Directive (EU) 2022/2555 on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union (“NIS2 Directive”) entered into force on 16 January 2023. It had to be transposed into national law by 17 October 2024. Only a small number of member states (among them Hungary, Belgium and Croatia) have transposed the provisions of the NIS2 Directive into national law so far, and it is likely that a significant number of member states will need some time.
Regulation (EU) 2022/2554, commonly known as the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), represents a significant step forward in enhancing the digital resilience of the financial sector within the European Union. Adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on 14 December 2022, DORA aims to establish a comprehensive framework to ensure that financial entities can withstand, respond to, and recover from all types of ICT-related disruptions and threats. The regulation entered into force on 17 January 2025, and applies directly across all EU member states.
The Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA) is an intermediary step for Ukraine to benefit from the mutual recognition of product quality between the EU and Ukraine until our country becomes a full EU Member State. The ACAA covers 27 groups of industrial goods/technical regulations. Ukraine’s ACAA implementation plan was sequenced in priority sectors to allow a step-by-step sectoral implementation of the ACAA.
On 27 January 2025, the law deriving from draft Bill No. 7961 (“Law”) introducing significant changes to the laws governing the Register of Beneficial Owners (Registre des BĂ©nĂ©ficiaires Effectifs (RBE)) and the Trade and Companies Register (Registre de Commerce et des SociĂ©tĂ©s) was published in the Luxembourg official journal.
These changes align with the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 22 November 2022, aiming to balance transparency for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism purposes with enhanced privacy protections.
The AI Act introduces a comprehensive legal framework for companies dealing with AI systems in the EU. From 2 February 2025, companies subject to the regulation must take steps to ensure AI literacy and ensure that no prohibited AI practices are used. Non-compliance could lead to substantial fines.
In December 2024, privacy concerns were raised after the new Bizfile portal of the Accounting, Corporate and Regulatory Authority of Singapore displayed names and full National Registration Identity Card numbers for free in its search results.
The Personal Data Protection Commission has since clarified the appropriate use and misuse of NRIC numbers.
Following the enactment of the Digital Markets, Competition & Consumer Act (DMCCA) in May 2024, the new UK digital markets competition regime and changes to the UK competition regime entered into force on 1 January 2025. This landmark legislation brings about significant changes to the UK antitrust regime including giving the Competition & Markets Authority the ability to regulate the technology sector, increased jurisdiction to review mergers, and stronger antitrust investigation powers.
On 20 January 2025, the first day of his second term, President Trump revoked Executive Order 14110 on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (âBiden Orderâ), signed by President Biden in October 2023. In doing so, President Trump fulfilled a campaign pledge to roll back the Biden Order, which the 2024 Republican platform described as a âdangerousâ measure. Then on 23 January 2025, President Trump issued his own Executive Order on AI, entitled Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence.
On 28 November 2024, the Australian Government passed a law banning social media for children under the age of 16. The Australian Government’s recent move has raised questions in Singapore on the assessment and effectiveness of such bans, and whether there is a possibility of introducing a similar ban in Singapore.
These questions were addressed by the Ministry for Digital Development and Information during the parliament sitting on 7 January 2025.
ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting on 16-17 January 2025.
The Guide supplements the ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics (2024), which focuses on traditional AI technologies and includes policy considerations relevant to generative AI.