CAFC to host agentic AI financial crime conference in Chicago

The Coalition Against Financial Crime will bring practitioners, vendors and compliance leaders to Chicago on Sept. 8 to discuss how agentic AI can be used responsibly in AML, fraud, sanctions and other financial crime programs. The event aims to turn AI governance from theory into practical guidance as institutions face rising automation and model-risk challenges.

Why it matters: - Financial institutions are already using AI across AML, fraud, sanctions, KYC, investigations, transaction monitoring and operational decision-making. - Criminal groups are also using AI to scale fraud, automate attacks and improve evasion. - Agentic AI raises new autonomy, governance and model-risk questions for compliance teams. - The conference is designed to help practitioners shape standards for responsible use before regulators and examiners define them for the industry.

What happened: - The Coalition Against Financial Crime will host the Agentic AI in Financial Crime Conference in Chicago on Sept. 8, 2026. - The event will take place at BMO Tower, The Platform Conference Center. - CAFC says the conference is part of its Certified AI Practitioner in Financial Crime, or CAPFC, programming. - The program will include four panel discussions and three breakout workshops. - CAFC also plans an Agentic AI in Financial Crime Conference in New York on Sept. 10, 2026, at St. John’s University’s Manhattan Campus.

The details: - The conference will focus on where AI is delivering measurable value and where hype is outpacing reality. - Sessions will address AI governance and model risk management as systems become more autonomous. - The agenda will cover how institutions can evaluate, select and implement AI vendors without adding compliance, operational or regulatory risk. - Discussions will also center on building AI-enabled financial crime programs that are explainable, auditable, defensible and able to withstand regulatory scrutiny. - CAFC describes the organization as a professional group connecting financial institutions, compliance and risk professionals, law enforcement and technology providers. - The conference is sponsored by Flagright at the Platinum level. - Gold sponsors include SRA Consulting, AML RightSource, Footprint and Solytics Partners. - CAFC says its certifications, events and practitioner networks are meant to equip anti-financial crime professionals to respond to evolving threats. - CAFC says more information is available at CAFC's website. - CAFC also has a LinkedIn page at its social media profile.

Between the lines: - The event reflects a shift from broad AI discussion to operational questions about governance, oversight and defensibility. - The emphasis on model risk and examiner readiness suggests financial crime teams are under pressure to prove AI systems work as intended. - The dual-city schedule signals CAFC is trying to build a broader practitioner community around the same topic.

What's next: - CAFC’s Chicago conference will convene first, followed by the New York event two days later. - The sessions are expected to surface practical approaches for deploying AI in financial crime programs. - The broader conversation around agentic AI in compliance is likely to continue as institutions test more autonomous systems.