Our regular snapshot from the Crystal team of some of the highlights and points of note for finance and corporate comms pros from around the jurisdictions this past month…

Channel Islands Budgets: both Guernsey and Jersey’s governments approved how they will be spending taxpayer money over the coming year as politicians in each island debated, and approved, their respective budgets.

Sustainable Dependencies: all three Crown Dependencies had sustainable finance on the brain this month, with Finance Isle of Man announcing a comprehensive roadmap that will underpin their Sustainable Finance initiative; Jersey announcing a Sustainable Finance Action Plan; and Guernsey hosting its first Sustainable Finance Seminar in London.

EU ESG Ratings: Meanwhile, the European Council approved new regulations requiring ESG rating providers in the EU to be authorised and supervised by Esma, as part of efforts to improve transparency and prevent conflicts of interest.

COP: and against the backdrop of all of that, COP29 concluded in Baku, with some progress on climate finance but overall a mixed reaction.

Cayman: Cayman Finance CEO Steve McIntosh warned against complacency and highlighted the importance of investing in technology and recruitment during a speech at the International Accreditation Council for Business Education conference, held at the University College of the Cayman Islands.

BVI: Premier Wheatley unveiled the government’s plans for 2025 under the theme “Laying the Blocks of Success”, highlighting the vital role the financial services sector plays in driving economic growth and sustainability.

Dublin: Central Bank of Ireland officials – governor Gabriel Makhlouf and deputy governor Vasileios Madouros – highlighted the importance of implementing sector EU reforms, including Basel III, at two separate events last month, despite “waning appetite” for internationally agreed rules to be finalised.

Luxembourg: the CSSF launched a data collection exercise for the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) to assess fees and charges related to Ucits and AIF investments, as part of an ongoing review of the AIFMD and Ucits directive, with Esma set to submit a comprehensive report by October 2025.

Social Media: the big trend last month was around the surge in both individuals and corporate users signing up to BlueSky, migrating away from X in the wake of Trump’s Presidency win and ties between him and Elon Musk