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AFB Financial Crime Compliance Conference
We are pleased to invite members to the AFB Financial Crime Compliance Conference, sponsored by DCM and BeyondFS and hosted by A&O Shearman on Wednesday 14 October 2026.
The conference will bring together senior industry leaders, regulators, and compliance experts to examine the most pressing challenges and innovations in the fight against financial crime. It will also provide an excellent opportunity to expand your knowledge, share insights, and build connections with peers across the banking community.
We are pleased to confirm the following speakers:
- Beth Harris, Head of Financial Crime Market Intervention, Financial Conduct Authority
- James Wright, Head of Anti-Money Laundering Unit, HM Treasury
- Nigel Kirby, Director, Intelligence and Nominated Officer, Economic Crime Prevention, Lloyds Banking Group
- Stephen Robinson, Manager, Financial Crime Market Intervention, Financial Conduct Authority
- Tom Bell, Deputy Director, Criminal Finances, Home Office
- Jose Arevalo, Head of Financial Crime Compliance, Commerzbank, Joint Money Laundering Steering Group Board Member
- Richard Wall, Money Laundering Reporting Officer, İşbank UK
- Veronica Stratford-Tuke, Research Fellow, Centre for Finance and Security, the Royal United Services Institute
- Elena Elia, Assistant General Counsel, Financial Crime, Wells Fargo
Further details of the conference programme are below:
| Time | Session | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 – 9:00 | Registration, Breakfast, and Networking | |
| 9:00 – 9:10 | Welcome and Opening Remarks | Giles French – Chief Executive, Association of Foreign Banks |
| 9:10 – 9:40 | In Conversation with Beth Harris | Beth Harris – Head of Financial Crime Market Intervention, FCA Chair: Carly Blades – Vice President, Head of Europe and APAC AML & Global GBM AML Governance, Scotiabank |
| 9:40 – 10:30 | Panel discussion: How will the ECCTA Information Sharing Provisions Impact Economic Crime Risks? |
Chair: Ruth Paley, Partner, Michelman Robinson Panellists: Nigel Kirby, Director, Intelligence and Nominated Officer, Economic Crime Prevention, Lloyds Banking Group Richard Wall, MLRO, İşbank Tom Bell, Deputy Director, Criminal Finances, Home Office |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Refreshment Break and Networking | |
| 11:00 – 11:50 | Panel discussion: A New Era of Sanctions Enforcement – OFSI’s Playbook and the FCA’s Latest Findings |
Chair: Shereen George, Head of Sanctions, BNPP Panellists: Daniel Drake, Deputy Director, Sanctions Directorate, Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, HM Treasury Elena Elia, Assistant General Counsel, Financial Crime, Wells Fargo James Ford, Counsel, A&O Shearman Stephen Robinson, Manager, FCA |
| 11:50 – 12:40 | Panel discussion: Navigating Regulatory Differences – the Impact of the EU AML Package for Firms with a UK Presence |
Chair: Nikki Johnstone, Partner, A&O Shearman Panellists: Matt Neil, Partner, BeyondFS Further panellists TBC |
| 12:40 – 13:40 | Lunch and Networking | |
| 13:40 – 14:40 | Panel discussion: UK AML Reforms – Assessing the Regulatory Expectations and What More is Needed to Increase Effectiveness? |
Chair: TBC Panellists: James Wright, Head of Anti-Money Laundering Unit (Sanctions, Illicit Finance and Security), HM Treasury Jose Arevalo, Head of Financial Crime Compliance, Commerzbank Sarah Hitchins, Partner, A&O Shearman Veronica Stratford-Tuke, Research Fellow, Centre for Finance and Security, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) |
| 14:40 – 15:10 | Refreshment Break and Networking | |
| 15:10 – 15:40 | In Conversation with the City of London Police | Speaker from City of London Police Authority TBC Chair: TBC |
| 15:40 – 16:30 | Panel discussion: Help or Hindrance? Harnessing Technology and AI to Fight Financial Crime |
Chair: TBC Panellists: Arthur Jiggins-Roffey, Managing Director, DCM Arvind Kannan, Principal Regulatory and AI Specialist, Amazon Web Services Priten Patil, COO, DBS |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | Refreshments and Networking | |
Who should attend?
AFB members with an interest in the ongoing changes to the UK Financial Crime Compliance environment.
Logistics
Please note this is an in-person event only. Places are limited to five per member bank. Please contact secretariat@foreignbanks.org.uk if you have any questions.
Fee: Included in AFB Membership
Location: A&O Shearman, One Bishops Square, London E1 6AD
Date: Wednesday 14 October 2026
Time: 09:00 – 17:00 (arrivals and breakfast from 08:30, lunch will be provided)
Sponsor Biographies
Host Partner
A&O Shearman
A&O Shearman transforms the way law is practiced, to deliver unparalleled results for our clients’ most complex matters – everywhere in the world. We’re a law firm at the forefront of the forces changing the current of global business. A&O Shearman’s finance team is renowned as one of the strongest and deepest in the world, with top-tier lawyers located in all the major markets. We have acted on many of the highest-profile financial services enforcement and litigation matters of recent years and are regularly called on by governments to help develop new regulatory frameworks. Fluent in U.S. law, English law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets in equal measure, we support our clients with bespoke teams of expert minds. On May 1, 2024, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling merged to become A&O Shearman.
Find out more on A&O Shearman website
Supporting Partners
DCM
DCM provides specialist regulatory compliance support to firms navigating authorisation, growth, governance enhancement, and evolving supervisory expectations. Our team combines deep technical expertise with scalable delivery capability to strengthen frameworks, enhance controls, and provide confidence across AML, sanctions, fraud, and transaction monitoring. We partner with clients to deliver high-quality outcomes. Our mix of FCA Skilled Person Oversight, deep regulatory expertise, and industry know-how all under one roof provides comprehensive coverage to our clients.
BeyondFS
BeyondFS helps banks build financial crime programmes that work. We turn around stalled initiatives, close regulatory gaps and create high-performing operations – all delivered by small, senior teams who’ve done it before. We focus on getting the essentials right: robust controls, efficient processes and reliable data. That way, programmes meet regulatory expectations, run cost-effectively, and give customers a smoother experience.
Whether it’s a health check, a Section 166 response, or a complete redesign of AML and KYC frameworks, we bring the clarity, discipline and hands-on delivery needed to fix problems and build lasting capability.
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