Risk and Uncertainty in Finance: A Futurist’s Guide to the Next Era of Risk Management

The financial world finds itself navigating unprecedented territory—where technological transformation, climate change impacts, geopolitical realignments, and social shifts are creating complex, interconnected risks that defy traditional analysis. Conventional risk management approaches, designed for a more stable and predictable environment, increasingly fall short in this landscape of deep uncertainty and nonlinear change.

This webinar introduces a fundamentally different approach to financial risk—one that integrates traditional risk management disciplines with strategic foresight capabilities. Rather than attempting to predict specific future events with greater precision, this approach expands your organization's peripheral vision, enables you to challenge limiting assumptions, and prepares you to navigate multiple plausible futures simultaneously.

We begin by exploring the critical distinction between risk and uncertainty—a difference that goes far beyond semantics. Risk involves known possibilities with measurable probabilities; uncertainty involves unknown possibilities with immeasurable likelihoods. Traditional risk management excels at the former but struggles with the latter. Through concrete examples from recent financial history, we'll examine how this distinction has repeatedly exposed blind spots in even the most sophisticated risk management systems, creating vulnerabilities that only become apparent after disruptions materialize.

The core of the session explores why traditional risk models—while still necessary—are no longer sufficient. We'll examine the inherent limitations of backward-looking analysis in environments characterized by discontinuity rather than continuity. Through case studies spanning market disruptions, regulatory shifts, technological transformations, and systemic shocks, we'll identify the common patterns where conventional risk approaches have failed to provide adequate warning or preparation. Most importantly, we'll explore how these limitations can be addressed not by abandoning traditional practices but by complementing them with forward-looking approaches.

Building on this foundation, we'll introduce practical foresight tools specifically adapted for financial risk management. You'll learn how techniques like horizon scanning, trend analysis, and scenario planning can be integrated with traditional risk frameworks to create more robust early warning systems and preparation strategies. Rather than presenting these as exotic methodologies requiring specialized expertise, we'll focus on practical applications that can be implemented by existing risk functions and integrated with current governance structures.

The fourth section explores the evolution from resilience to antifragility in financial risk management. Traditional approaches focus primarily on surviving disruption—maintaining core functions despite stress. Antifragile systems go further, actually improving and evolving because of volatility and stress. Through examples from both within and beyond the financial sector, we'll examine how leading organizations are building risk management approaches that don't just protect against downside but potentially capture upside from volatile conditions.

Finally, we address the critical human element of managing uncertainty. Even the most sophisticated foresight tools prove ineffective if organizations lack the leadership capabilities to engage constructively with uncertainty. We'll explore practical approaches for facilitating strategic risk conversations among executive teams and boards—transforming discussions that often default to false precision or avoidance into productive explorations of preparation options.

Throughout the session, we'll provide implementation guidance tailored to different organizational contexts. For traditional financial institutions with established risk functions, we'll explore how to integrate foresight capabilities without disrupting existing governance and compliance structures. For emerging fintech players with less established risk management, we'll examine how to build forward-looking risk approaches from the ground up, potentially leapfrogging traditional models.

By the conclusion of this webinar, you'll understand why the next evolution in financial risk management isn't just about better prediction—it's about developing the organizational capacity to navigate multiple possible futures with confidence and agility. You'll have practical tools to assess your current capabilities, identify critical gaps, and implement targeted interventions to strengthen your organization's approach to uncertainty.

Most importantly, you'll discover how uncertainty can be transformed from a threat to be minimized into a strategic variable to be leveraged—potentially creating competitive advantage in a financial landscape increasingly defined by disruption and complexity.

Webinar Oct 20 2025, Monday 11:00 AM EDT 90 Minutes Intermediate Level Code: GRC0000099

  • The Shift from Risk to Uncertainty
     - Understand the difference — and why managing uncertainty requires new mental models and tools.
  • Why Traditional Risk Models Are No Longer Enough  
      - Explore the limits of backward-looking analysis in a nonlinear, complex world.
  • Introducing Foresight into Financial Strategy
      - Use scenario planning, trend spotting, and weak signal scanning to anticipate disruption.
  • From Resilience to Antifragility  
      - Learn how to build systems that don’t just survive shocks — but evolve because of them.
  • Strategic Risk Conversations at the Leadership Table
      - Equip decision-makers with language and frameworks to talk about uncertainty constructively.

