Next Gen Financial Crime Compliance: How Should Bank Leaders Prepare Conference on 26-27 in Singapore

The Asian Bankers Association (ABA) is pleased to invite members and friends to participate in the upcoming "Next Gen Financial Crime Compliance: How Should Bank Leaders Prepare” Conference organized in association with Fintelekt Advisory Services, an ABA Knowledge Partner, and to be held in-person on 26-27 March 2026 in Singapore.

 

(1) INTRODUCTION

 

Financial crime risks are evolving faster than many traditional compliance frameworks can keep pace with. Banks across Asia are navigating increasingly complex cross-border flows, a surge in fraud-led financial crime, and more intrusive regulatory scrutiny. Boards and supervisors are no longer satisfied with policies and controls that exist on paper. They expect demonstrable effectiveness, clear accountability, and evidence that risks are being actively managed. At the same time, emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, offer powerful new tools, while raising fresh questions around governance, explainability, and senior management responsibility.

The Fintelekt–ABA Compliance Masterclass is a two-day, CXO-level programme designed to help bank leaders prepare for the next phase of financial crime compliance over the coming 1–3 years. Drawing on Fintelekt’s work with banks, regulators, and industry bodies across Asia, the programme focuses on the issues that repeatedly surface in practice: where existing AML and FRAML frameworks are under strain, how regulatory expectations are evolving, and how technology can be deployed realistically and responsibly. Discussions will be grounded in real-world examples, highlighting what has worked, what has failed, and the lessons leaders can draw from both.

The programme combines expert insight with structured peer exchange to help participants reassess priorities, navigate key trade-offs, and sharpen the questions they take back to boards and executive committees. It is designed to be practical, forward-looking, and directly relevant to strategic, governance, and investment decisions faced by bank leaders today.

 

(2) TARGET PARTICIPANTS

 

Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Auditor, Chief Risk Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Head of AML/Money Laundering Reporting Officers/AMLCOs, Heads of Department and Board Members of banking and financial services institutions in Asia

 

(3) AGENDA

 

DAY ONE: THURSDAY, 26 MARCH 2026

12:00-13:30 Arrival, Registration and Networking Lunch.

13:30-14:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks by Representatives from Fintelekt and ABA.

14:00-15:00 Keynote Address: The Next Chapter of Financial Crime in Asia: What the Data Signals.

• The convergence of fraud, money laundering and cybercrime.
• Surge in economic sanctions & geopolitical risk.
• Reputational risk in the age of instant media.

15:00-16:00 Panel Discussion: Cross-Border Payments and Money Movements: Emerging Risks, Regulatory Friction and Strategic Choices for Banks.

• Rapid payments, correspondent banking pressures, trade-related flows.
• Divergent AML, sanctions and data localisation requirements, information-sharing constraints and regulatory expectations.
• Strategic responses for bank CXOs in balancing speed, cost and controls.

16:00-16:30 Refreshments.

16:30-17:30 Presentation: Tone from the Top: Governance, Culture and Liability.

• Shifting expectations for CXOs and Boards.
• Personal liability and enforcement actions.
• Embedding compliance into growth strategy.

18:00-18:45 Cocktails and Fireside Chat with a Senior Regulator: The Regulator’s Mandate: Where Financial Crime Regulation is Headed.

• Transparency agenda.
• Real-time reporting and supervision.
• Cross-border cooperation and reciprocal enforcement.

18:45-Onwards Networking and Dinner.

 

DAY TWO: FRIDAY, 27 MARCH 2026

 

09:00-10:00 Presentation: Financial Inclusion vs Financial Crime: Redesigning Controls for Scale, Speed and Trust.

• Inclusion-driven risks: mass onboarding, digital KYC, agent models, and thin-file customers.
• Where traditional AML controls fail in high-volume, low-value ecosystems.
• Leadership choices: investing in smarter controls vs restricting access.

10:00-10:30 Presentation: From AML to FRAML: Managing Converging Risks in a Fraud-Led Crime Environment.

• Why fraud is now the primary entry point for money laundering.
• Mule networks, social engineering, and payment abuse as systemic threats.
• What regulators increasingly expect from integrated risk management.

10:30-11.00 Refreshments.

11:00-12:00 Presentation: Medium-Term Challenges: Talent, Data Sovereignty, Cost Pressures, Cross-Jurisdiction Risks.

• Scarcity of AML talent in Asia.
• Managing multi-country regulatory environments.
• Escalating compliance cost vs. customer experience.

12:00-13:00 Presentation: Artificial Intelligence in Banking and AML: What Is Real, and How to Extract Maximum Value.

• Use Cases for AI in Banking Today: Fraud detection, Customer screening, Predictive analytics, etc.
• How AI Actually Works (CxO level view.)
• Sustainable Value vs. AI Hype: Investment Priorities for the Next 1–3 Years.

13:00-14:00 Networking Lunch.

14:00-15:00 Valedictory Address: Designing a 3-Year Roadmap for Financial Crime Compliance Transformation.

• Identify strategic priorities.
• Capability, tech, and people roadmap.
• Strategic action plan for the Board.

 

(4) PARTICIPATION FEES

 

USD 1,750 per participant.

USD1,450 for ABA members (17% discount.)

Seats are limited.

 

(5) INCLUSIONS

 

Participants are expected to make their own arrangements for their travel and hotel stay for the duration of the programme. The programme starts at 12:00 noon on 26th March and ends at 15:00 on 27th March 2026.

Lunch, refreshments and dinner on 26th March and refreshments and lunch on 27th March (as mentioned in the agenda above) are included in the fees.

 

(6) CONTACT

 

For more information and registration, please click HERE and contact oliver@fintelekt.com

Tel/Viber/Whatsapp: +919823188864/+919370078917

 

 

About Fintelekt Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd.:

Fintelekt Advisory Services Pvt Ltd is one of the Knowledge Partners of the ABA. It is a specialist in training and advisory in AML and CFT within banking and financial services sectors. It systematically invests its time and effort in building the skill level of professionals working in the banking and financial sector by assimilating and dispensing industry-reviewed best practices and knowledge.