5th Conference on Financial Law and Regulation

The 5th Conference on Financial Law and Regulation will be held on 24-25 June 2026, in person, at the University of Leeds School of Law, hosted by the Centre for Business Law and Practice (CBLP).

As the latest instalment in a well-established conference series previously hosted by leading UK institutions, including University College London, the London School of Economics, Durham Law School, and City St George’s, University of London, the event will bring together academics, regulators, policymakers, practitioners, and postgraduate researchers to discuss pressing issues in financial law and regulation.
 
Supported by the Banking and Financial Services Law Section of the Society of Legal Scholars and the University of Leeds School of Law Impact Fund, the conference will provide an interdisciplinary forum for examining contemporary regulatory challenges and emerging developments across financial markets. The programme reflects many of the themes identified in the conference call for papers, including financial regulation and stability, financial technology (FinTech), anti-money laundering, sustainable finance, corporate finance, financial services litigation, and the regulation of digital assets.
 
The first day will focus on the evolving landscape of financial regulation. Speakers from leading universities and institutions will explore topics such as regulatory policy, banking crisis management, pension fund regulation, open banking, financial stability, sovereign debt governance, and the role of private markets and digital assets. Discussions will address emerging regulatory challenges arising from artificial intelligence, deepfake-enabled financial fraud, and securitisation. The day will conclude with a keynote address by David Chaplin, Head of Legal, Enforcement and Litigation at the Bank of England, on developments in regulatory investigations and enforcement.
 
The second day will open with a keynote presentation by Sebastian Ricketts of the Financial Conduct Authority, focusing on the FCA’s FinTech-related regulatory activities. Subsequent panels will examine the legal and policy implications of central bank digital currencies, including the digital euro, digital pound, and China’s e-CNY. Additional sessions will address developments in financial services litigation, leveraged lending, private credit markets, credit unions, and the challenges posed by AI-driven financial services, legal services, and supervisory technologies.
 
By bringing together a distinguished international group of scholars and practitioners, the conference is expected to generate valuable insights into the future direction of financial law and regulation in the United Kingdom and beyond, and foster dialogue on the regulatory responses required for an increasingly complex and technology-driven financial sector.

Registration

Please register in advance via this form by Monday, 8 June 2026, 12 pm (noon) (BST).

Conference Programme 

Please note the entire conference programme operates under the Chatham House Rule. 

DAY 1: Wednesday, 24 June 2026, Moot Court (Room 1.28, 1st floor), Liberty Building, LS3 1DB

10:30-11:00: Registration and Coffee 
11:00-12:30: Panel 1: Financial Regulation – The Big Picture [Chair: Virág Blazsek, University of Leeds] 

1. Eilís Ferran (Cambridge University): ‘Regulating for growth in an era of rising economic nationalism: experimentation and the public interest’ 

2. Dalvinder Singh (University of Warwick): ‘Endogenous and Exogenous Crises, and the Complex Adaptive Polycrisis State – Rethinking Bank Crisis Management Frameworks Beyond the Existing Paradigm?’ 

3. Federico Riganti (University of Turin, Collegio Carlo Alberto, Turin, Italy & European Banking Institute, Frankfurt, Germany): ‘From the ‘Prudent Person Rule’ to the ‘Prudent Person Principle’: Unlocking Pension Capital for the SIU’ 

4. Pamela Nika (Brunel University): The Changing Legal Framework for Open Banking in the European Union Landscape: Evolution or Revolution? 

12:30-13:30: Lunch break 
13:30-15:00: Panel 2: Financial Regulation – Financial Stability [Chair: Myrte Thijssen (UNIDROIT, Rome & CBLP Advisory Board member)] 

1. David Ramos Muñoz (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain) & Leopoldo Pérez Obregón (Florence School of Banking and Finance, Italy): ‘Resolution planning and MREL calibration: a prospective exercise under uncertainty, and its legal implications’ 

2. Winifred Tarinyeba Kiryabwire (Makerere University, Uganda, CBLP Advisory Board member): ‘Beyond Stability: Regulatory Pathways for Sustainable and Resilient Banking Systems in Africa’ 

3. Rosa María Lastra (QMUL) & Daniele D’Alvia (QMUL): ‘The Shadow of Banking? Private Markets and the Future of Financial Stability’ 

4. Jared Ellias (Harvard University) & Narine Lalafaryan (University of Cambridge): ‘The Global Law of Debt’ 

15:00-15:15: Coffee break 
15:15-16:45: Panel 3: Financial Regulation – New Trends [Chair: Andrew Campbell, University of Leeds] 

