Key Areas to be Covered
The economic crime outlook for accountants in 2026–2027
· Global and UK economic crime threat environment
· Drivers of change including technology, geopolitics and regulation
· The evolving role of accountants as gatekeepers and risk managers
Emerging fraud threats, including cyber-enabled and AI-assisted fraud
· Business email compromise, payment diversion and impersonation fraud
· AI-enabled deception, deepfakes and synthetic identities
· Fraud risks affecting finance, payroll, procurement and advisory functions
Money laundering trends, beneficial ownership concealment and professional enabler risks
· Use of complex corporate structures, trusts and shell entities
· Beneficial ownership opacity and source-of-wealth challenges
· Professional facilitation risks affecting accountants and advisers
Crypto-assets, digital finance and emerging financial crime exposure
· Cryptocurrency-related fraud and money laundering typologies
· Crypto-assets in sanctions evasion and cybercrime ecosystems
· Due diligence, tracing and reporting challenges for accounting professionals
Sanctions evasion, geopolitical risk and cross-border compliance challenges
· Emerging sanctions risks linked to conflict, state actors and global instability
· Hidden ownership, intermediary arrangements and sanctions circumvention methods
· Practical implications for client onboarding, advisory work and transactions
Regulatory developments, AML reform and enforcement expectations
· Emerging UK and international AML developments
· Changes in supervisory and enforcement expectations affecting accountants
· Increasing emphasis on effectiveness, governance and demonstrable compliance
Organised crime methodologies affecting businesses and professional services
· Organised crime infiltration of legitimate business environments
· Financial crime convergence involving fraud, laundering and cybercrime
· Criminal exploitation of professional services and commercial systems
Practical warning signs, red flags and enhanced due diligence considerations
· Client, transaction and behavioural red flags
· Indicators of high-risk structures, jurisdictions and financial activity
· Enhanced due diligence approaches and escalation considerations
Strengthening governance, fraud prevention and economic crime control frameworks
· Risk assessment, governance and accountability measures
· AML controls, monitoring and reporting mechanisms
· Building effective organisational culture, awareness and resilience
Practical scenarios and risk management strategies for accounting environments
· Scenario-based analysis of emerging economic crime risks
· Applying controls to real-world accounting and finance situations
· Practical mitigation strategies for firms and practitioners
