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USA
3rd November 2025
 
THE HOT STORY
Identity resilience: a must-have strategy
Organizations are increasingly integrating Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) with Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) to enhance resilience. This approach, termed identity resilience, focuses on safeguarding identity systems while ensuring operational continuity. Key strategies include real-time visibility, risk-based alerting, and automated recovery processes. These measures not only prepare for crises but also improve efficiency and compliance. As identity becomes a primary target for cyberattacks, executives must prioritise identity as a strategic asset. "Identity demands the same investment and boardroom oversight as any other mission-critical asset," emphasized a report from Forbes Technology Council.
TAX & COMPLIANCE
Turn Mandates Into Advantage

Global e-invoicing mandates are reshaping tax compliance faster than many finance teams can adapt. Governments are demanding real-time transaction reporting, and fragmented compliance strategies are quickly becoming unmanageable. For CFOs, this shift is not just another regulatory hurdle - it’s a chance to gain control, speed, and accuracy across every jurisdiction.

This white paper explains how the rapid global rollout of e-invoicing and continuous transaction controls (CTCs) is changing the compliance landscape. It shows how centralized, technology-led approaches deliver automation, scalability, and visibility that siloed systems can’t match. With the right platform, companies can turn compliance into a competitive edge - reducing risk while improving efficiency and insight.

See how Vertex helps global enterprises stay ahead of evolving mandates and operate with confidence in an increasingly connected tax environment.

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LEGAL
JPMorgan raised Epstein suspicions in 2002
Newly unsealed documents show JPMorgan Chase began flagging Jeffrey Epstein’s suspicious cash withdrawals in 2002 - years before his crimes became public. The bank filed multiple reports about patterns suggesting evasion of oversight but continued serving him until 2013. Internal emails showed staff suspected criminal behavior. JPMorgan later settled a lawsuit alleging it enabled Epstein’s sex trafficking, paying $75m without admitting wrongdoing.
Firms take action over tariffs
Learning Resources chief executive Rick Woldenberg and other small business owners are taking their case against Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs to the U.S. Supreme Court. Reuters notes that the tariffs, imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, have significantly increased costs for small importers like Learning Resources and MicroKits, forcing cutbacks in expansion, hiring, and production. Lower courts have previously ruled the tariffs unlawful, and the Supreme Court will hear arguments this Wednesday.
CYBERSECURITY
Tech groups step up efforts to solve AI’s big security flaw
Google DeepMind, Anthropic and Microsoft are trying to prevent ‘indirect prompt injection attacks,’ a critical security flaw in their large language models that can be exploited by cyber criminals.
ECONOMY
Airlines call on government to end shutdown
Delta, United, and American Airlines are urging Congress to end the government shutdown immediately and pay air traffic controllers, who missed their first full paychecks last week. Controllers, already facing staffing shortages, are working mandatory overtime to maintain safety. Airlines warn prolonged shutdowns could cause holiday travel delays and cancellations, stressing both workers and the economy. The shutdown, ongoing since October 1, risks costing up to $14bn if it lasts eight weeks, while essential federal employees continue working without pay, increasing operational and safety pressures in the National Airspace System.
U.S. tariffs have muted economic impact
Despite initial warnings of inflation and recession, inflation has remained below forecasts, and economic growth continues. Tariff revenues have fallen short of expectations, estimated at $400bn annually versus predictions of $500bn to $1tn, due to lower effective tariff rates of around 12.5%, and corporate strategies including stockpiling, shifting production abroad, and using bonded warehouses. Consumers have borne 50%–70% of tariff costs, while companies, helped by strong post-pandemic profit margins, have absorbed the rest. Sectors like autos and apparel have seen minimal price rises due to these mitigations. However, economists warn long-term inflationary effects and corporate hiring hesitancy may still materialize.
FINANCIAL REPORTING & ACCOUNTING
BDO's First Brand audit painted healthy picture
The Wall Street Journal reports that BDO USA signed off on First Brands’ 2024 financials months before the auto-parts giant collapsed amid a $2bn accounting scandal. The audit failed to reveal billions in off-balance-sheet debt and unpaid financing obligations later uncovered by restructuring advisers. While BDO denied wrongdoing, experts say auditors often miss hidden risks. First Brands filed for bankruptcy, prompting CEO Patrick James’s resignation and a Justice Department probe into missing investor funds and opaque factoring arrangements.
WORKFORCE
Labor shortages plague agriculture sector
The H-2A visa program, crucial for agricultural labor, has been suspended due to the government shutdown, causing significant concerns for farmers. President Donald Trump's policies, including mass deportations, have led to labor shortages in the agriculture sector, with experts warning that these shortages could result in food supply issues. John Walt Boatright, director of government affairs at the American Farm Bureau Federation, said: “The H-2A program is not the sustainable solution, but it is a short-term solution.” The shutdown has exacerbated processing delays, threatening agricultural production, as highlighted by the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association. With the current political climate, farmers are left in a precarious position, facing the possibility of reduced small farms and increased reliance on larger industrial operations.
DEALS & TRANSACTIONS
U.S. bank deals surge as Trump-era regulators race through approvals
The average time to finalize a bank deal following its announcement has dropped to four months this year, the shortest period since at least 1990, according to data from S&P Global.
STRATEGY
Wall Street prepares for collaboration with Mamdani
Reuters reports that the finance sector has broad misgivings about the prospect of frontrunner Zohran Mamdani becoming New York City's mayor, but many are hopeful he moderates his positions as they prepare to try and collaborate with him.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Top 10 U.S. billionaires’ collective wealth grew by $698bn in past year
The collective wealth of the top ten U.S. billionaires has increased by $698bn over the past year, according to a new Oxfam America report, which warns that decades of bipartisan policy choices have exacerbated inequality. Using Federal Reserve data from 1989 to 2022, the report finds that the top 1% of households gained $8.35m on average - 101 times more than the median household and 987 times more than the bottom 20th percentile. Meanwhile, over 40% of Americans, including nearly 50% of children, are classified as low-income. The U.S. ranks worst among OECD countries for relative poverty and near-worst for child poverty, infant mortality and life expectancy. The report criticizes dismantled social protections and tax cuts such as Donald Trump’s recent legislation, calling it a major upward wealth transfer. It proposes reforms in four areas: tax policy, social safety nets, union protections, and campaign finance.
INTERNATIONAL
Italy seizes Campari shares in tax fraud probe
Shares in Campari fell 5% this morning, after Italian tax police seized €1.29bn ($1.50bn)-worth of shares in the Italian drinks maker held by its controlling shareholder for alleged tax evasion. The investigation focuses on Luxembourg-based holding company Lagfin SCA’s alleged failure to pay exit tax on about €5.3bn of capital gains generated when it absorbed an Italian subsidiary that held Campari’s controlling stake.
 

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