20+ professional supervisors to be pulled under one roof in the new supervision model of UK’s Anti Money Laundering (AML) Regime, which will be affecting 60,000+ firms. Time to start the transition and prepare for the new system!

Don’t know why it is happening?
The HM Treasury has confirmed that the UK is moving to a Single Professional Services Supervisor (SPSS) model for AML/CTF supervision. Under this model, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will become the supervisor for legal service providers, accountancy service providers and trust & company service providers.

These are the highlights:

The change is designed to simplify, strengthen, and make more consistent UK AML/CTF supervision across professional services.
It does not change firms’ obligations under the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (MLRs), and firms still must comply now.
Implementation is subject to legislation, funding arrangements, and a detailed transition plan which means the FCA is not yet fully supervising these firms under the new model.

For firms in the legal, accountancy, or trust & company-services sectors, this means a significant shift that will change their current methods of reporting and compliance. Even though the exact switch-over date isn’t fixed, the writing is on the wall:

"You’ll soon be part of an FCA-supervised AML regime with stricter expectations, higher scrutiny and less fragmentation in oversight".

Why You Should Act Now On The UK's Anti Money Laundering Shift To SPSS?

Waiting for firm dates is not a viable strategy! These are the reasons why you should start acting now:

When the FCA steps in, expectations are likely to be higher which means risk-based supervision, stronger enforcement, sharper data and monitoring.
Transition periods often bring burden that includes duplication of registration, new fee structures, new supervisory processes, unfamiliarity with the new regime.
Firms that prepare early will have a competitive advantage as they will be subject to fewer surprises, smoother operational shift, stronger internal controls and more confidence from clients and regulators.
The AML landscape is still evolving and you don’t know exactly which new requirements will hit first, but you can build a robust foundation now.

Immediate Steps for Firms for this New Regime

Here’s a recommended roadmap to begin your preparation:

Start a gap-analysis today
Review your AML/CTF documentation
Elevate your monitoring and reporting capabilities
Engage your leadership and board
Stay informed on transitional developments
Use ZIGRAM’s advisory support

Get Ready With ZIGRAM's Complete AML System

Here’s a recommended roadmap to begin your preparation:

Start a gap-analysis today
Review your AML/CTF documentation
Elevate your monitoring and reporting capabilities
Engage your leadership and board
Stay informed on transitional developments
Use ZIGRAM’s advisory support

Key Components & How They Work Together:

PreScreening.io: Name, sanctions & adverse-media screening platform

Entity Hero: Customer/entity risk-rating engine

Transact Comply: Transaction monitoring Platform

Our Risk App Ecosystem: Due Diligence Reports, Data Assets & Watchlist Library and much more

ZIGRAM’s risk app ecosystem covers all your needs for complete AML compliance. The library with 3,250+ watchlists in over 250 jurisdictions, covering local & international lists and dynamic updates. This aspect ensures your screening and monitoring reflect global regulatory developments.

Old or New AML Regime, One Partner To Stay Ahead Of Them All!

At ZIGRAM, we understand that regulatory change isn’t a nice-to-have but it’s a strategic imperative. Here’s how our ecosystem of tools ensures your firm is ahead of the curve.

Use ZIGRAM’s risk-assessment engine to:

Map your firm’s current AML/CTF controls (CDD, EDD, monitoring, sanctions screening, record-keeping) against the anticipated FCA expectations.
Identify gaps in your system. What’s missing? Where is your firm exposed to risk under the new supervisory environment?
Prioritise remediation which will help focus resources where the risk is highest and where the FCA will likely look first.

With our library:

Access pre-built, up-to-date templates aligned with MLRs and the type of standards likely under the FCA regime.
Automate client-onboarding, beneficial-owner tracking, transaction-monitoring alerts, internal escalation workflows.
Create audit-ready trails so that when the FCA asks for evidence of controls, you’re ready.

The change in supervisor means greater emphasis on staff awareness and documented compliance. With ZIGRAM:

Deploy targeted training modules (legal sector, accountancy, trust services) covering new supervision dynamics, FCA expectations, AML/CTF fundamentals.
Track completion, assessment results, refreshers and build a compliance-culture proof.
Maintain logs of training, which will matter when the FCA reviews your controls.

With ZIGRAM’s dashboard:

Continuously monitor your client base with name screening, changes in beneficial ownership, unusual transactions, risk profile, and much more.
Produce reports/metrics you can present quickly to supervisors. When the FCA reviews you, the ability to show proactive monitoring is a plus.
Set up alerts for internal compliance teams and stop risks turn into regulatory exposure.

We don’t just provide tools; We provide insight. With ZIGRAM’s consultancy offering:

Get scenario-planning support: “If the FCA asks us X next year, are we ready?”
Map your current supervision (via professional-body supervisor) to the FCA framework like what changes will be there, what stays or removed, and what needs to be strengthened.
Receive instant regulatory update alerts as the legislation progresses, we’ll push the updates so you’re not caught by surprise.

Why This System Matters in the SPSS Era?

With the upcoming shift to a single supervisor under the FCA model, professional-services firms are facing:

A greater expectation of end-to-end control coverage (from onboarding to transaction monitoring)
Stronger supervisory scrutiny, data-requests and audit-trails.
A need for scalable, consistent, documented processes across large populations of entities

ZIGRAM’s Complete AML System is built precisely for this environment as it enables you to transition from fragmented controls to an integrated platform that meets high-expectation supervision.

Tailored for Professional-Services Firms

ZIGRAM’s system has been adapted for legal, accountancy and trust & company-service providers. This makes it particularly relevant for the forthcoming regime change:

Rapid onboarding of new supervision and monitoring expectations.
Customised modules (for trust-service workflows, beneficial-owner tracking, etc)
Low-friction deployment (API-first, cloud-native) enabling fast ramp-up ahead of the supervisory switch.

How to Get Started?

ZIGRAM’s system has been adapted for legal, accountancy and trust & company-service providers. This makes it particularly relevant for the forthcoming regime change:

1) Assessment & Scoping: Use ZIGRAM’s consulting team to map your current controls to the “Complete AML System” framework, identify gaps and prioritise modules.

2) Implementation Roadmap: Decide your phasing, e.g., screening and risk rating first, then transaction monitoring, data integration and workflow.

3) Configuration & Onboarding: Make use of ZIGRAM’s pre-built templates, watchlist libraries and rule engines, tailored to your firm’s risk profile.

4) Training & embedding: Ensure your team understands the new system, has clear roles and ownership, and you maintain documented evidence of training and process.

5) Audit-ready documentation: Use the system’s case-management and reporting capabilities to prepare for FCA supervision, showing proactive monitoring, escalation and remediation..

In Summary, the UK’s shift to a single supervisor (via the FCA) for professional-services AML/CTF supervision is a landmark change. While the exact date remains undeclared, firms in the legal, accountancy and trust & company services sectors must prepare now.
With ZIGRAM’s tools and expertise, you can turn uncertainty into readiness — build controls, embed training, monitor clients, engage leadership and ensure you’re ahead of the regulatory curve.

Be ready today, so you’re compliant tomorrow.