only look at certain paths and ignore many other possible scenarios.
  2. There are countless ways a release could happen, and focusing only on a few higher probability paths does not guarantee safety.
  3. The core issue isn't the method of reliability analysis itself, but how the NRC misuses it in their approach.

Banking-as-a-Service: Wrapped

Fintech Business Weekly • 475 implied HN points • 31 Dec 23
đź’° Finance Compliance
  1. The banking-as-a-service industry faced challenges in 2023, such as issues with compliance and partnerships.
  2. There was increased regulatory scrutiny on BaaS entities, with concerns around misleading claims and high interest rates.
  3. Multiple BaaS-related scandals and legal actions occurred throughout the year, impacting various companies in the industry.