AFB Practice Workshop: How to Approach the New COCON Rules and Guidance on Non-Financial Misconduct

With the anticipated entry into force on 1 September 2026 of new COCON Rules and Guidance, reviewing approaches to non-financial misconduct and ensuring alignment with the new framework and heightened regulatory expectations is a priority area of focus for AFB member firms.

This interactive practice workshop, held in partnership with Stephenson Harwood, will consider several hypothetical incidents and non-financial misconduct (“NFM”) scenarios. There will be particular focus on the legal and practical considerations that arise when such incidents come to light within regulated financial institutions.

Why attend?

Gain insights from experts and peers on managing sensitive NFM incidents and their regulatory, legal and compliance consequences
Understand what is and what is not likely to be considered relevant to Conduct Rules and assessments of fitness and propriety in the new NFM regime
Establish NFM frameworks that meet regulatory expectations
Hear practical case studies and lessons learned from recent regulatory actions
Navigate NFM investigations, reporting obligations, conduct breach processes, and the new regulatory reference rules and guidance
Understand how the new NFM guidance impacts Boards, Senior Managers, and SMF holders and regulatory expectations on those individuals
Learn how to strengthen your organisation’s culture of transparency and accountability

What will members gain for use at their bank?

Understand evolving regulatory expectations and trends from the Financial Conduct Authority
Learn how to protect your institution while supporting those who have reported NFM effectively

The opportunity to engage in facilitated discussion on these issues with fellow AFB members and Stephenson Harwood teams, including regulatory litigation and investigations, employment and data privacy specialists

Who should attend?

The session is designed to assist professionals from compliance, legal, risk, internal audit and HR functions.
The session will specifically cover the impact for SMF holders and legal risk and is particularly relevant to individuals in those roles.

Speaker

Moderators for the seminar are drawn from specialist teams within Stephenson Harwood. The session will be facilitated by:

Alan Ward, Partner (Regulation and Investigations)
Alan Ward is a partner at Stephenson Harwood LLP, specialising in advising financial institutions and corporates on regulatory and criminal investigations.

He advises banks (including many AFB member banks), asset managers, trading houses, and other financial institutions on navigating investigations and supervisory exercises commenced by the FCA and PRA, and on internal, non-public investigations into allegations of fraud, financial and non-financial misconduct, and irregularity.

He has recently advised financial institutions on managing disclosures from whistleblowers and on balancing rigor and focus when scoping and managing investigations into concerns.
He has represented clients in several cases concerning allegations of misconduct on financial markets, including before the Upper Tribunal in February 2025 (FCA v Lopez & Ors) and in non-public market abuse and insider dealing investigations. His team’s Tier 1 ranking in the legal directories for representing senior individuals in contentious FS investigations makes them sought-after advisors on conduct risk, directors’ liabilities, and SMCR.

Many of the investigations in which he has been involved have attracted significant publicity and media reporting: Olympus Corporation; Tesco; LIBOR and FX manipulation; off-platform communications.

His advisory work regularly covers areas such as: SMCR, Anti-Money Laundering (AML), non-financial misconduct, whistleblowing, and market abuse.

He is ranked as a Next Generation Partner in Legal 500 (2026 edition) for Contentious Financial Services and in the category Contentious Regulatory (Corporates) in Chambers and Partners (2026).

Logistics

Fee:         £265.00 + VAT
Date:       Thursday 7 May 2026
Time:       15:30 – 17:30 (Registration and coffee from 15:00)
Places:     Maximum of 36 people
Format:   In-person at Stephenson Harwood, 1 Finsbury Circus, London, EC2M 7SH

If you would like to submit a question or have any specific areas that you would like the session to address, please send them to the AFB at secretariat@foreignbanks.org.uk.

You will receive final event details one week before the event.
You will only be deemed to have attended (for CPD points) if you have made yourself known at registration and attend 50% or more of the session.

Please note that the cost charged for this event is payable to the Association of Foreign Banks. Stephenson Harwood is not charging the AFB or Members for hosting this event.

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