BLOG: Reflections from TISA Financial Crime Conference 2026
Key Takeaways
This month, TISA welcomed financial crime specialists, compliance leaders, regulators and industry practitioners to London for TISA Financial Crime Conference 2026. The event provided an opportunity for delegates from across the financial services sector to come together and examine the increasingly complex financial crime landscape facing firms today.
Across the day, discussions focused on how firms can strengthen financial crime frameworks in response to geopolitical uncertainty, rapid technological change and increasingly sophisticated fraud threats.
▶️ View the highlights of our Financial Crime Conference here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7459996197542457344/
A key theme throughout the conference was effectiveness. Speakers emphasised that firms must move beyond policies and processes alone and demonstrate that controls are operating effectively in practice, supported by strong governance, testing and accountability.
Customer due diligence and risk assessments were a major focus, with sessions exploring lessons from recent FCA multi-firm reviews. Delegates heard how risk assessments should be treated as evolving tools that adapt to changing risks rather than static compliance documents.
Artificial intelligence was another central theme. Speakers explored both the opportunities and risks associated with AI in financial crime prevention, particularly around fraud detection and monitoring. A recurring message was that explainability and auditability are now critical. Firms must be able to clearly evidence how AI-driven decisions are made and ensure appropriate governance remains in place as technologies evolve.
The conference also explored emerging fraud risks, including account takeover fraud and authorised push payment (APP) scams, alongside the growing importance of collaboration and intelligence-sharing across the sector.
We were pleased to welcome Beth Davies, Deputy Director at the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), HM Treasury, who shared insights into OFSI’s evolving strategy, enforcement approach and the importance of proactive engagement between firms and regulators.
Closing the conference, Sophie Legrand-Green, Head of Policy, TISA, reflected on the importance of collective action in tackling financial crime and maintaining trust in the financial system.
We would like to thank all speakers, panellists and delegates for contributing to the discussions throughout the day, and Norton Rose Fulbright LLP for kindly hosting the event.
“A really good, well organised event with a range of different topics and speakers. I thoroughly enjoyed the day. The format TISA do works really well and keeps the audience engaged” Scott Mitchell, FNZ
