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Webinar: Making Sense of the FCA Annual Work Programme 2026/27

What it means for your firm

22 April | 10am | 45 minutes

The FCA’s Annual Work Programme (formerly known as the Business Plan) sets out what the FCA will deliver in 2026/27 against its four strategic priorities.

The 2026/27 Work Programme marks the second year of its five-year strategy (2025–2030), with the same four priorities continuing to shape its agenda: Smarter Regulator, Supporting Growth, Helping Consumers and Fighting Crime.

In this practical session, we translate these priorities into tangible changes, timelines, and actions — so you can effectively pressure-test your compliance plan for the year ahead. 
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Why this matters now

In 2026/27, the FCA is operating amid rapid technological change (including AI), geopolitical and economic uncertainty, and an explicit focus on growth and innovation — while keeping consumer outcomes and financial crime firmly in view. This session helps you separate signal from noise and focus on what your firm needs to do next.

Session themes

  • Where is the tension in the FCA’s agenda — and what should firms be challenging?
  • The specific changes, dates and actions your firm needs to know about in 2026/27
  • Why a strong compliance framework protects your firm through every regulatory cycle

About the webinar

What we'll cover

  • The FCA’s four priorities — and what they mean in practice for firms in 2026/27
  • Helping consumers: BNPL / deferred payment credit; targeted support regime; mortgage rule review
  • Fighting crime: expanded AML supervision; intelligence-led approach to stopping high-harm online promotions; market abuse focus
  • Smarter Regulator: AI entering regulatory workflows; removing data returns; increasing proportionality in SMCR; Supercharged Sandbox
  • Cross-sector themes: Consumer Duty, financial crime & AML, operational resilience, AI & technology, SMCR reform, growth & innovation

Who should attend

  • Compliance & Conduct teams
  • Risk & Operational Resilience leads
  • Legal & Regulatory Affairs
  • SMFs and senior leaders accountable for governance and controls
  • MLRO/Financial Crime teams
  • Product, Customer, and Distribution leaders impacted by consumer outcomes

Key learning points

  • Understand the FCA’s four priorities and what they mean for your firm
  • Know what’s changing and when (BNPL, targeted support, SMCR proportionality)
  • Identify the compliance actions your programme must address in 2026/27
  • Understand how FCA focus areas (financial crime/AML, AI, operational resilience) may show up in supervision
  • How to keep your “guardrails” strong regardless of reform cycles

Speakers:

Katharine Leaman bio 330x330

Katharine Leaman

Advisory Board Member - Skillcast

Katharine has worked in financial services for over thirty years in insurance claims, giving investment advice, regulation, and banking compliance. Katharine has been European Head of Regulatory Compliance at Standard Chartered Bank and spent over a decade at the UK's regulator, the FSA (now FCA in senior policy and supervision roles. 
 
Katharine’s expertise is in technical areas of the rules such as Market Abuse, CASS, SMCR, and Outsourcing. As well as issues that have a broader regulatory focus such as market conduct, non-financial misconduct, conduct risk, operational resilience, and consumer duty. 
 
At Leaman Crellin Katharine regularly provides compliance advice to the C-suite as well as to front-office trading and salespeople around the world. 
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David Kenmir

Advisory Board Chairman - Skillcast

David Kenmir has 35 years Regulatory Experience including 5 years as a Managing Director of the FSA and 14 years as a Risk and Regulatory Partner at PwC. Having recently retired from PwC he is starting a plural career as part of which he will become Chair of Skillcast’s new Advisory Board.

David has broad regulatory experience and has worked on many aspects of Financial Crime including s166 reviews, and Enforcement cases. David is known for speaking and writing about many aspects of regulation and its unintended consequences.

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