Conference
Australian Regulatory Summit 2026
Presented by Thomson Reuters Events ANZ in collaboration with Asian Legal Business
Thursday 20 August 2026 | Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
Regulation under pressure: enforcement, accountability and the new risk frontiere
In 2026, regulators are not retreating. They are intensifying.
ASIC has doubled its enforcement operations. APRA's accountability frameworks now carry personal liability. AUSTRAC has moved from education to enforcement. And the obligations bearing down on compliance, legal and risk functions, across AI, cyber, climate reporting, financial crime and workforce compliance are expanding faster than governance frameworks can keep pace.
The Australian Regulatory Summit 2026 is built for the leaders navigating this environment: General Counsel, Chief Risk Officers, Chief Compliance Officers, Board Directors, senior executives and the financial crime, privacy and governance practitioners who carry the weight of regulatory accountability every day.
This is not a compliance update. It is a senior-level examination of where enforcement is heading, what regulators now assume your organisation can already do, and what will no longer be tolerated by 2027.
Date
Thursday 20 August 2026
Time
8 am - 6 pm
Location
Four Seasons Hotel Sydney
Super Early Bird pricing**
$449 excl. GST
Early Bird pricing*
$499 excl. GST
Standard pricing
$549 excl. GST
Service Providers/ Consultants
$1,399 excl. GST
*Early bird pricing ends 16 July 2026
**Super early bird limited to 50 people
Earns up to 5 CPD points
Why this year matters
Hear directly from top regulators and industry experts
Gain practical strategies for compliance, governance, and risk
Stay ahead of regulatory reform and digital disruption
Earn CPD credits with expert-led, non-promotional content
Network with over 300 legal, GRC & executive leaders
Who should attend
Audit, risk and compliance professionals
Legal and regulatory affairs teams
Financial services and governance executives
Cybersecurity and digital innovation specialists
Board directors and executive leadership
Policy and public sector regulators
What past attendees and sponsors say
“Congratulations to you and the team for a very well-run event. There was a great energy in the room and a great line up of content.”
Alexandra Tighe
Partner, Clayton Utz
“All the panels were extremely thought provoking - it was a privilege to participate in such an excellent program and line up. Would be keen to support next year!”
Alysia Abeyrante
Senior Manager, Digital Policy, National Australia Bank
“We were thrilled to sponsor the Australian Regulatory Summit. This event provided an invaluable platform to connect with key stakeholders and industry experts.”
GRC Solutions
What will be covered in the one‐day intensive program
Where director and executive liability sits now, including when governance documentation protects decision-makers and when it becomes evidence against them
What regulators are doing with your culture data, and how conduct evidence is being used in enforcement
What AI governance looks like in practice, not in policy, and where regulators are already intervening
How operational resilience is assessed after an incident, and what "demonstrable uplift" actually requires
What the first cycle of mandatory climate reporting has revealed, and where enforcement scrutiny will focus next
How Tranche 2 AML/CTF obligations are landing in practice, and who is struggling and why
What the Scams Prevention Framework, sanctions regime and VASP licensing changes mean for compliance functions now
What regulators will no longer tolerate by 2027, what organisations are getting wrong and what must change
Speakers
Professor James Curran
University of Sydney, AFR
Brendan Thomas
Chief Executive Officer, AUSTRAC
Krzysztof Lyson
Global Head of Compliance, Humm Group
Gavin Coles
Global Sanctions Officer, OFX
Hugh Watson
Assistant Secretary, Australian Sanctions Office
Anneliese Cooper
Lawyer, Human Rights Law Centre
Professor Vivienne Brand
Professor of Corporate Law, Flinders University, Non-Executive Director
Luke Irwin
Principal Consultant & Chief Executive Officer, Aegis Cybersecurity
Andrew Hottes
Author, Classroom at the Crossroads ISO 27001 & 42001 Lead Auditor
Jamal Waqar
Head of Research, Experience, Data and Analytics, Standards Australia
Marcus Zeltzer
Founder, Yellow Canary
Kara Nicholls
Founder & Managing Director, Impact Governance
Sunita Bose
Managing Director, Digital Industry Group Inc.
