The SEC’s Fiscal Year 2026 Examination Priorities, released in November 2025, signal a continued shift toward risk-based, effectiveness-driven regulatory oversight. Examiners are focused on how compliance programs function in practice—particularly across complex products, AML and financial crime, books and records, and compliance training culture.
For broker-dealers, investment advisers, and registered investment companies, aligning with these priorities requires more than policies. It requires integrated regulatory expertise, technology-enabled oversight, and defensible documentation.
By working with MCG Consulting and Wolters Kluwer, firms gain access to scalable compliance solutions that combine regulatory judgment with advanced Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) platforms—helping reduce liability while improving operational efficiency.
Complex Products: Strengthening Suitability and Fiduciary Oversight
The SEC’s 2026 priorities emphasize heightened scrutiny of complex and alternative investment products, including private credit, private funds, leveraged and inverse ETFs, variable annuities, and other high-cost or illiquid offerings. Examiners are assessing whether recommendations align with client risk profiles, particularly for older investors and retirement accounts.
MCG Consulting and Wolters Kluwer support complex products compliance by:
- Enhancing fiduciary duty oversight and product suitability reviews
- Streamlining SEC filings and disclosure consistency through regulatory automation
- Supporting supervision of newly registered firms and newly launched products
- Reducing favoritism and allocation risk in private funds
Using Wolters Kluwer’s regulatory research, filings, and rule-checking tools alongside MCG Consulting’s examiner-tested guidance, firms can better align product governance with SEC expectations.
AML & Financial Crime: Risk-Based Programs That Stand Up to Examination
Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and financial crime prevention remain core SEC focus areas. Examiners will continue reviewing whether AML programs are reasonably designed and effectively implemented, including customer identification, beneficial ownership verification, SAR processes, OFAC compliance, and oversight of financial intermediaries.
Through their partnership, MCG Consulting and Wolters Kluwer help firms modernize AML compliance by:
- Tailoring AML programs to firm-specific risk profiles, including foreign exposure
- Strengthening customer due diligence and beneficial ownership controls
- Improving SAR oversight and independent testing processes
- Supporting sanctions monitoring and regulatory change management
These capabilities reduce financial crime risk while creating examiner-defensible AML frameworks aligned with SEC and FinCEN expectations.
Books and Records: Creating Defensible Audit Trails
Books and records compliance remains a consistent source of SEC deficiencies. The 2026 priorities reinforce expectations around record retention, valuation documentation, vendor oversight, cash sweep programs, and emerging technology controls.
Wolters Kluwer’s regulatory workflow and transactional solutions, combined with MCG Consulting’s compliance implementation expertise, help firms:
- Automate regulatory filings and recordkeeping workflows
- Strengthen valuation documentation for illiquid and alternative assets
- Improve third-party vendor oversight and change management
- Maintain defensible audit trails for SEC examinations
The result is improved examination readiness and reduced operational risk.
Training Culture: Demonstrating Compliance Effectiveness
The SEC is increasingly focused on compliance culture and training effectiveness, including how firms educate personnel on conflicts of interest, fiduciary principles, cybersecurity threats, identity theft prevention under Regulation S-ID, and the use of emerging technologies such as AI.
MCG Consulting delivers interactive, scenario-based compliance training designed to reflect real-world regulatory risk—not just annual check-the-box requirements. Paired with Wolters Kluwer’s up-to-date regulatory intelligence and compliance content, firms can:
- Operationalize regulatory guidance through practical training
- Address AI, cybersecurity, and fraud risks proactively
- Monitor participation and effectiveness across the organization
- Demonstrate a living culture of compliance during SEC exams
Preparing for SEC 2026 With Confidence
As SEC examinations become more targeted and data-driven, firms must be prepared to demonstrate how their compliance programs function in practice.
By combining MCG Consulting’s regulatory expertise with Wolters Kluwer’s GRC and compliance technology, firms gain scalable, examiner-ready solutions across the SEC’s highest-priority risk areas.
Preparation—not reaction—is the key to reducing regulatory risk in 2026 and beyond.
Ready to Prepare for the SEC’s 2026 Examination Priorities?
Partner with MCG Consulting and Wolters Kluwer to strengthen your AML, complex products, books and records, and compliance training programs—before the exam letter arrives.
