About the Conference
Supervisory Expectations vs Operational Reality
Taking place on 22 October 2026 at Xara Lodge, this half-day conference brings together regulators, industry practitioners, and compliance leaders to explore recent local issues in anti-financial crime compliance.
The day opens with an address framing the overarching theme of “Supervisory Expectations vs Operational Reality” and setting the context for the panel discussions that follow. A fireside chat with the Registrar covers the latest MBR updates and regulatory expectations around new obligations.
The programme then features three expert panels:
- The Road to Remediation, examining what triggers remediation exercises, how to design and execute effective remediation plans, look-back exercises, and communicating with regulators during remediation.
- The Fraud Frontier: Evolving Threats, Evasion Tactics, and Supervisory Expectations, covering the evolving fraud landscape, the gap between supervisory expectations and operational reality in fraud detection, and the intersection of fraud, money laundering, and sanctions evasion.
- From Exposure to Action: Sanctions Risk, Monitoring, and Compliance in Practice, addressing the current sanctions landscape, monitoring in practice, the link between sanctions evasion and fraud, screening best practices, and lessons from enforcement actions.
The conference concludes with closing remarks followed by networking drinks.
Agenda
08:45 - 09:15
Registration of Participants
09:15 - 09:30
Welcome Address
Speaker – Kirsten Debono Huskinson, Camilleri Preziosi
09:30 - 10:00
Fireside Chat - The Registrar’s Perspective: MBR Updates and What They Mean for You
The Registrar of the Malta Business Registry (MBR) will offer a candid, frontline perspective on the state of beneficial ownership compliance in Malta, where the gaps are, what the Registry is seeing in practice, and what is expected of practitioners going forward. The discussion will cover the most recent MBR updates and their operational implications, the standard of compliance the Registry considers adequate, and a forward look at how the anticipated interconnection of national beneficial ownership registers across the EU will reshape the compliance landscape for Maltese entities.
Speakers – Geraldine Spiteri Lucas, Malta Business Registry; Nicola Jaccarini, Camilleri Preziosi
10:00 - 10:45
Panel - The Road to Remediation
Remediation exercises have become a defining feature of the current supervisory landscape, yet the gap between regulatory expectations and operational reality remains a source of significant strain. This panel brings together practitioners with direct experience of designing and overseeing remediation programmes, and includes a representative from the FIAU, who will offer the regulator's perspective on what adequate remediation looks like in practice. Drawing on experience from across the compliance and regulatory spheres, panellists will offer frank insight into what works, what does not, and what supervisors are looking for when assessing a remediation effort.
Panelists – Ian Bugeja, FIAU; Claudia Callus, BNF Bank; Francesca Sammut Cutajar, Camilleri Preziosi; Ariane Azzopardi
Moderator – Diane Bugeja, Camilleri Preziosi
10:45 - 11:00
Coffee Break
11:00 - 11:45
Panel - The Fraud Frontier: Evolving Threats, Evasion Tactics, and Supervisory Expectations
Fraud typologies are evolving faster than the controls built to catch them, and financial institutions are under growing pressure to keep pace within their broader anti-financial crime frameworks. This panel brings together perspectives from banking, litigation, and financial services dispute resolution to examine how fraud and evasion tactics are shifting, and what that means in practice for detection, prevention, and the wider fight against financial crime. Panellists will discuss the widening gap between what regulators expect and what institutions can realistically deliver on the ground, drawing on real enforcement, supervisory, litigation, and complaint-handling experience. Expect a frank exchange on where current AFC defences are falling short, and where the industry needs to focus next.
Panelists – Ryan Caruana, Bank of Valletta; Timothy Zammit, HSBC; Geoffrey Bezzina, Office of the Arbiter for Financial Services; Francesca Galea Cavallazzi, Camilleri Preziosi
Moderator – Kristina Rapa Manchè, Camilleri Preziosi
11:45 - 12:30
Panel - From Exposure to Action: Sanctions Risk, Monitoring, and Compliance in Practice
Against a backdrop of rapidly expanding sanctions regimes and heightened supervisory scrutiny, subject persons are under increasing pressure to demonstrate robust screening and monitoring frameworks that keep pace with an ever-shifting landscape. This panel brings together specialists from the Sanctions Monitoring Board alongside practitioners to examine the gap between sanctions obligations and operational capacity. The discussion will cover the current sanctions landscape, best practices and common pitfalls in sanctions screening, and the intersection of sanctions evasion with fraud risk.
Panelists – Gabrielle Caligari Conti, Sanctions Monitoring Board; Tom Fitzpatrick, AFC Specialist Revolut Bank; Jeanette Gatt, Diligex
Moderator – Kirsten Debono Huskinson, Camilleri Preziosi
12:30 - 12:45
Closing Remarks
Speaker – Kirsten Debono Huskinson, Camilleri Preziosi
12:45
Networking Reception