Izabel Greco
General Manager - Prudential, Risk Strategy & Compliance, TAL Australia
Charlotte Davidson
Interim Chief Executive Officer, IDCARE Group
Jason Masters
Non Executive Director, Audit, Risk, and Governance leader
Jack Morgan
Head of Policy, FinTech Australia
Ramanathan Karuppiah
Financial Crime Compliance Specialist & Certified Auditor
Katie Miller
Deputy Chief Executive Officer Regulation, AUSTRAC
Emma Rosenzweig
Deputy Commissioner, Payday Super Program, Australian Taxation Office
Event agenda
Please note: Agenda subject to change
Registration [ Opens at 8 am ]
8:45 am - 8:50 am
Opening Remarks by the MC
8:50 am - 8:55 am
Welcome from Thomson Reuters
8:55 am - 9:25 am
Geopolitics, trade and the new regulatory perimeter
9:25 am - 10:10 am
Tranche 2 one year in — who's struggling and why
10:10 am - 10:45 am
Sanctions in a geopolitically unstable world
Morning tea and networking [ 40 mins ]
Stage 1
11:25 am - 12 pm
Whistleblower protections in practice: What investigations now reveal
12 pm - 12:35 pm
Mandatory Climate Reporting: Insights from the First Cycle
12:35 am - 1:05 pm
Compliance drift: Governing payroll risk with control and accountability
Stage 2
11:25 am - 12 pm
Cyber risk quantification: Bringing financial discipline to regulatory cyber governance
12 pm - 12:35 pm
Governing AI without a rulebook: What does compliance mean now?
12:35 pm - 1:05 pm
Scams prevention framework — one year in
Lunch [ 60 mins ]
Stage 1
2:05 pm - 2:40 pm
Operational resilience: From disruption to regulatory recovery
2:40 pm - 3:10 pm
Director liability in 2026: Where the lines are now
Stage 2
2:05 pm - 2:40 pm
Deepfakes, synthetic identity & the new fraud frontier
2:40 pm - 3:10 pm
Payments licensing and the new VASP regime: What compliance functions need to build now
Afternoon tea and networking [ 40 mins ]
3:50 pm - 4:20 pm
Privacy Act reforms: What changed, what's live and what's coming next
4:20 pm - 5:15 pm
What regulators will no longer tolerate by 2027
5:15 pm - 5:20 pm
MC close & prize draw
Networking beverages and canapes [ Until 6 pm ]
Sponsors
Silver Partner
Yellow Canary is the leading provider of an automated, AI-powered compliance audit platform. Built for Australian employers and their partners, it detects, quantifies, and diagnoses compliance risk across pay, Modern Awards, enterprise agreements, superannuation, and long service leave.
Through historical and ongoing audits, Yellow Canary helps organisations reduce human error, strengthen governance, and prevent costly compliance breaches before they escalate
Exhibitors
GRC Solutions is the leading provider of award-winning compliance eLearning to the banking and financial services industry. Throughout Australia clients rely on our expert, industry-relevant training and technology solutions, including Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Anti-Bribery and Corruption (AB&C), Modern Slavery, Privacy, ESG, and Workplace Behaviours and essential soft skills. We pride ourselves on delivering exceptional service and effective, customisable training that protects and empowers organisations throughout the Asia Pacific.
MCO provides compliance management software that helps organisations reduce risk and manage regulatory obligations. Its platform automates key compliance functions in one system, giving firms clear oversight of employee, transaction, third‑party and obligations‑related activity. Offered as a unified suite or à la carte, MCO’s four products streamline workflows, standardise processes and support proactive compliance.
Nexiant provides Fraud Prevention and Risk Management solutions for regulated and risk-aware organisations globally. Its solutions support customer and business onboarding, identity verification, transaction monitoring and payment fraud prevention, helping teams identify risk earlier, strengthen controls and make more confident decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Yes — the Australian Regulatory Summit 2026 offers CPD credits. The day is delivered through expert-led, non-promotional content designed to meet the standards required for formal CPD recognition.
The summit is designed for senior professionals — General Counsel, Chief Risk Officers, Chief Compliance Officers, Board Directors and financial crime, privacy and governance practitioners. With 300+ attendees expected, it's also a significant networking opportunity.
Absolutely — and we'd encourage it. With three streams running simultaneously, sending representatives across different functions means your organisation gets full coverage of the day's content. For group ticketing enquiries, and special pricing contact eventsanz@thomsonreuters.com.
We're always looking for senior practitioners and subject matter experts to contribute to the programme. If you'd like to be considered as a speaker, please reach out to Katie at katie.ardzejewski@thomsonreuters.com and we'll be in touch.
2025 Past Event Overview
Past event highlights
Previous sponsors
Principal Partner
Platinum Partners
Sapphire Partners
Gold Partners
Silver Partner
Built for the leaders navigating regulatory accountability in 2026. Register now and stay ahead of what's coming.
Contact us
Attendee inquiries: eventsanz@thomsonreuters.com
Sponsorship enquiries: david.lewis3@thomsonreuters.com
Speaking opportunities: katie.ardzejewski@thomsonreuters.com