Topic hub
AML, sanctions, fraud and transaction monitoring: what the FCA expects and how firms evidence their controls.
Topic briefing
The FCA states that financial crime robs people and businesses of their hard-earned money and makes markets less attractive. As part of its strategy 2025 to 2030, it has committed to slowing the growth in investment fraud and authorised push payment fraud. Its money mule findings were published on 23/09/2026.
The FCA's financial crime material covers money laundering and terrorist financing, financial sanctions, fraud, bribery and corruption, and market abuse. For firms supervised under the Money Laundering Regulations, the expectations set out include a risk assessment, systems and controls, due diligence, an MLRO and senior AML responsibility.
Sources: Financial crime · Money laundering and terrorist financing · Financial sanctions · Fraud · SYSC 6.3 Financial crime
Featured article
The FCA expects firms to maintain effective financial crime systems and controls, set out in SYSC and the Financial Crime Guide. This guide explains what applies to advice firms and how to build a fraud framework from the FCA's own findings.
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Showing 1–12 of 21 articles
The FCA expects firms to maintain effective financial crime systems and controls, set out in SYSC and the Financial Crime Guide. This guide explains what applies to advice firms and how to build a fraud framework from the FCA's own findings.
What an MLRO's legal and regulatory role covers (MLR 2017 reg 21, SYSC 6.3.9R, SMF17, POCA), what the FCA tests, an MLRO question bank with strong-answer outlines and a two-week preparation plan.
The FCA has contacted the full Annex 1 population and begun restricting firms where AML controls are not good enough. We explain the areas unregulated lenders and other Annex 1 firms should review now.
The FCA's May 2026 findings connect sanctions exposure, screening design, data quality, alert calibration, escalation and breach reporting.
A decision guide to employed, external-support and co-sourced MLRO models, focused on SMF17 capacity, authority and retained senior-management accountability.
What the FCA expects of transaction monitoring systems under heightened scrutiny, as the mechanism for identifying and escalating suspicious activity.
In response to evolving regulatory landscapes and recent global events, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has unveiled proposed updates to its Financial Crime Guide, CP24/9. The revisions aim to enhance sanctions systems, address proliferation financing, and refine transaction monitoring with a focus on modern technologies like Artificial Intelligence and cryptoassets. With these updates, the FCA seeks to fortify financial crime prevention measures and ensure firms are well-equipped to meet new challenges. As firms adapt to these changes, MEMA Consultants stands ready to offer expert guidance and tailored support, helping businesses align with FCA's stringent standards and navigate this complex regulatory terrain effectively.
The European Parliament has decided to approve a set of rules to enhance the EU's anti-money laundering and terrorist financing tools, with a specific focus on the cryptocurrency business. The regulation mandates the implementation of heightened due diligence protocols and identity verifications for customers. Obligatory entities, including cryptocurrency asset managers and institutions, are required to notify Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) or other competent authorities of any suspicious activities. An elevated degree of due diligence is being applied to the cryptocurrency sector.
Financial crime undermines market integrity and public trust, prompting the FCA's 3-year strategy. MEMA advises firms to use tech, collaborate, educate, strengthen compliance, foster responsibility, and support AML reform. For assistance, contact MEMA's experts.
UK firms must assess and record their money laundering risk under regulation 18 MLR 2017. This guide explains the business-wide and customer risk assessment steps, factors, corporate customers and evidence.
AML trigger events are changes in a customer's circumstances or behaviour that require a CDD review. This guide sets out the UK legal basis, typical triggers, the response steps and SAR and tipping-off points.
Money laundering is the process of concealing or disguising the existence, source, movement, destination, or use of illicitly-derived property or funds to make them appear legitimate.
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