Key Takeaways
- • KPMG launched a 30-minute webinar series in February-March 2026 covering four critical asset management developments: AML/Single EU Rulebook compliance, operational resilience frameworks, digital transformation, and digital assets/tokenization.
- • EU Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing regulations agreed in 2024 will require financial service providers to comply by July 2027, with the establishment of AMLA (Anti-Money Laundering Authority) reshaping supervisory practices for asset managers, particularly in Ireland.
- • Operational resilience frameworks including DORA and CBI Guidance are maturing across Europe and the UK, with real-world events driving regulatory expectations that asset managers must embed into their operational strategies.
- • Digital transformation and digital assets including tokenization under the new FIDA regulation represent ongoing strategic imperatives for asset managers navigating 2026, with industry-wide implications for technology infrastructure and business models.
- • The webinar series, moderated by KPMG Director Conor Moroney, addressed themes aligning with broader 2026 asset management trends including AI, private markets growth, profitability optimization, and client retention across the $160+ trillion global asset management landscape.
Summary
KPMG released a webinar series during February and March 2026 designed to brief asset management professionals on four pivotal regulatory and operational developments shaping the sector. The initiative, moderated by Conor Moroney, Director in KPMG's Asset Management practice, consisted of four 30-minute sessions addressing legal/regulatory updates, resilience frameworks, digital transformation, and emerging digital assets—with recordings subsequently made available to industry participants.
The regulatory landscape is being fundamentally reshaped by the EU's 2024 agreement on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing reforms, which mandate compliance by July 2027. The webinar examined how the Single EU Rulebook will impact asset management operations and how the establishment of AMLA will alter supervisory practices in Ireland and across the EU. This represents one of the most significant regulatory overhauls for the sector, requiring asset managers to comprehensively redesign compliance infrastructure within 16 months of the KPMG series publication.
Operational resilience emerged as a second critical priority. KPMG explored how real-world events across Europe and the UK are driving regulatory expectations as DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) and the CBI Guidance on Operational Resilience frameworks mature and embed into industry practice. Asset managers are expected to strengthen resilience capabilities in response to evolving regulatory demands and demonstrated vulnerabilities in market conditions.
Digital transformation and digital assets received equivalent emphasis, with the series addressing both foundational digital transformation strategies and the evolving regulatory environment for tokenization under the new FIDA regulation. These developments reflect the broader 2026 asset management landscape, where technological innovation—particularly artificial intelligence and digital-native infrastructure—is reshaping competitive positioning, operational efficiency, and client service delivery across the global asset management industry.
The regulatory landscape is being fundamentally reshaped by the EU's 2024 agreement on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing reforms, which mandate compliance by July 2027. The webinar examined how the Single EU Rulebook will impact asset management operations and how the establishment of AMLA will alter supervisory practices in Ireland and across the EU. This represents one of the most significant regulatory overhauls for the sector, requiring asset managers to comprehensively redesign compliance infrastructure within 16 months of the KPMG series publication.
Operational resilience emerged as a second critical priority. KPMG explored how real-world events across Europe and the UK are driving regulatory expectations as DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) and the CBI Guidance on Operational Resilience frameworks mature and embed into industry practice. Asset managers are expected to strengthen resilience capabilities in response to evolving regulatory demands and demonstrated vulnerabilities in market conditions.
Digital transformation and digital assets received equivalent emphasis, with the series addressing both foundational digital transformation strategies and the evolving regulatory environment for tokenization under the new FIDA regulation. These developments reflect the broader 2026 asset management landscape, where technological innovation—particularly artificial intelligence and digital-native infrastructure—is reshaping competitive positioning, operational efficiency, and client service delivery across the global asset management industry.
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