Enforcement Trends in the UAE: What Financial Institutions Need to Know in 2026
Description
As the UAE’s regulatory landscape continues to evolve, enforcement activity across the DIFC, ADGM and onshore jurisdictions is becoming more coordinated, data-driven and outcomes-focused. Financial institutions face heightened scrutiny in areas including AML/CFT compliance, sanctions controls, governance and senior management accountability. With regulators demonstrating a greater willingness to impose significant penalties and pursue individuals, firms must ensure their frameworks are robust, well-documented and aligned with regulatory expectations. This session will explore key enforcement trends emerging in 2026 and provide practical insights to help financial institutions anticipate risk, strengthen compliance controls and respond effectively to regulatory investigations and supervisory engagement.
This webinar provides one-hour of CPD and offers insights and updates from a leading industry-expert speaker.
Delegates places are interchangeable with colleagues from the same organisation.
Content
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Recent enforcement actions and themes across DIFC, ADGM and onshore UAE
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AML/CFT, sanctions and financial crime focus areas
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Senior management liability and governance expectations
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Regulatory cooperation and cross-border information sharing
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Practical steps to mitigate enforcement risk and prepare for investigations
Presenter
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Karl Masi Counsel at Norton Rose Fulbright (Middle East) LLP |
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Karl Masi is a financial services and regulatory lawyer based in Dubai. Karl specialises in advisory and contentious financial services regulation and corporate investigations. He advises clients on all aspects of financial services regulation, including mis-selling, market abuse, anti-money laundering and financial crime. He is particularly experienced in providing advice on managing regulatory relationships and complex enforcement actions. For over a decade, Karl has been advising individuals, corporates, and financial institutions on internal investigations covering allegations of fraud, money laundering and bribery, and defending enforcement investigations brought by agencies from UAE, the United Kingdom, the United States, Jersey and India. He was previously seconded to the Enforcement Division of the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, and for twelve months advised the Global Investigations team of an international investment bank in London. Karl previously practised for seven years as a barrister in London where he specialised in financial crime and financial services regulation, with experience in LIBOR and FX-related investigations. Karl is recognised by the Legal 500 for Dispute Resolution: Compliance and Investigations, which states that “Karl Masi is widely praised for his 'understanding of the complex legal and factual issues in cases' and his 'technical skills’.” |