# Beyond the blanket: The 2026 MLR changes explained

The Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs) have changed, and on paper it looks like less work. The automatic trigger for enhanced due diligence (EDD) has narrowed, and the list of countries that forces your hand has shrunk to a handful. But less prescription means more rests on your judgment, and on the paper trail to defend the call.

We were joined by Ray Blake of The Dark Money Files to go beyond the headlines and get practical. In conversation with Thirdfort's Harriet, Ray unpacks what your files, firm-wide risk assessment and training need to look like now the changes are in force. Whether you are in a law firm, a conveyancing practice or a property business, the shift is the same: the rules do less of your thinking, so your judgment and evidence do more.

Watch the full conversation on demand.

## Watch now

## About this webinar

* Less prescription, more judgment. The rules stopped doing your thinking for you.
* Assessing country risk without the crutch. Where Ray starts, and what to write into your guidance.
* What good looks like on file. Ray's three-part test for a defensible note.
* A culture of curiosity. Why "I do not know" is confidence, not weakness.

* The high-risk country reshuffle. Down from 25 countries to three, but the risk did not leave with them.
* From "unusually large" to "unusually complex". Why one extra word is a genuine win.
* The mistakes firms make first. Reading "not mandatory" as "not risky", and overcorrecting.
* Where this is heading. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) review, and the one thing to do tomorrow.

## The panel

![Ray Blake](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fa.storyblok.com%2Ff%2F171201%2F603x822%2F836b4194dd%2Fray-blake.webp&w=384&q=75)

Ray Blake

Presenter of The Dark Money Files, FinCrime subject expert

Ray has spent more than 20 years consulting across financial services, banking and the legal world, and has a rare talent for making financial crime and anti-money laundering (AML) genuinely clear.

![Harriet headshot](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fa.storyblok.com%2Ff%2F171201%2F800x800%2F007302f3a2%2Fharriet-headshot.jpeg&w=384&q=75)

Harriet Holmes

Senior AML Enablement & Product Assurance Manager, Thirdfort

Harriet leverages a decade of compliance expertise to spearhead Thirdfort's in-house AML and anti-fraud efforts. Her varied background in law firms, both local and global, fuels her commitment to enhancing AML practices. 

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