International meeting of the Merkur Group further develops compliance culture

Compliance managers from 13 nations report increasing regulation.

“Regulatory requirements are increasing from year to year. It is therefore all the more important that we are in constant dialog within the company and benefit from the perspectives and experiences of others,” explained Ludwig Beckmann, Chief Compliance Officer of the Merkur Group. An important topic at the event was the presentation of the Group's newly created central risk management system. The focus is on optimizing existing systems and developing a holistic risk management system that integrates the areas of “Legal”, “Audit” and “Business Operations”, among others. Subsequently, the careful examination of customers (know-your-customer checks) and business partners (due diligence checks) in the individual companies was discussed in working groups.

In order to improve the legal overview, the concept of a Group-wide central register documenting all relevant legal disputes of the Merkur Group was explained. This can be helpful in responding more accurately to official requirements in licensing procedures. While the UK compliance team then presented the UK Gaming Authority's draft legislation with a view to the regulatory peculiarities, another topic of discussion was how the reporting procedure for breaches of the compliance principle could be made even more effective.

“The measures and strategic guidelines developed form a solid basis for the continuous development of the company's global compliance culture,” Ludwig Beckmann concluded. The compliance managers from the UK, Malta, Spain, the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Croatia, Belgium, Australia, Colombia and Peru came to East Westphalia for the meeting.