Deloitte Australia’s Financial Crime Symposium 2026 brought together leaders from AUSTRAC, government, financial institutions and Deloitte to discuss the changing financial crime landscape and the practical steps needed to improve prevention, detection and disruption.
The half-day symposium examined Australia’s AML/CTF reforms, the future of information sharing, global developments, the convergence of scams and fraud with AML, and the responsible use of AI.
2027 Financial Crime Symposium
Help shape Australia's collective response to financial crime
Perspectives from regulators, industry and advisers on the road ahead
Perspectives from AUSTRAC
Brendan Thomas, CEO of AUSTRAC, discussed the importance of moving beyond a checklist approach. Effective controls should reflect an organisation’s risks, adapt as criminal methodologies change and make it harder for criminals to access and move through the financial system.
Post-reforms environment: lessons from implementation
The panel looked at how reporting entities are moving from interpreting the reforms to putting them into practice. AUSTRAC was clear that documentation alone is not enough, with organisations expected to show active progress and senior executives meaningfully engaged. Panellists from Westpac and Judo Bank shared how implementation challenges differ by size, and agreed on the importance of keeping the enterprise risk assessment live, prioritising by risk, and treating reform as a sustained capability shift rather than a project with a finish line.
From information exchange to disruption
The session explored how Australia can build a sustainable national information-sharing capability. Panellists considered the role of public-private and private-private collaboration in improving decisions, identifying threats earlier and supporting preventative action.
Global reform trends
Chris Bostock, Financial Crime Partner at Deloitte UK, shared five global shifts shaping financial crime reform: stronger foundations, greater focus on effectiveness, collaboration as business as usual, convergence across financial crime disciplines, and better use of data, technology, people and incentives.
Scams, fraud and AML convergence
The scams panel examined the evolving threat landscape, including crime-as-a-service, criminal use of AI and information asymmetry. The discussion highlighted the need for connected teams, risk-based prevention, customer education and stronger cross-sector collaboration.
AI in action
The closing panel explored how organisations are applying AI across productivity, operational workflows and products and services. The discussion reinforced the importance of clear use cases, reliable data, measurable outcomes, human oversight and governance that supports responsible adoption.
Featured speakers
Brendan Thomas, CEO, AUSTRAC
Melissa Noonan, Financial Crime and Fraud Divisional Head, Westpac
Dr Rochelle Hurst, National Manager, Education and Industry Engagement, AUSTRAC
Rhett Chesser, Head of Financial Crime Operations, Judo Bank
David Pegley, Managing Director, AFCX
Sarah Mack, Director, Economic Crime Team, Home Affairs
Mark Dickson, Executive Manager, Financial Crime Intelligence, Westpac
Chris Bostock, Financial Crime Partner, Deloitte UK
Stephen Parker-Kempe, Bank of Queensland
James Roberts, Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Rajat Saigal, Risk and Regulatory Partner, Deloitte Australia
Anuj Solanki, Macquarie
Monica Li, Wise
Continue the conversation
The symposium reinforced that financial crime is a shared challenge. Stronger outcomes will depend on connected operating models, actionable intelligence and sustained collaboration across the ecosystem.
Ben is Partner in the forensic and financial crime division of Deloitte’s Risk, Regulatory & Forensic practice. He specialises in financial crime compliance advisory and investigations, including fraud, AML/CTF, sanctions, bribery & corruption. Ben is an avid financial crime problem solver, with extensive experience across different industries including. He has led financial crime teams for organisations across Australia and the UK. Since moving from industry to Deloitte as a Manager in 2016, Ben’s key initiatives and engagements have included the development, management & coordination of prevention, detection and response functions in respect of financial crime compliance obligations, financial crime advisory support and performing independent reviews and assurance for clients across various financial crime disciplines
Caroline is an APAC partner lead for Financial Crime Operate, with a primary focus on the FSI sector. She has successfully delivered multi-year Australian FC Operate engagements since 2019. She has also delivered financial crime advisory projects in the banking industry, supporting clients in uplifting their capability and regulatory response across people, process, technology and data. She has specialised gaming and gambling sector experience having led a large independent review of a client following regulatory scrutiny. Previously, she was a part of Consulting, and her experience included delivering transformation projects for clients such as ANZ, Intrepid Travel, Downer Spotless, John Holland and Transurban. She has extensive industry experience in banking, FMCG, and oil and gas.
He helps organisations move from compliance-driven approaches to intelligence-led programmes that strengthen financial crime capability, disrupt crime, improve customer experience and support business goals through data, AI and technology. Manmohan leads Deloitte’s financial crime technology alliances, working with providers to accelerate adoption of AI, advanced analytics and emerging technologies through robust governance. He works with regulators, law enforcement, financial intelligence units and industry bodies to strengthen capability and information-sharing. He holds CAMS certification and is a former Board Member of the ACAMS Australasia Chapter.
