Understanding Global Trends in Risk and Compliance Going Into 2026

According to an article by Jaclyn Jaeger, the Navex 2025 State of Risk & Compliance Benchmark Report offers a broad view of how organizations approached risk and compliance in a year shaped by regulatory change and shifting enforcement priorities. 

Nearly 1,000 professionals across industries shared insights on program design, resource focus, and organizational culture, providing a clear snapshot of where risk and compliance programs stand and where gaps persist. The report, developed with The Harris Poll, also examined how core ethics and compliance functions—policies, training, hotline reporting, and third-party risk—are evolving in real time.

AI is no longer a peripheral technology and sits firmly in the risk and compliance conversation. Jaeger notes that IT departments typically lead AI policy efforts, but compliance, legal, privacy, and cross-functional committees are also heavily involved. Most respondents said compliance teams participate in AI decision-making to some degree. Internal threats cited included visibility issues and gaps in the implementation of compliance controls. Respondents identified data leaks and intellectual property misuse as major concerns, while fewer cited model bias. The report suggests that risk and compliance teams can benefit from closer coordination with IT when navigating these challenges.

The line between compliance and risk mitigation continues to fade. According to the report, a majority of compliance functions engage deeply in risk assessments, yet only a fraction view these processes as truly effective. Respondents pointed to incomplete alignment and communication gaps between risk and compliance teams as barriers to improvement. Trends toward integrated risk management are emerging, but progress is uneven, with many organizations still in transition.

Culture remains a defining compliance issue. Respondents ranked ethical behavior and organizational values as leading influences in decision-making. Jaeger highlights that while many professionals see leadership encouraging compliant conduct, a significant percentage report that leaders either fail to model it or actively impede compliance. Some respondents even cited encouragement of unethical actions, illustrating how perceived leadership behaviors can undermine program credibility. Regardless of whether these perceptions reflect full organizational reality, they represent operational risk. 

Risk and compliance teams should invest in cross-functional collaboration, elevate AI oversight, and reinforce cultural integrity, because skepticism from employees erodes risk and compliance foundations faster than policies can repair them.