Navigating the changing AML regulatory environment in the UK

The UK’s AML landscape has entered a decisive new phase.

In 2025, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) shifted its focus, from checking whether firms have AML controls to testing whether those controls work in practice.

The results were clear: 35 fines worth more than £565,000 for failures in firm-wide risk assessments, AML procedures and client-matter risk assessments. Updated LSAG guidance, a cross-government sanctions review and the July 2025 Sectoral Risk Assessment have tightened expectations and reaffirmed the legal sector’s high-risk status.

We’ve worked with leading compliance experts, including Amy Bell of Teal Compliance, to distil the latest regulatory changes into a practical guide that shows what “good” looks like in 2025.

Inside this guide:

• The key enforcement trends and what recent SRA actions reveal
• How to link national, sectoral and firm-wide risk assessments to file-level decisions
• What effective FWRAs, PCPs and CMRAs look like under the SRA’s new approach
• How to evidence compliance with defensible audit trails and documented rationale
• Actionable frameworks for onboarding, monitoring and SAR reporting that stand up to inspection
• What the regulators expect from your next AML inspection, and how to prove you’re ready

Download the whitepaper today and see how leading firms are closing the gap between policy and practice in the UK.