Global Regulatory News and Updates

Welcome to Carver's regulatory updates podcast for the week of April 19, 2026.

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission has issued a permanent order against Forever Living and its operators, prohibiting them from making deceptive earnings claims. The FTC found that most participants in Forever Living’s multi-level marketing scheme made no money or lost money, contrary to the company’s claims of potential earnings. The order requires Forever Living to have substantiation for any earnings claims and to provide this information upon request by U.S. consumers. The company must not misrepresent that participants have made, will make, or are likely to make earnings, nor misrepresent reasons why participants do not make money, including claims that non-earners simply did not try hard enough.

Also in the United States, the Small Business Administration is offering Economic Injury Disaster Loans to small businesses and private nonprofits affected by the July 26-27, 2025 storms in specified counties in Missouri and Illinois. Eligible applicants have until May 13, 2026, to apply. There is a 60-day grace period after the deadline for applications. Loans can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4 percent for businesses and 3.625 percent for private nonprofits. Loan terms can extend up to 30 years, with no payments due until 12 months after the first disbursement.

In Alaska, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska is considering Unified Alaskan Utilities’ request to expand its service area to include Alliance Estates. This expansion would not change rates but would bind customers in the new area to Unified Alaskan Utilities’ tariff. The commission aims to approve the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity amendment by June 15, 2026. Public comments are due 26 days from the filing date, by 5:00 p.m. Compliance with the Alaska Public Utilities Regulatory Act and related regulations is required.

Additionally, two tariff updates affecting power cost equalization rates and balancing account calculations in Alaska have been announced. The first update, tariff advice TA246-5, will take effect on May 29, 2026, impacting residential and commercial customers eligible for power cost equalization subsidies. The second update revises tariff sheets for the Cost of Power Adjustment, Power Cost Equalization, and Small Facility Power Purchase Rate, reflecting a 3.74 percent increase in average cost of power due to increased fuel costs and balancing account changes. This update is effective May 28, 2026, and specifies eligibility criteria and credit amounts for power cost equalization.

Turning to Australia, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission has banned Shane Monte Silva for five years, effective December 11, 2025. Silva was found to have provided misleading advice related to superannuation fund rollovers into high-risk managed investment schemes named Shield and First Guardian. Clients of First Guardian Superannuation Group Australia are advised to lodge complaints with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority if concerned about advice received.

In the United Kingdom, the Bank of England has published an operational guide to transfer resolution. The guide outlines processes, governance arrangements, and transfer tools available for resolution, including the use of the recapitalisation payment mechanism effective from July 2025. It clarifies the Bank’s approach to transfer resolutions, helping firms prepare for resolution scenarios and enabling authorities to manage failures effectively while protecting financial stability and public funds. Firms with a transfer preferred resolution strategy must develop capabilities to support transfer resolution as per the Resolution Assessment Framework Statement of Principles. Firms are not required to maintain additional loss-absorbing resources beyond minimum capital requirements under the Minimum Requirement for Own Funds and Eligible Liabilities.

In the European Union and Switzerland, adjustments from the EU Antimicrobial Drug Regulatory Alignment project are being implemented. Dosage regimens and withdrawal periods for veterinary antibiotics will be updated based on recommendations from the European Medicines Agency. All veterinary medicinal products within the same active substance, target species, and route of administration group must be updated simultaneously. Marketing authorisation holders are required to submit these changes as signals via the Safety Portal. Swissmedic may initiate procedures if no signal is submitted.

France has issued a regulatory update concerning autonomous AI agents. Deployment of autonomous AI agents, such as OpenClaw, on production workstations is prohibited until security is proven. Usage is limited to isolated test environments only. Strict workstation security policies must be implemented, including control of software installation, least privilege principles, and supervision.

Finally, cyber risk stress testing for banks is being conducted across the European Union, United Kingdom, Denmark, and Australia. Authorities have disclosed two main approaches: firm-focused and system-focused testing. These exercises aim to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen response and recovery mechanisms in the banking sector. Scenario-based and penetration or red team testing are used to assess operational resilience. Authorities must select an approach consistent with their institutional setup and objectives, ensuring consistency across all parts of the exercise.

That wraps up today's regulatory updates. Visit carveragents.ai for more information.