The Bribery Act 2010 - Navigating Corporate Risk in 2026

Introduction

The UK Bribery Act 2010 is often described as a powerful but rarely used statute. More than a decade on, prosecutions remain limited and individual convictions rarer still. Yet this apparent quiet masks the Act’s real significance. The Bribery Act has reshaped corporate risk, compliance architecture and board-level responsibility, driven not by frequent trials but by expansive extra-territorial reach, strict liability for corporates and the rise of deferred prosecution agreements.

This webinar examines why the Bribery Act continues to matter in 2026, how its legislative framework operates in practice and where enforcement reality - focused on corporates rather than individuals - creates both risk and opportunity for directors, counsel and compliance professionals.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• Why the Bribery Act Still Matters
• Despite limited prosecutions, the Act shapes corporate governance and compliance
• Statutory Framework (ss.1-7)
• Overview of offences and legislative intent
• Core Offences
• Bribing and being bribed (ss.1-2)
• Improper performance of a function or activity
• Foreign Bribery
• Bribing a foreign public official (s.6)
• Corporate Liability
• Failure to prevent bribery (s.7)
• Associated Persons
• Scope, attribution and litigation risk
• Adequate Procedures
• The sole statutory defence under s.7
• Practical guidance for compliance programmes
• Grey Areas
• Hospitality, gifts and facilitation payments
• Jurisdiction
• Extra-territorial reach and ‘carrying on business in the UK’
• Enforcement Approach
• SFO prioritisation of corporates over individuals
• Strategic implications for companies
• Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs)
• Statutory basis and judicial oversight
• Practical impact on compliance and corporate behaviour
• Key Case Studies
• Standard Bank - First DPA and compliance expectations
• Rolls-Royce - Scale, cooperation and systemic failures
• Airbus - Multinational coordination and unprecedented penalties
• Güralp Systems - Contested enforcement and judicial scrutiny
• Post-DPA and Individual Enforcement Cases
• Keltbray - Construction sector risks and compliance reform
• Gill & Others - Individual prosecutions and their limitations
• Insights into enforcement priorities and trends
• Governance & Risk
• Responsibilities of directors, counsel and compliance teams
• Key Takeaways
• Enforcement trends in 2026
• Risk mitigation strategies
• Preparing for future regulatory developments

This pre-recorded webinar will be available to view from Monday 13th April 2026

Alternatively, you can gain access to this webinar and 2,300+ others via the MBL Webinar Subscription. Please email webinarsubscription@mblseminars.com for more details.