23 January 2026 | - | In person | Invitation-only | Conference

UKRN-Oxera conference: supervisory approaches to regulation

On 23rd January 2026, UKRN and Oxera organised a one-day conference on Supervisory Approaches to Regulation – What, Why, When and How?, hosted at City St George’s University.

It was a powerful reminder of just how important and timely these conversations are for the future of regulation, and a real testament to the insight and generosity of our outstanding speakers and discussants.

We opened with reflections from our keynote speaker, Sir Jon Cunliffe, on the work of the Independent Water Commission and the recent Defra White Paper, before turning to a thought-provoking alternative perspective on supervisory approaches in financial regulation from Dr Jon Danielsson.

Our first panel explored the shift from traditional incentive-based regulation to newer supervisory approaches, building on the lessons from both UKRN members (CAA, Ofcom) and internationally (BNetzA in Germany, ACM in the Netherlands).

After lunch, the second panel tackled a critical question: Is regulation already complicated enough, and how can we improve it effectively? This included an initial presentation from the Department of Business & Trade on their regulatory simplification agenda and a panel including both regulatory (FRC, FCA) and industry perspectives (CBI, Octopus Energy).

The afternoon then looked firmly to the future, with a fascinating session contrasting the perspectives of senior leaders from the newly-created Independent Football Regulator and Ofgem.

Following his introductory address, the conference was also closed by UKRN CEO John Russell, who highlighted some of the key insights and recognised the interest in keeping this conversation going.

A huge thank you to our event partners Oxera and City St George’s University, to all our speakers and panellists, and to everyone who joined us and brought such energy and engagement to the room.

If you’d like to explore partnering with UKRN on future events, please contact us at ukrn@caa.co.uk.