Resources/audits inspections/Regulators & Supervision

AML regulators and supervision in the UK

A practical route through AML supervision for firms that need to understand who regulates them, what checks matter, and how to keep evidence ready.

How UK AML supervision works

Supervisors test whether a firm's controls exist, match what the firm actually does, and are evidenced. HMRC, the FCA, professional bodies, and the Gambling Commission each supervise defined sectors, with OPBAS overseeing consistency across the professional-body supervisors.

What findings usually concern

Gaps in evidence rather than absent controls. Firms are commonly doing reasonable work without recording the reasoning, which leaves nothing for a reviewer to assess and nothing for the firm to rely on if a decision is later questioned.