AFB Seminar: UK–EU Financial Crime Compliance – Practical Implications of Differing UK and EU Requirements in AML/CFT, Anti-Bribery and Corruption, and Sanctions Compliance

The EU is harmonising its AML/CFT and anti-bribery and corruption (ABC) rules, through AMLA’s technical standards and the upcoming transposition of Directive (EU) 2026/1021. International banks must now meet these emerging EU requirements and UK regulatory expectations while remaining consistent with their home-country frameworks. The increasing scope and complexity of trade and financial sanctions since 2022 and the differences between UK and EU sanctions regimes add a further layer of complexity.

This interactive seminar, delivered by experts at Grant Thornton, will move beyond a comparison of rules to focus on the practical implications of differing regulatory requirements. Through real-world examples and case studies, participants will examine how differences between UK and EU approaches affect specific controls, group-wide governance, information sharing, local accountability, and supervisory expectations.

The session will provide an opportunity to discuss what can remain standardised across global operations, where local adaptations are necessary, and how firms can manage without creating unnecessary complexity or duplication.

Why attend?

Attendees will:

• Learn where material differences between UK and EU AML/CFT, anti-bribery and corruption, and sanctions requirements and supervisory expectations are emerging
• Explore the operational impact of the differing requirements for key controls, governance and information-sharing arrangements
• Consider how AMLA’s evolving supervisory approach may influence group-wide financial crime compliance programmes
• Understand the main features of Directive (EU) 2026/1021 on combatting corruption, including corporate liability, and how they compare with the UK Bribery Act 2010 regime
• Consider how differences between UK and EU sanctions regimes affect group-wide sanctions controls and enforcement exposure
• Discuss practical solutions for balancing global standards with local regulatory obligations
• Review case studies demonstrating how firms are approaching the management of areas of divergence in practice
• Engage with peers facing similar cross-border compliance and operating model challenges
• Identify opportunities to reduce duplication and maintain efficient financial crime controls while meeting regulatory expectations in multiple jurisdictions.

Who should attend?

This seminar is designed for those responsible for managing financial crime risk, regulatory compliance, and governance within international banks.

Speakers

Sam Haskins – Partner
Sam is a Partner specialising in financial crime advisory, transformation and regulatory remediation. He has held senior industry and consulting roles and has led Skilled Person reviews, remediation programmes and broader financial crime assignments for major and mid-tier financial institutions. His experience spans banking, payments, building societies and digital assets, including work with firms subject to enhanced regulatory supervision.

Sarah Wrigley – Director
Sarah is a Director specialising in financial crime, investigations and regulatory compliance, with experience across both consulting and industry. Her expertise covers anti-money laundering, sanctions, bribery and corruption, and fraud. She has led reviews of sanctions screening frameworks and supported complex investigations into potential sanctions breaches. Her experience spans the UK and Middle East and includes a secondment to the UK financial services regulator.

Jocelyne Landu Gombo – Associate Director
Jocelyne is an Associate Director specialising in financial crime compliance and regulatory remediation. Her experience covers anti-money laundering, sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption, and conduct. She has worked on major independent monitoring and regulator-mandated review programmes, including leading teams assessing financial crime frameworks and remediation activity. Her experience spans Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas.

Lisa Mazzucotelli – Associate Director
Lisa is an Associate Director specialising in financial crime, investigations and regulator-mandated reviews. She has led workstreams on Skilled Person reviews covering governance and oversight, quality assurance and suspicious activity reporting, as well as wider financial crime compliance assignments. Her experience spans payments, banking and investment firms.

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: Grant Thornton, 8 Finsbury Circus, London EC2M 7EA

Date: Tuesday 01 December 2026

Time: 09:00 – 11:00 (Registration, networking and refreshments 08:30 – 09:00)

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.