creating value
for Banking

With around 100 participants, five high-calibre specialist presentations and fascinating discussions, our 14th Trend Conference Regulatory Law took place once again in a hybrid format on 10 March 2026 – and impressed attendees both on-site in Frankfurt am Main and online with its high-quality content and in-depth exchanges. Below is a professional review of the conference day.

Governance is no longer just a “tick-box exercise” that can be dealt with by maintaining a well-organised filing system. By 2026, the perspective of regulators and auditors will have changed radically: moving away from mere process verification towards an analysis of structural resilience.

The success of a compelling customer experience in banking depends not only on new apps or digital services, but above all on how seamless all interactions feel to customers. For banks, this raises a key strategic question: How can fragmented touchpoints be connected to create seamless customer journeys? This article explains why customer experience is becoming a core strategic competency—and is crucial for trust, efficiency, and competitiveness in banking.

For a long time, internal audit was seen as a body focused on hindsight. Today, it is increasingly expected to play an active operational role. Business units and executive boards are increasingly viewing it as a ‘sparring partner’. How can the audit function resolve the tension between acting as a detached auditing body and maintaining a close involvement in the organisation?

The ADC/IPRE classifications under CRR III increase the capital costs of credit institutions due to their associated risk weightings and drive up costs (unnecessarily). We believe that precise classification, correct risk weighting and pricing tailored to this are crucial levers for intelligent overall bank management.

Counterparty risks and their interdependencies in accounting, risk management and regulatory reporting: general loan loss provision (GLLP)

The success of the digital euro will not be determined solely by its technical architecture, but above all by how seamlessly it can be integrated into everyday payment situations. This raises a key strategic question for banks: which payment scenarios should be prioritised, and how can the digital euro be integrated in such a way that it usefully complements existing user behaviour?

Until now, internal auditing has looked in the rear-view mirror to determine whether traffic rules have been followed. But in a world where autonomous AI agents make decisions about loans, investments and market entries in milliseconds, the classic audit cycle is no longer appropriate. We are facing a ‘zero moment’: Audit must decide whether it will remain a footnote to digitalisation or become the central navigation system for management.