In 2026, we can expect to see the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) continue to build upon its five year strategy, published in 2024. Those within the organisation may feel a considerable push to complete projects and deliver results in anticipation of a mid-point review of the strategy's content and direction, which was planned at the strategy's launch.
Improving the tools available to specialist staff has been a high priority in recent years; in fact, 2025 saw the SFO abandon plans to move to a new Canary Wharf office in favour of investing in new technologies. The SFO has now launched and completed the procurement process for a case management system, the rollout of which we understand to be in progress and expected to continue through 2026. The recently completed Fisher Report on Disclosure in the Digital Age and adoption of new technologically assisted document review has highlighted the SFO's commitment in this space.
The SFO will be in court for at least three trials in 2026 – against four defendants in the Patisserie Holding PLC case; two defendants in the Raedex Consortium case; and three former directors of Ethical Forestry Ltd. It will be interesting to see how these live cases (whose investigations pre-date the above-mentioned advancements) will be dealt with in comparison to new investigations which stand to benefit from new technologies.