Regulatory Outlook 2026: Treasury, Payments, and Compliance Updates for Businesses

The year ahead is shaping up to be one of the most significant for regulatory change in finance and treasury. From evolving expectations under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) to strengthened governance standards and new mandates that affect how businesses process payments, 2026 will require finance leaders to refine their controls, modernise workflows, and strengthen collaboration across teams. Join us as we bring together the essential updates shaping the regulatory landscape, alongside practical steps to prepare. This article draws on AccessPay’s expertise in bank connectivity, payments automation, and fraud and error prevention to help organisations stay compliant while building more resilient financial operations.

 

What is the Regulatory Outlook 2026 and Why It Matters

When we talk about the regulatory outlook, we’re describing the combined view of new rules, timeline changes, and compliance expectations that finance, treasury, and payments teams must plan for in the coming year. As 2026 approaches, the pace of change is only accelerating. For treasury and finance leaders, keeping track of updates isn’t just a tick‑box exercise, it’s a safeguard against financial loss, fraud exposure, and operational disruption. With more scrutiny placed on governance, transparency, and payment controls, strong compliance foundations translate directly into better efficiency and reduced risk. This is where a clear regulatory outlook becomes essential. Understanding what’s ahead allows organisations to adapt early, strengthen their risk posture, and ensure their treasury functions are prepared for shifting expectations. And with the regulatory outlook 2026 signalling several major shifts, preparation is more important than ever.

 

Key Treasury Compliance Updates for 2026

Modern treasury functions sit at the heart of corporate governance. They manage liquidity, safeguard payment processes, and help organisations meet their legal obligations. As new regulations take shape, treasury compliance is becoming more demanding and more strategic.

ECCTA: Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act

ECCTA represents one of the UK’s most ambitious efforts to combat financial crime. Businesses should expect:

• Tighter controls around identity verification, including more detailed director and PSC checks.
• Increased reporting requirements that are more precise and transparent.
• Increased expectations to deter internal fraud.

For treasury teams, this reinforces the importance of centralising financial data, reducing manual intervention, and embedding fraud controls into payment workflows.

UK Corporate Governance Code Revisions

Updates to the Code place new emphasis on:

• Strengthened internal controls.
• Stronger lines of accountability.
• Improved reporting on financial resilience.

Treasury teams are often overlooked in governance conversations and will play a more visible role. Ensuring robust approval workflows, audit trails, and system‑to‑bank transparency will be critical. This is where treasury compliance solutions, including automated connections between ERP systems and banks, become invaluable. Centralised platforms give financial leaders the insight and control they need to meet rising governance standards and maintain global payments compliance across multiple jurisdictions.

Payments Compliance and Regulatory Changes

Payment processes are undergoing one of the largest shifts in decades. Regulators want clearer data, faster interventions, and more consistent standards, all of which increase the pressure on finance teams. At the core of this shift is payments compliance: the ability to meet rules designed to reduce fraud, improve visibility, and protect payees.

Late Payment Consultation

The UK government’s renewed focus on late payments aims to rebalance B2B relationships by tightening rules on payment terms and reporting. Expected measures include:

• Smaller maximum payment windows.
• Compulsory publication of payment performance.
• Increased scrutiny of large organisations.

Businesses with fragmented systems or manual approval chains may struggle. Automation, particularly through secure Host-to-Host connectivity, helps reduce delays, remove bottlenecks, and align processes with regulatory expectations.

E-invoicing Mandates

Several EU and global jurisdictions are moving towards compulsory e‑invoicing. For UK businesses trading internationally, this may require:

• Structured data formats.
• Real‑time validation.
• Standardised reporting for tax and audit.

Aligning payment processes with e‑invoicing workflows will be key. Organisations implementing automated payment systems can ensure payment compliance and reduce errors across multiple markets. These shifts collectively highlight the rising importance of payment processing compliance, ensuring every transaction is accurate, validated, and audit‑ready.

ISO 20022 Continued Implementation

For banks and FIs, 2026 sees the continued rollout of the new ISO 20022 messaging formats. From November 2026, structured addresses will be enforced for all cross-border payments via SWIFT (CBPR+) – unstructured addresses will be rejected. While not immediately impacting corporates, early adoption and preparation for ISO 20022 are nonetheless advised, as the richer payments and statement data can provide valuable insights along the finance and treasury process.

Regional and Sector Breakdown of Compliance Changes

United Kingdom

The key changes affecting UK organisations in 2026 are:

• ECCTA transparency reforms.
• Improved UK Corporate Governance Code.
• Late Payments Consultation outcomes.
• Continued ISO 20022 implementation.
• Industry‑specific regulatory enhancements for financial services and high‑risk sectors.

Businesses operating in regulated environments will need clearer controls and greater visibility across payment journeys.

European Union

The EU continues to expand structured payment and invoicing rules, with mandatory B2B and B2G e‑invoicing advancing rapidly. This represents a major operational shift for cross‑border payment workflows.

Global Landscape

Globally, emerging frameworks are pushing for greater standardisation in payments data, interoperability across payment rails, and stronger anti‑fraud measures. These changes form the backbone of the global payments compliance narrative, a world where financial operations must be both scalable and regulation‑ready.

How Businesses Can Prepare for Regulatory Changes in 2026

With regulatory expectations tightening across multiple areas, finance leaders should begin preparing now. Key actions include:

1. Audit Treasury and Payments Processes

A clear understanding of current gaps helps determine where regulatory exposure exists. This includes reviewing:

• Approval workflows
• Fraud controls
• System-to-bank integrations
• Reconciliation processes

2. Improve System Interoperability and Automation

ERP‑bank integration is now central to compliance. Automated workflows reduce risk, enhance reporting accuracy, and ensure greater resilience. Useful support:

• Bank connectivity unifies fragmented global banking estates.
• ISO 20022 migration tools with structured data requirements.
• Fraud and error prevention supports validations and the reduction of fraud exposure.

3. Modernise Payment Operations

Centralised platforms help maintain payment compliance while managing multi‑bank workflows.

4. Establish Proactive Governance Frameworks

Roles, responsibilities, and controls should be clearly documented and reviewed at least annually. These steps not only help organisations meet regulatory changes in 2026 but also strengthen long‑term financial resilience.

 

Risks and Consequences of Non-Compliance

Failing to comply with emerging regulations carries significant financial, legal, and reputational consequences.

ECCTA Penalties

Incorrect disclosures, failure to verify identities, or poor data accuracy could lead to:

• Fines
• Director‑level accountability
• Increased scrutiny by regulatory authorities

Corporate Governance Failures

Poor internal controls can leave organisations susceptible to:

• Misstatements
• Fraud
• Operational failures

Payments Non‑Compliance

Inconsistent workflows or missing data fields can result in:

• Rejected payments
• Cash‑flow disruption
• Penalties in regulated sectors

In essence, compliance failures can harm both operational efficiency and market reputation.

Staying Ahead of Treasury, Payments, and Compliance

2026 will be a defining year for financial regulation. With more stringent rules across governance, transparency, payments, and data standards, businesses must prepare early and build the processes needed to stay compliant.  Investing in automation, strengthening connectivity, and adopting modern compliance tools will give treasury and finance teams the confidence to operate securely and efficiently. If your organisation wants guidance on preparing for the year ahead, AccessPay can help.  With the right support, organisations can navigate the regulatory landscape with confidence and keep operations running smoothly throughout 2026 and beyond.