AFB Seminar: Navigating the Operation of Financial Crime Controls

The operation of financial crime controls places banks at the centre of competing legal, regulatory, and commercial pressures.  SAR obligations and financial crime controls may necessitate account restrictions, payment delays and/or the termination of customer relationships.  At the same time, customers are becoming more willing to challenge decisions through complaints and litigation.

The cross-border nature of many transactions can also involve overseas regulators.  Effective governance, clear decision-making and carefully managed customer communications are critical to navigating the tension between regulatory compliance and the risk of customer and reputational harm.

This session, in partnership with Pinsent Masons, will examine the issues banks face when dealing with suspicious transactions. It will consider the interaction between the National Crime Agency (UKFIU) and the FCA, as well as the FCA’s approach to supervising and enforcing related financial crime controls. The session will cover case studies showing failings in money laundering controls and analyse customer complaints.

Who Should Attend?

This seminar will be of interest to AFB member representatives responsible for financial crime risk management, governance and front office staff (including those working in Business, Compliance, Legal, Operations and Internal Audit).

Speaker

Melanie Ryan is a partner in Pinsent Masons’ London office.  She has 25 years’ experience in representing banks and financial institutions in litigation, regulatory investigations, and related enforcement proceedings. Her areas of expertise include financial crime, money laundering, fraud, bribery, corruption, tax, UK and EU sanctions. She has extensive experience of dealing with the FCA, PRA, SFO and OFSI in the UK as well as the DOJ, SEC and OFAC in the US. 

Melanie acts for regulated entities in Enforcement investigations and related proceedings, conducts internal investigations and shadow s166 reviews and advises clients on contentious regulatory matters such as Principle 11 issues as well as large remediation programmes. She also undertakes complex high value high court litigation and has particular experience in capital markets disputes involving derivatives and securitisation cases. Melanie also advises on compliance programmes for global organisations.

Melanie is recognised in the “Hall of Fame” for Banking Litigation and as a “Leading Partner” for Financial Services: Contentious in the Legal 500.

Please note you will receive confirmation of your booking via email within 24 hours. Should you not receive a confirmation, please contact AFB to double-check if your booking was successful.

Logistics

Fee: Included in AFB membership

Location: Pinsent Masons, 30 Crown Place, Earl Street, London, EC2A 4ES

Date: Wednesday 30 September 2026

Time: 15:30 – 17:00 (registration and refreshments 15:00 – 15:30). Pinsent Masons are kindly providing drinks and networking post event from 17:00 – 18:00.

There will be ample opportunity for questions throughout the session; however, if you would like to submit a question before or have any 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 a week before the event.

Please note that 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.