1. Andrew Haynes (University of Wolverhampton & BPP University): ‘Securitisation, new regulations, new future?’ 

2. Alessio Azzutti (University of Glasgow): ‘AI governance after MiFID II: beyond (mere) technological neutrality?’ 

3. Alison Lui (Liverpool John Moores University) & Andrea Miglionico (University of Reading): ‘Senior Manager Accountability in Deepfake Financial Scams’ 

4. Ci Ren (University of Leeds): ‘Regulating Real-World Asset Tokenisation: Financial Stability, Legal Structure, and Cross-Border Design in Asian Markets’ 

16:45-17:00: Coffee break 
17:00-17:45: Day 1 Keynote by David Chaplin (Head of Legal, Enforcement and Litigation, Bank of England) [Chair: Federico Lupo-Pasini]: ‘A Sea Change: how a new approach to Bank of England and PRA regulatory investigations and enforcement is emerging’  
17:45-18:15: Closing Remarks & Drinks Reception 
19:00-21:00: Speakers’ Dinner (Olive Tree Brasserie Leeds, 8 S Parade, Leeds LS1 5QX) 

DAY 2: Thursday, 25 June 2026, Lecture Hall LG.06 (Lower Ground Floor), Liberty Building, LS3 1DB
9:30-10:00: Breakfast & Coffee 
10:00-10:45: Day 2 Keynote by Sebastian Ricketts (FCA, Senior Manager, Innovation) [Chair: Virág Blazsek]: ‘The FCA’s FinTech-related regulatory activities’  
10:45-12:15: Panel 1: FinTech – Central Bank Digital Currencies [Chair: Clara Martins Pereira, Durham Law School] 

1. Daniel Raya-Quero (University of Granada, Spain): ‘CBDCs as a Vector for Control: The Digital Euro and the Extraterritorial Reach of the New EU AML Authority’ 

2. Flora Huang (University of Derby) & Nanjwan Yale Damap (Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge): ‘Legislating the Digital Pound: A Currency Without a Category’ 

3. Francisco José Ciancetta (University of Southampton): ‘The Wholesale Central Bank Digital Euro: Central Bank Reserves or Something Else? A Functional Approach’ 

4. Hang Chen (PGR, University of Bristol Law School): ‘Implications of China’s central bank digital currency (e-CNY) and its associated liquidity risks’ 

12:15-13:15: Lunch break 
13:15-14:45: Panel 2: Financial Services Litigation [Chair: Federico Lupo-Pasini, Durham Law School] 

1. Ossie Fikret (Enforcement and Litigation Division (ELD), Legal Directorate, Bank of England): ‘Trends and developments in regulatory litigation’ 

2. Sandra Booysen (National University of Singapore) 

3. Charlotte Eborall (3VB Chambers) 

4. Teniola Onabanjo (3VB Chambers) 

14:45-15:00: Coffee break 
15:00-16:30: Panel 3: Debt Finance, Lending & Credit [Chair: Karina Patrício Ferreira Lima, University of Leeds] 

1. Trevor Clark (King’s College London): ‘Restoring Discipline in Leveraged Lending: The Case for Arranger Skin in the Game’ 

2. Emily E. Roach (Durham Law School): ‘Repackaged Risk: Unboxing the Structured Layers of Private Credit’ 

3. Andrea Fejős (University of Essex): ‘Balancing financial inclusion and responsible lending: the role of the British credit union sector in lending to the financially vulnerable’ 

4. Maryna Utkina (Edge Hill University (UK) and Sumy State University (Ukraine)): ‘Financial Intelligence and Virtual Assets: Regulatory Challenges and Best Practices for Effective AML Enforcement’ 

16:30-16:45: Coffee break 
16:45-17:45: Panel 4: Financial Regulation, Supervision & Technology [Chair: Ilias Kapsis, City Law School] 

1. Anat Keller (King’s College London) & Andreas Kokkinis (University of Birmingham): ‘Substantive deregulation or administrative simplification in financial regulation’ 

2. Pedro M. Batista (University of Leeds): ‘Bounded Supervisors: Coordination Costs in Bank Supervision’ 

3. Siyu Dong (PGR, University of Warwick): ‘Regulating AI-Driven Asset Management Through Insurance: Financial Stability, Risk Governance, and Systemic Limits’ 

4. Igor Szpotakowski (University of Leeds): ‘Comparative Perspective on Intellectual Property Rights Management in FinTech industry’ 

17:45-18:00: Closing Remarks & Refreshments

If you have any questions or require further information, please contact the event organiser: Dr Virag Blazsek: V.I.Blazsek@leeds.ac.uk.