Top takeaways from Kaizen RegTalk 2026

Kaizen RegTalk 2026 saw more than 200 clients, regulators, industry bodies, market infrastructure providers and reporting specialists at Drapers’ Hall in London, with conversations covering FCA and ESMA reform, EMIR, divergence, data quality, AI, automation and the future of reporting operations. 

A key message throughout all the panels was that while firms are of course under huge pressure to get reporting right, the definition of ‘getting it right’ is becoming broader. Submitting reports is just the beginning. It is also about being able to evidence that the data is complete, accurate and properly controlled.

Here are our five takeaways from the event.

1. Data quality is still the big issue

We asked attendees what they saw as the biggest challenge in regulatory reporting and the answer was very clear: 70% said data quality and reconciliation. 

Obviously this isn’t a surprise to any of us working in this space.  We all know the reasons for poor data quality: fragmented systems, inconsistent data, reconciliation breaks, remediation backlogs and different interpretations of regulatory requirements. While none of this is new, it is still creating real operational pressure. 

Data quality matters even more now as regulators are becoming more sophisticated in how they use reported data. Regulators are looking across regimes and connecting datasets and firms need to be confident that their data is not just valid in one report, but consistent and explainable across the wider reporting environment.

70% said data quality and reconciliation were the biggest challenge 

2. Burden reduction does not mean deregulation

There was a lot of discussion at RegTalk about the FCA and ESMA’s work on simplification and reducing duplication across reporting regimes. Since then we have also seen the CFTC and SEC launch a consultation on the ‘design, scope and structure’ of swap & SBS data reporting.

But even changes designed to reduce the reporting burden can create a lot of additional work for reporting teams. This includes system updates, controls reviews, reconciliations, procedures, reporting logic, testing and governance, and so forth.

There is also an important point that came through in the discussions: if regimes become simpler, regulators will expect better data quality. 

Firms that prepare early will be in a much better position than those that wait for every detail to be finalised.

…if regimes become simpler, regulators will expect better data quality. 

3. Regulatory reporting is becoming a continuous control challenge

One of the strongest messages from the day was that regulatory reporting has moved beyond a point-in-time submission requirement. It is not only identifying an issue but understanding what matters, prioritising risk, managing remediation and evidencing progress. This changes the way firms need to think about reporting quality. 

A reporting issue is not just a reporting issue. For example, it may be a reference data problem, a weakness in controls or an interpretation issue (to name a few). 

As well as this, firms operating in the UK and EU are dealing with the challenge of divergence with different definitions, timelines, rules and schemas and so forth. This makes ownership, strong controls and people who understand the detail even more important.

4. AI will matter but trust and expertise matter more 

Not surprisingly the other big topic was AI. At RegTalk, attendees identified AI and automation as most likely to have a major impact on regulatory reporting over the next three to five years. 

There is clearly a huge opportunity for our industry. AI can help identify patterns and anomalies and make data easier to interrogate. 

But, as it was emphasised on the panel that focused on the future of regulatory reporting, AI is not a shortcut around poor data quality. If the underlying data is wrong or badly understood, AI is not the magic answer. It could make the problem harder to spot if the output looks convincing. 

Regulatory reporting is full of nuance – it requires judgement, product knowledge, regulatory understanding and operational experience. This makes human expertise critical.Technology can improve speed and scale but it cannot replace that expertise. 

As our CTO James Crow said, “the approach we are taking at Kaizen is not AI instead of people. It is better technology helping people make better decisions more quickly.”

Attendees identified AI and automation as most likely to have a major impact on regulatory reporting

5. The Kaizen Hub is evolving from findings to action

The latest Hub enhancements are designed to make Kaizen’s assurance outputs easier to use. We want to help clients move from static findings to clearer insight, workflow and action. 

At RegTalk, we were delighted to introduce our redesigned Hub experience which gives clients:

• better visibility of issue history and trends
• clearer distinction between new and known issues
• improved workflow and case management
• more transparent logic
• better suppression and resolution functionality
• enhanced dashboards and benchmarking. 

We are also developing Kaira, the Kaizen AI Regulatory Assistant, which will support the next stage of how clients interact with regulatory reporting insight. 

We see the market moving from reporting assurance as a set of outputs to reporting assurance as part of a broader control and governance process.

We are also developing Kaira, the Kaizen AI Regulatory Assistant

Final thoughts

One of the best things about this year’s RegTalk event was the level of engagement and collaboration in the room: regulators, firms, industry associations, ARMs and trade repositories and assurance specialists all discussing the same challenges from different perspectives.  

One thing we can be sure of is that the next few years will bring more change whether it’s regulatory reform or technological. 

But we need to remind ourselves that the fundamentals stay the same. Firms still need accurate data, strong governance and experienced people. The challenge is making sure these are in place, and able to keep pace.  

Firms still need accurate data, strong governance and experienced people.

For a conversation about your reporting quality or any of the topics raised above, please get in touch.