As regulatory scrutiny and counterparty expectations intensify, licence-to-operate (LTO) reviews are moving from compliance formality to a strategic lever for growth. The Australian article shows how well-designed, evidence-based LTO reviews validate operational resilience, customer outcomes, data governance, third-party oversight, and complaint handling, providing boards, regulators, and partners with confidence that the organisation can operate safely, fairly, and at scale.

Crucially, high-quality reviews don’t just reduce risk; they protect revenue (by strengthening client trust and retention) and unlock new relationships (by improving RFP performance, due diligence pass rates, and time-to-contract).

How to apply these findings globally

Standardise an LTO review blueprint across regions. Define scope, sampling, evidence standards, and red-flag thresholds so UK/EU/ME/Asia assessments are comparable and board-ready.
Test outcomes, not just policies. Evidence suitability, customer understanding, rectification pathways, and data lineage; link findings to KRIs/KPIs and remediation backlogs.
Embed third-party and outsourcing assurance. Map critical services, SLAs, exit plans, and resilience tests to align with FCA/PRA Operational Resilience, MAS, SFC, DFSA/FSRA expectations.
Make LTO a commercial asset. Package review outputs into a reusable assurance dossier to accelerate sales diligence, improve counterparty confidence, and support M&A valuation.
Close the loop. Tie actions to governance cadence (risk committee, exec scorecards) and re-test to demonstrate continuous improvement.

Read the full Australian article on the OCG Australia site for details on methodology, governance uplift, and board actions.

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