Top 10 leading voices in financial services

CUBE’s data analysed the frequency of references across regulatory content to identify who is shaping the future of finance.

Methodology

All of CUBE’s RegInsight data was analysed over an eight-month period, from December 2022 to July 2023 to determine the top 10 voices in financial services. This includes analysing blogs, speeches, news, consultations, reports, press releases, policies, enforcement actions, bills, guidance, regulations and so on. The top 10 was identified by the number of times the speaker’s name had been referenced across regulatory content.

The top 10 most frequently mentioned speakers – individual profiles

10. Lina Khan

Lina Khan, Chair of the Federal Trade Commission

Jurisdiction	North America
Current position with dates	Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, nominated by President, Joe Biden and sworn in on 15 June 2021
Compliance focus areas	Market competition, customer protection
Issuing bodies	Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Qualifications	Undergraduate degree from Williams College and a law degree from Yale Law School
Notable previous positions	Associate Professor at Columbia Law School
Interesting facts	Khan is the youngest FTC Chair in history, she was only 32 at her confirmation, plus the first ever person of South Asian descent
Best quotes	“I’m interested in imbalances in market power and how they manifest. That’s something you can see not just in tech but across many industries.”

Key concepts

9. Martin Gruenberg

Martin Gruenberg, Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Jurisdiction	North America
Current position with dates	Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Board of Directors from 5 January 2023
Compliance focus areas	Financial services, regulation, banking, policy
Issuing bodies	US Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve, and the American Bankers Association (ABA)
Qualifications	An A.B. (Artium Baccalaureus, or Bachelor of Arts) from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs as well as a J.D. (Juris Doctor) from Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Notable previous positions	Vice Chairman of FDIC Board of Directors from August 2005 to July 2011 and Senior Counsel to Senator Paul S. Sarbanes on the staff of the Senate Committee
Interesting facts	In March 2023, under Gruenberg’s leadership, the FDIC managed the receivership of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) after assessing the risks that led to the collapse
Best quotes	“The banking industry continues to face significant downside risks from inflation, rising market interest rates, and geopolitical uncertainty.” “Trends stemming from the pandemic have created new challenges for the management of these risks. Banks have benefitted in this respect from strong capital and liquidity positions that allow them to absorb unexpected setbacks while continuing to meet the credit needs of the U.S. economy. Nevertheless, the downside risks are significant and will be a focus of supervisory attention by the FDIC.”

Key concepts

8. Christine Lagarde

Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank

Jurisdiction	Supranational
Current position with dates	President of the European Central Bank since 1 November 2019
Compliance focus areas	Industry codes, markets, monetary policy, market-wide requirements
Issuing bodies	Banque de France, European Central Bank, Tradeweb Europe, Nasdaq Derivatives Markets
Qualifications	Qualified lawyer and graduate of Paris Nanterre University
Notable previous positions	Partner Baker & McKenzie; French Trade Minister 2005-2007; 2011-2019 Head of IMF
Interesting facts	For 10 consecutive years, Lagarde was voted in the top 10 of Most Powerful Women in the World by Forbes magazine
Best quotes	“The financial industry is a service industry. It should serve others before it serves itself.” “You are never wrong when you have voted because you’ve acted in accordance with your conscience and your beliefs, and you’ve exercised your democratic right, which is, you know, perfectly legitimate in our democracies.”

Key concepts

7. Adewale Adeyemo

Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo, United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury

Jurisdiction	North America
Current position with dates	Sworn in as the 15^th United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury on 26 March 2021
Compliance focus areas	Treasury’s national security, economic inequality, pandemic-related economic recovery work, financial growth
Issuing bodies	US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Financial Stability Oversight Council
Qualifications	Bachelor of Arts degree from University of California Berkeley and a degree in Law from Yale
Notable previous positions	Variety of leadership roles at the Treasury including Senior Advisor, Deputy Chief of Staff and chief negotiator for the Trans-Pacific Partnership’s provisions on macroeconomic policy
Interesting facts	Adeyemo is the first African American to hold the position of Deputy Secretary of the US treasury
Best quotes	“Fundamentally our financial system should not provide the rich, the powerful, and the corrupt with the opportunity to shield their assets.” “This is not about the politics, for as long as I’ve been here, which is more than a decade, part of what we’ve done at the Treasury Department is provide the American people with information about how they can do what the vast majority of them do, which is pay their taxes.”

Key concepts

6 & 5. Andrea Gackie

Andrea Gackie, Director of FinCEN

Jurisdiction	North America
Current position with dates	Director of FinCEN, announced July 13th, 2023
Compliance focus areas	Financial sanctions, counter-terrorism financing, crypto and virtual currencies
Issuing bodies	FinCEN, OFAC, Department of the Treasury (US)
Qualifications	Attorney and graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Notable previous positions	Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the Treasury Department. Attorney in the Federal Programs Branch of the Civil Division of the US Department of Justice
Interesting facts	Gacki guided the US Department of Treasury through significant world events such as its role responding to Russia’s war against Ukraine by designing a sanctions initiative
Best quotes	“When virtual currency firms fail to implement effective sanctions compliance controls, including screening customers located in sanctioned jurisdictions, they can become a vehicle for illicit actors that threaten US national security.” “Virtual currency is the principal means of facilitating ransomware payments and associated money laundering activities.”

Key concepts

“Gacki’s chart highlights the critical role of ensuring compliance with sanctions. The consequences of non-compliance can be severe, not only resulting in hefty fines and reputational damage but also enabling criminal activities and potentially funding terrorism. Firms are increasingly (and wisely) turning to cutting-edge AML technology solutions to effectively combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other illicit activities while adhering to global sanctions,” said Nimesh Christie, Head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Fenergo.

He adds that “in today’s interconnected world, compliance with sanctions is not only a legal obligation but also a moral responsibility. With the right technology, organisations can efficiently screen customers, partners, and transactions against comprehensive sanctions lists and politically exposed persons (PEPs) databases. Furthermore, the more advanced solutions offer real-time monitoring capabilities, enabling prompt detection and reporting of suspicious activities, ensuring comprehensive coverage, minimising false positives, and promoting a safer financial ecosystem.”