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Meta Platforms can expect a bruising 2023 when it comes to data protection enforcement in Europe, with a series of cases taking aim at its business model and the possibility of more hefty fines and settlements on the horizon. And in the United States, the road ahead is just as rough, with the company agreeing to pay $725 million to settle claims relating to its decision to allow apps on Facebook’s platform to access users’ personal data. Yet with the tech company’s access to data now being challenged worldwide, the hefty fines may prove to be the least of the tech giant’s problems.

The Year of the Rabbit will play out against an interesting background for Chinese antitrust policy and enforcement. On the one hand, the government will be keen to kickstart the economy, following the abandonment of the zero-Covid policy — leading to enforcement being dialed down. Yet competition policy is likely to remain prominent, as the government moves to create a more competitive environment for businesses. In today’s special podcast to mark the start of 2023, our correspondent, Yonnex Li, ponders what the year is likely to bring.

On today’s 2023 preview podcast, our London-based financial-crime reporter, Martin Coyle, walks us through some of the legislative and enforcement changes that lie ahead, both in the UK and internationally. And top of the agenda: the departure of the UK Serious Fraud Office head, Lisa Osofsky, whose tenure had become mired in controversy.

The issue of how best to regulate cryptocurrencies came to the fore in 2022, with the spectacular implosion of crypto-exchange FTX prompting plenty of soul-searching. The upheaval appears to have paved the way for what is likely to be the big regulatory story of 2023: how best to rein in the excesses of the new ledger-based technologies. Yet as officials around the globe grapple with the challenge, our London-based reporter Phoebe Seers tells us there’s no clear path forward.

With several antitrust battles between the European Commission and Big Tech likely to come to a head in 2023, the next 12 months are likely to tell us something about the legacy of the bloc’s antitrust chief. In this special podcast to mark the start of 2023, Nicholas Hirst ponders the challenges facing Vestager, as she nears the end of what’s expected to be her final term as the EU’s competition commissioner.

If there’s one thing that Southeast Asian jurisdictions have in common, it’s the rapid pace of regulatory developments. In this review of what we can expect in 2023, our correspondent ponders recent changes and how regulators across the region are gearing up for the challenges that lie ahead.