ECB Whistleblower Report Finds Governance Failures Dominate Banking Misconduct

The European Central Bank (ECB) has published its first-ever public report on whistleblowing activities across the Single Supervisory Mechanism. The report reveals that internal governance failures account for nearly two-thirds of substantiated cases in 2025.

According to the ECB, there were 592 SSM-related reports received by the ECB and national competent authorities (NCAs) in 2025. Of these, 63% pertained to alleged breaches in the area of internal governance, including risk management and internal controls, suitability of management body functions, and remuneration.

The report also notes that the majority of SSM-related reports pertained to less significant credit institutions (approximately 59%) and the remaining (approximately 40%) pertained to significant credit institutions under direct supervision by the ECB.