We’ll be joined by Dr Umut Turksen, Professor of Law at the University of Exeter, to discuss the rapidly expanding role of artificial intelligence (AI) across financial services and illicit-finance enforcement, exploring both its transformative potential and the regulatory, ethical, and operational challenges it introduces.

A business-facing legal scholar, Dr Turksen specialises in the practical application of law in risk, compliance, and development. He has advised international businesses and government projects on societal security, countering financial crime and terrorist financing, and AI governance, and has led major EU-funded initiatives such as PROTAX and TRACE, which develop technology-driven solutions – including AI – for investigating illicit money flows.

The session will examine how AI is increasingly embedded in core financial functions – from lending and investment advice to fraud detection, sanctions screening, and regulatory compliance – while also addressing key risks around data quality, privacy, bias, explainability, and accountability under frameworks such as MiFID II, AML regulations, and GDPR.

We will also explore AI’s growing role in tackling illicit finance, including its use in analysing suspicious transactions, mapping criminal networks, and detecting cross-border financial flows. Drawing on comparative data and real-world case studies, the discussion will highlight the need for robust oversight, human-in-the-loop governance, and coordinated regulatory approaches.

Overall, the conversation will consider how AI can strengthen financial integrity and enforcement efforts, while emphasising the importance of responsible deployment, transparency, and sustained investment in data, skills, and cross-sector collaboration.