Risk & Regulation Rundown

In this first episode of our second series, we discuss the environmental, social and governance agenda (better known as ESG). New regular host Andrew Strange is joined by Elizabeth Stone, PwC’s Asset and Wealth Management Leader, and Emma Cox, PwC’s Head of Purpose and Sustainability & Climate Change Leader. We discuss the drivers that are prompting firms to focus on ESG issues, from regulation to public attitudes and investor demands. We also talk about the impact of COVID-19, how firms are increasingly focusing on their organisational purpose, and what the future holds.Please contact Andrew, Emma or Elizabeth if you’d like to discuss any of the topics covered, at Andrew.p.strange@pwc.com, emma.cox@pwc.com and elizabeth.j.stone@pwc.com .

This month we’re bringing you something a little bit different – a bonus episode from PwC’s COVID-19: Business in Focus podcast series, featuring Katie Fisher, Director of Strategy at the FCA. Katie joins series host Rowena Morris and PwC’s Financial Services Leader Andrew Kail to talk about the FCA’s priorities in its recent business plan, how these are being impacted by COVID-19, and what firms need to focus on in the current situation and beyond.

In this episode, we discuss the regulation of payments. Regular host Sarah Isted is joined by Christina Segal-Knowles, Executive Director for Financial Markets Infrastructure at the Bank of England, and Jon Maskery, a PwC Partner who leads our payments team. We talk about the rapid pace of innovation in the sector and how regulation can keep up, what future market developments such as the use of stablecoins might mean for firms and regulators, and how payment firms are dealing with the current period of disruption. Please contact Sarah or Jon if you’d like to discuss any of the topics covered, at sarah.t.isted@pwc.com and jon.maskery@pwc.com.

In this episode, we discuss how firms respond and adapt to change. Regular host Sarah Isted is joined by Carol Stubbings, PwC’s Global Head of People and Organisation, and Jass Sarai, PwC’s Leader of Industry for Technology, Media and Telecommunications, to talk about the skills and technologies financial services firms need to be fit for the future, as well as what they can learn from the period of disruption we’re currently experiencing.Please contact Sarah via email at sarah.t.isted@pwc.com if you have any questions, and you can find more information on responding to the business impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) at https://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/crisis-and-resilience/covid-19.html. 

In this episode, we discuss two areas of current regulatory focus: the Fifth Money Laundering Directive, and prudential reporting. Host Sarah Isted and guests Chris Cowin and Nigel Willis consider what the Directive means for firms, and discuss the PRA’s concerns over regulatory returns and what firms need to do to address them. 

How are artificial intelligence and machine learning transforming the way financial services firms do business, and how can firms ensure they’re meeting regulatory expectations? What might the compliance function of the future look like? Host Sarah Isted and PwC guests Leigh Bates and George Povall discuss these questions and many more, as we look at how the industry is set to evolve in the coming years.

Host Sarah Isted is joined by PwC guests Sarah Nield and Conor MacManus. We discuss how firms should navigate regulatory expectations around how they treat vulnerable customers, as well as looking ahead to what’s on the regulatory agenda for 2020 and beyond. If you’d like to discuss any of the issues raised in this episode with our speakers, please send an email to sarah.t.isted@pwc.com, sarah.nield@pwc.com or conor.macmanus@pwc.com.

Financial services expert Stella Nunn and risk management specialist Jon Williams discuss operational resilience, impact tolerances, challenges of outsourcing, climate change regulations, and the implications of ESG factors in asset management.

Host Sarah Isted is joined by PwC guests Nassim Daneshzadeh and Arthur Hughes-Hallett. We discuss how firms are navigating the challenges relating to LIBOR transition, and how firms can maximise the opportunities arising from industry disruption more broadly. You can follow Sarah and Nassim on Twitter: @SarahIsted1 and @NassimDaneshza1