2026 Fincrime Compliance Report Webinar

2026 fincrime compliance report webinar

In this on-demand webinar, Nicola Hanratty, Evan McGookin, Stuart Smith and Charles McGillivray walk through the findings from the 10th anniversary edition of our fincrime compliance report. It's our largest dataset to date: 104 AML/CTF/AFC audits and 484 findings across payments, e-money, investment, FX and treasury, and cryptoasset firms in the UK and 16 other jurisdictions.

Findings per audit rose this year, from 4.26 to 4.65, with high-impact findings per audit also up. Our specialists explain what's driving that rise: risk assessments still treated as once-a-year exercises, screening tools that missed known PEP or sanctions matches, automated controls that aren't being independently tested, and the same weaknesses recurring across entities of multi-jurisdictional groups.

Drawing on what they see in audits every day, they set out the practical steps firms should prioritise now to strengthen their frameworks and prepare for audit. If you're an MLRO, Head of Compliance or senior leader responsible for financial crime controls, it's a clear view of where your peers are falling short, and how your own framework is likely to compare.

2026 findings data

The headline data from 104 audits and 484 findings, and what the rise in findings per audit, from 4.26 to 4.65, tells us.

Year-on-year comparison

How the top five review areas have shifted since 2025, including WFRA overtaking compliance monitoring as the area with the most findings.

Risk assessment themes

Why whole firm and customer risk assessments are still too often treated as static exercises, and what a dynamic approach looks like.

Monitoring and review gaps

Where periodic and event-driven reviews, transaction monitoring and compliance monitoring are falling short, including group-wide backlogs and automated controls that aren't being independently tested.

Core control areas

Findings across PEPs, sanctions and adverse media, CDD, EDD, SARs, AML training and policies, including screening tools that missed known matches.

Practical next actions

The actions firms should prioritise to strengthen their frameworks and prepare for audit.

What does the webinar cover?

The headline findings from the 2026 Fincrime compliance report, including recurring weaknesses in whole firm risk assessments, periodic reviews, compliance monitoring, screening and transaction monitoring, plus practical recommendations for firms.

Who is it for?

Heads of Compliance, MLROs, Heads of AML, CEOs and senior leaders in regulated financial services firms, including payments, e-money, investment, FX and treasury, and cryptoasset businesses.

What data sits behind the discussion?

104 AML/CTF/AFC audits completed by fscom between July 2025 and June 2026, covering the UK and 16 other jurisdictions, with 484 findings recorded, 119 of them high-impact.

What will I take away from the session?

You will see how findings are distributed across 16 review and testing areas, where recurring weaknesses are emerging, and which practical steps firms are taking to strengthen audit readiness and compliance maturity.

Will this help with current remediation planning?

Yes. The themes are highly relevant if your firm is reviewing AML/CTF/AFC governance, monitoring, periodic review controls or broader remediation priorities ahead of closer supervisory challenge.

Can fscom help after the webinar?

Yes. If the webinar highlights issues in your own framework, fscom can support audit work, remediation planning, framework reviews and practical steps to strengthen fincrime compliance maturity.

On-demand webinar