By the end of this session, participants will:

  • Be able to identify limitations in traditional risk frameworks and update them with futures thinking tools. 
  • Gain methods to anticipate emerging risks and explore possible futures more strategically. 
  • Learn how to guide teams and leaders in navigating uncertainty with confidence and clarity.

The financial sector stands at a critical inflection point. Traditional risk management—built on historical data, normal distributions, and the assumption that tomorrow resembles yesterday—has repeatedly failed to anticipate systemic shocks. From the 2008 crisis to pandemic disruptions, the pattern is clear: our risk frameworks excel at managing known risks but falter when confronting genuine uncertainty.

This capability gap isn't merely theoretical—it's existential. A recent study of financial institutions found that 83% believe their risk management systems remain vulnerable to unforeseen disruptions despite significant post-2008 investments. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum reports that emerging risks now evolve and compound at unprecedented rates, creating complex threat landscapes that defy conventional modeling.

Consider your own risk management approach: How confident are you that your models would capture the next major disruption before it materializes? When was the last time your stress tests genuinely surprised leadership or revealed blind spots in your thinking? Are you measuring risks you've already identified, or actively searching for those you haven't yet imagined?

Warning signs that your organization may be vulnerable include:

  • Risk models that performed well in stable periods but failed during recent disruptions
  • Stress tests that feel increasingly like compliance exercises rather than strategic explorations
  • Risk discussions focused primarily on quantifiable metrics rather than emerging uncertainties
  • A disconnect between your risk management function and strategic decision-making
  • Increasing complexity in your operating environment that outpaces your modeling capabilities

This webinar addresses these vulnerabilities by introducing a fundamentally different approach to financial risk—one that integrates traditional risk management with strategic foresight capabilities. Rather than attempting to predict specific events with greater precision, you'll learn how to expand your peripheral vision, challenge limiting assumptions, and prepare for multiple plausible futures simultaneously.

Unlike theoretical discussions of risk, our approach emphasizes practical techniques that translate directly to improved resilience and strategic advantage. You'll discover actionable methods for identifying emerging threats earlier, stress-testing strategies against multiple scenarios, and building organizational capabilities that don't just withstand disruption but potentially thrive amid it.

Most importantly, you'll learn how to transform uncertainty from a threat to be minimized into a strategic variable to be leveraged. In a financial landscape where disruption has become the norm rather than the exception, this capability increasingly distinguishes industry leaders from laggards.

The reality is that uncertainty in our financial systems isn't a temporary condition—it's our permanent reality. The question isn't whether your organization will face disruptive shifts, but whether you'll see them coming early enough to respond effectively or even capitalize on them. Join us to develop the foresight-enhanced risk capabilities that separate those who merely survive the next major disruption from those who emerge from it stronger.

The future of finance will be defined not just by how we manage risk, but by how we **rethink** it. Traditional models assume stable systems, past-data predictability, and known threats. But today’s world demands a more dynamic, forward-looking approach to risk — one that accounts for emerging trends, nonlinear shocks, and deep uncertainty

CHARLOTTE KEMP
CHARLOTTE KEMP

Charlotte Kemp is a futurist keynote speaker, author, and executive coach, specializing in strategic foresight and futures thinking. With an early career in financial services, Charlotte understands the complexities of banking, risk, and compliance—insights that now inform her work in helping leaders navigate uncertainty and prepare for emerging disruptions. As the Past President of the Global Speakers Federation and an active member of the Association of Professional Futurists, Charlotte has worked with business leaders across industries to develop future-fit strategies. She is the author of multiple books, including Futures Alchemist, which introduces a practical framework for thinking about the future. Charlotte’s approach combines scenario planning, ethical foresight, and strategic innovation, equipping executives and teams with the tools to anticipate industry shifts, manage risk, and seize opportunities. Her engaging style and deep expertise make complex futures concepts accessible and actionable.

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