The UK’s financial and related professional services industry is at a critical juncture. With global competition intensifying and technology reshaping markets, standing still is no longer an option. In this episode, host Tessa Norman is joined by Miles Celic OBE, Chief Executive of TheCityUK, and Darren Ketteringham, PwC UK’s Financial Services Leader, to discuss insights from a new PwC and TheCityUK report on the future of the industry.

The conversation explores why bolder ambition, faster delivery and more decisive reform are essential to secure the UK’s leadership as a global financial centre for the next decade. Our guests unpack the report’s five imperatives for action – from leading at the frontier of financial technology, to building a nation of investors.

We also discuss the scale of the opportunity, with PwC modelling showing that acting decisively could unlock over £50bn in additional annual economic output by 2035.

Explore the full report here.

With the PRA’s PS20/24 rules requiring UK insurers to complete their first Solvent Exit Analysis by June 2026, this episode breaks down what solvent exit planning means in practice. Guest host and PwC Director Pete Thomas speaks with Directors Sarah Watson and James Cameron, and PwC’s Global Insurance Regulatory Leader Carlos Montalvo to explore: how the new regime fits within the UK’s evolving recovery and resolution framework; the international context; and lessons from real cases of insurer stress and failure.
Our expert guests discuss how firms can leverage existing ORSA, wind-down and resilience work; and how to overcome practical challenges around triggers, data, and operational readiness. We also unpack how effective solvent exit planning can unlock capital, sharpen decision-making under stress, and strengthen overall resilience.

Please contact peter.m.thomas@pwc.com if you’d like to discuss any of the issues covered.

To hear more from us on financial services risk & regulation, you can access all our regular publications at this site: https://www.pwc.co.uk/industries/financial-services/understanding-regulatory-developments.html.

In this episode, guest host Laura Talvitie, who leads PwC’s work on digital asset regulation, speaks with Jonny Fry, CEO of TeamBlockchain and Digital Bytes, and Daniel Dzenkowski, PwC’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework Lead.

Regulators, asset managers and technology providers are all exploring how tokenisation could redefine how funds and assets are structured, issued and traded. Against this backdrop, our guests discuss the UK’s evolving approach to fund tokenisation and the FCA’s consultation on this topic. They also explore the potential role of blockchain in financial markets and what firms should be doing now to prepare.

Host Tessa Norman is joined by PwC Partner Menicos Kouvaros and Director Duncan Scott to unpack the next phase of T+1 settlement reform - and why operational resilience should sit at the heart of firms’ readiness strategies.

The discussion explores where firms stand today on the journey to T+1, the biggest bottlenecks across the execution-to-settlement chain, and how resilience techniques such as service mapping, scenario testing and impact tolerance reviews can accelerate transition plans.

Our expert guests also share insights on regulatory expectations, practical actions firms should prioritise, and how embedding resilience thinking early can help maximise the benefits of T+1.

In the final episode of our three-part deep dive mini-series, host Tessa Norman is joined by Alex Bertolotti, PwC UK’s Insurance Leader, and Samantha Jones, Director in PwC UK’s insurance risk and regulation practice, to explore the dynamic forces reshaping the insurance sector.

Our guests unpack the growing pressures facing insurers – from cost inflation and consolidation trends to regulatory scrutiny and climate risks – and share insights on how firms can respond. The discussion covers the FCA’s evolving regulatory approach, technological transformation across underwriting and claims, and the implications of emerging AI use cases. We also explore how insurers can balance commercial sustainability with fair value, and the role of data and MI in driving better customer outcomes.

You can contact our PwC speakers if you’d like to discuss any of the topics covered, at tessa.norman@pwc.com, alex.bertolotti@pwc.com, and samantha.x.jones@pwc.com

You can access the publications mentioned in the podcast below:

• PwC Insurance Banana Skins: https://www.pwc.co.uk/insurance/assets/pdf/insurance-banana-skins-2025.pdf

To hear more from us on financial services risk & regulation, you can also access all our regular publications at this site: https://www.pwc.co.uk/industries/financial-services/understanding-regulatory-developments.html.

In this episode, guest host Laura Talvitie is joined by Elise Soucie Watts, Executive Director at Global Digital Finance, and Amanda Wick, Founder of the Women in Crypto Association and author of The Catalysts, to unpack the evolving regulatory landscape for stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).

Our expert guests explore the drivers behind the recent uptick in stablecoin adoption, how the United States’ GENIUS Act is catalysing digital asset activity, and the emerging policy development in the UK’s regulatory framework. We also examine the impact of global macroeconomic and political trends, the implications of CBDCs, and share views on the future of digital assets in a rapidly evolving financial services environment.

You can contact PwC’s Laura Talvitie if you’d like to discuss any of the topics covered at laura.talvitie@pwc.com.

To hear more from us on financial services risk & regulation, you can also access all our regular publications at this site: https://www.pwc.co.uk/industries/financial-services/understanding-regulatory-developments.html.

In this episode of PwC's Risk & Regulation Rundown podcast series, host Tessa Norman is joined by Mark Batten, PwC UK Banking and Capital Markets (BCM) Leader, and Conor MacManus, Director in PwC UK’s Regulatory Insights team, to explore the emerging trends impacting the banking and capital markets landscape.

From navigating macroeconomic and geopolitical pressures, to responding to evolving regulatory and consumer expectations, our guests discuss the structural and strategic shifts shaping the future of the BCM sector, and share perspectives on how the sector can boost the UK’s mission of economic growth.

We also unpack the impact of changing competition dynamics, industry consolidation, and rapid technological transformation - including AI adoption and digital banking - and consider how firms can evolve their business and operating models to remain competitive and thrive amid continued transformation across the sector.

Subscribe to the regular series here: https://www.pwc.co.uk/industries/financial-services/risk-and-regulation-rundown-podcast.html

In the first of a three-part mini series exploring the trends impacting the financial services sub sectors, host Tessa Norman is joined by Albertha Charles, PwC UK and Global Asset and Wealth Management (AWM) Leader, and Andrew Strange, Director in PwC UK’s Regulatory Insights team, to take a deep dive into the drivers of change in the AWM sector.

Against a backdrop of market volatility, shifting investor expectations, and increasing regulatory complexity, our expert guests explore the forces reshaping the AWM landscape - from the rapid rise of private markets to generational wealth transfer.

We discuss how technology is driving change, enabling both operational efficiencies and new revenue opportunities through innovations such as tokenised funds and tech-as-a-service offerings. Our guests also unpack the UK’s policy drive for growth, examining regulatory initiatives including the FCA’s advice guidance boundary review, consumer composite investment regime, and outcomes-based model of supervision.

We conclude with a look at how firms are rethinking strategy in light of these trends, and what will differentiate those that thrive in this period of transformation.

You can contact our PwC speakers if you’d like to discuss any of the topics covered, at tessa.norman@pwc.com, albertha.charles@pwc.com, and andrew.p.strange@pwc.com.

You can access the publications mentioned in the podcast below:

• PwC value in motion: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/value-in-motion.html
• PwC’s Asset and Wealth Management Revolution: https://bit.ly/44lQVZF

To hear more from us on financial services risk & regulation, you can also access all our regular publications at this site: https://www.pwc.co.uk/industries/financial-services/understanding-regulatory-developments.html.