Insights

This month’s Regulatory Roundup reflects a clear shift from ambiguity to accountability across financial services, fintech, and emerging technologies.

Financial institutions are navigating a landscape where risks move faster, regulatory expectations increase even more, and the stakes for getting compliance wrong have never been greater.

This month’s roundup highlights the developments that will define early 2026, and the readiness steps that can’t wait.

As 2025 draws to a close, regulators worldwide are tightening their grip on a compliance landscape shaped by technology, financial crime, and global tensions.

A reflections blog from Money20/20 is never just about one week in Vegas – it is a conversation that stretches through the year until the next one.

Despite advances in compliance monitoring technology ISO 8583 remains a stubborn obstacle to effective anti-money laundering (AML) and risk screening.

Moderated by Ian Mitchell, Founder and Chair of The Knoble, the conversation explored how anti-money laundering (AML) professionals can use technology, collaboration, and compassion to protect the vulnerable. 

This month’s regulatory update reveals a regulatory landscape in transition, where technology, fairness, and financial crime prevention increasingly intersect. US agencies advanced both innovation and oversight.

With change comes uncertainty, as innovation advances on one side and regulatory ambiguity grows on the other. For financial institutions, the question is whether this shift represents freedom or fragility. 

With instant payment rails like FedNow, RTP, and ISO 20022 reshaping expectations, organizations need fast and accurate screening solutions to prevent high-risk transactions without slowing operations.

Increasingly, regulators scrutinize insurance products like single-premium life policies, cross-border payments, and third-party transactions.

This month’s regulatory updates underscore the challenges of navigating compliance amid shifting expectations. US Executive Order 14331 puts banks under scrutiny for “fair banking,” while the Tornado Cash case tests liability in digital assets.