May 8, 2026

4 Key Takeaways from ACAMS The Assembly Hollywood 2026

Reflecting on our time at the 2026 ACAMS gathering in Hollywood, FL

Last month, several members of the Enveil team attended the 2026 edition of ACAMS The Assembly Hollywood, joining the community for important discussions on financial crime, sanctions, and the broader regulatory landscape. Among the more than 1800 attendees were senior officials from the U.S. Treasury, Department of Justice, IRS, FBI, along with banking and fintech executives, all of whom prioritize the annual event in order to explore pressing threats to the global financial system.

ACAMS CEO Neil Sternthal did a great job summarizing the event’s value during his welcome remarks: “Criminals may have networks but we have networks too. As old threats evolve and entirely new ones emerge, The Assembly Hollywood acts as a moment in time for us to reflect and prepare to deliver the next wave of solutions rooted in innovation, collaboration and the drive to create a safer tomorrow.”

During the three-day event, we were able to garner valuable insights delivered through keynote addresses, expert panels, and workshops, and ultimately left the event with a clearer vision of the current landscape around important global challenges facing the industry.

As we reflected on the information shared during the sessions and further validated during customer meetings, we were left with 4 key takeaways:

ACAMS Takeaway 1: Leveraging technology, especially AI, is critical to enhancing compliance and enabling collaboration.

Many speakers footstomped the value of technology, highlighting the need to embrace technology to counter criminal activity. AI and machine learning can reduce false positives, automate alert reviews, support more efficient screening and transaction monitoring — and we’re only beginning to see its value at scale. Embracing proactive, data-driven analytics will help us detect hidden affiliations and illicit networks and we need to ensure integration of future-ready technology capabilities across compliance layers.

ACAMS Takeaway 2: The rise of technology-enabled fraud demands cross-sector coordination and public-private collaboration.

Criminals are increasingly exploiting advanced capabilities including AI, deepfakes, and synthetic identities to bypass traditional due diligence and detection efforts. To effectively counter these evolving threats, we need to foster real-time, cross-industry intelligence sharing that extends beyond financial institutions.

ACAMS Takeaway 3: Data is essential for combating financial crime — and organizations need to be mindful of both data quality and source diversity.

Fragmented systems and poor data quality negatively impact the investigative lifecycle, limiting proactive efforts and increasing the time needed to reconcile inputs and investigate suspicious activity alerts. Data mapping, continuous quality checks, and shared cross-functional responsibility will help ensure data integrity and regulatory confidence.

ACAMS Takeaway 4: Evolving geopolitics and shifting regulatory landscapes require highly adaptable compliance frameworks.

Ongoing conflicts are increasing unpredictability across economic statecraft tools have created a volatile global operating environment. To effectively manage risks, compliance teams must conduct real-time, location-specific geopolitical risk assessments and remain prepared for rapid, reversible policy shifts.

Conclusion

By facilitating conversations across a wide-range of high-impact, global challenges, this ACAMS event served an important role in advancing the fight against sanctions, financial crime, and other regulatory issues. However, enabling these discussions was only the first step — the real work for attendees begins now with focused, challenge-driven action.

Powered by Privacy Enhancing Technologies, we are proud our solutions can support financial institutions in the fight against fraud and financial crime by enabling sensitive/regulated data to be securely utilized across silos and jurisdictions to unlock value and enhance outcomes. Enveil’s capabilities transform the way data can be leveraged, helping reorient industry action from reactive to proactive in order to reduce the economic, societal, and personal impact of criminal activity.