Compliance teams are spending more, automating faster and stretching across more borders than ever, yet many remain unprepared for the risks reshaping financial markets, according to new research from StarCompliance.
The employee and firm compliance technology provider has published its inaugural 2026 Global Compliance Benchmark Study, drawing on responses from over 300 compliance, risk and technology professionals worldwide.
The research explores how firms are handling mounting regulatory expectations, employee conduct risks, AI adoption, surveillance modernisation, information barrier management and wider operational change.
The headline numbers point to a function in expansion mode. Some 76% of respondents said they had increased their compliance budgets, while 67% are already deploying AI or actively piloting such capabilities. A further 76% now operate across multiple jurisdictions, underlining the growing complexity of cross-border oversight.
Yet the study also exposes notable gaps. Around 40% of professionals said they feel least prepared for digital assets and crypto, while 34% admitted they either have no policy on prediction markets or have not considered them at all.
Despite heavy investment in compliance technology, many firms continue to wrestle with fragmented systems, disconnected workflows and siloed data. These weaknesses, the study warns, limit their ability to scale surveillance, operationalise AI effectively and produce consistent, regulator-ready evidence across the enterprise.
StarCompliance CEO Jennifer Sun said, “This research highlights an industry at a pivotal moment. AI adoption is accelerating, regulatory expectations continue to evolve, and new risk areas, including digital assets and emerging trading models, are reshaping the compliance landscape. Our findings also reinforce that compliance is becoming an increasingly strategic function, with leaders expected not only to manage risk, but also to enable growth, support innovation, and strengthen governance across the enterprise.”
Looking ahead, the study argues that the next generation of compliance programmes will move away from isolated controls towards connected compliance ecosystems. These frameworks would unify surveillance, employee conduct oversight, information barriers, AI governance, workflow management and evidence generation under a single coordinated operating model.
The full 2026 Global Compliance Benchmark Study is available now, featuring detailed findings, industry benchmarks and analysis of the trends set to shape compliance throughout 2026 and beyond. You can download it here.
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