SFO makes AI and international cooperation priorities for 2026-27

The law enforcement agency will also shift to a new headquarters in Canary Wharf as part of steps alongside steps to enhance career development for its specialist workforce.

The organisation, which will host the International Economic Crime Conference in London next month, is looking to strengthen its activities after an extra £8.3m budget boost from the government’s 2025’s spending review.

The SFO said the funding, which comes as the organisation reaches the mid-point of its five-year strategic programme, would enable it to explore new technology-driven solutions to cracking down on fraud and serious financial crimes, as it launched its business plan (PDF, 9pp/1.74mb) for 2026-27.

“This plan makes clear our ambition and focus on our priorities, including intelligence-led investigations, innovative modern tools and effective disclosure,” SFO interim director Graham McNulty said at the launch.

“While the complex nature of our cases means investigations can be lengthy, we are determined to increase the pace and efficiency of our work.”

The business plan includes an output for the SFO to deliver a “prevention programme to provide corporates with the tools and incentive to prevent bribery and corruption”.

“The SFO’s development of its engagement with corporates on compliance programme issues reflects the importance of law enforcement-private sector cooperation on these and related topics,” explained Neil McInnes, white collar crime and investigations expert at Pinsent Masons.

“This is especially true in the context of the expansion of the suite of corporate ‘failure to prevent’ offences, where the only defence for a corporate is to demonstrate it had in place adequate or reasonable procedures.”

Another focus in the business plan on innovative technology will see the SFO look to employ AI and increased automation to track fraudulent transactions, particularly in the field of cryptoassets, with a new roadmap for employing artificial intelligence in fighting fraud to be developed.

Hinesh Shah, forensic accounting expert at Pinsent Masons, saithe SFO’s plan reinforced expectations that firms should view fraud prevention as a core governance issue rather than a compliance afterthought.:

“The emphasis on intelligence‑led investigations, greater use of Technology Assisted Review of digital evidence and incorporating the use of AI signals a law enforcement agency prioritising technology in how it triages and builds complex cases,” he added.

“For corporates, that heightens the importance of having credible, well‑documented controls and escalation frameworks in place, which can assess any critical incidents at pace and engage proactively with law enforcement in the appropriate cases.”

The SFO will also be working with the UK government to deliver the UK’s Anti-Corruption Strategy, with an increased focus on international cooperation following 2025’s anti-corruption prosecutorial taskforce launch in conjunction with the Swiss attorney general and France’s Parquet National Financier.

The 2026-27 plan also puts focus on the need for a strong and stable workforce of skilled and experienced investigators, highlighting proposals to encourage SFO employees to remain with the organisation through further career development opportunities.

Finally, the business plan also confirmed that the SFO will be making the move to its new headquarters in London’s Canary Wharf, bringing it alongside the Competition and Markets Authority in that location and nearby to the Financial Conduct Authority in Stratford east London, which may increase practical opportunities for even closer collaboration between the agency and these regulators.