Nearly six in ten firms worldwide are permitting employee crypto trading without formal pre-approval, according to new research from StarCompliance, highlighting persistent compliance gaps as regulatory scrutiny of digital assets intensifies.
The Fifth Annual Crypto & Compliance Market Study from StarCompliance, a provider of employee and firm compliance technology, paints a mixed picture of progress. While digital asset regulation continues to mature across jurisdictions, many firms remain underprepared to monitor employee crypto transactions and holdings effectively.
The study found that 63% of firms globally allow employees to trade crypto without pre-approval. This lack of formal oversight creates what the report describes as a material compliance gap, particularly at a time when regulators are increasing focus on digital assets and tokenised markets.
Even more concerning is the absence of forward planning. Some 79% of firms surveyed said they do not intend to introduce a crypto trading policy in 2026. Without clear controls in place, organisations may be exposed to conflicts of interest, insider trading risks and the misuse of material, nonpublic information.
Steve Brown, head of business development at Star, said, “As digital asset regulation matures into clear, defined standards globally, firms can move forward with greater confidence in building comprehensive compliance programs. Our data shows that firms which formalized employee digital asset trading policies early are better positioned as regulations take shape, while those without clear controls now face growing pressure to catch up using established regulatory roadmaps.”
Governance frameworks for digital asset dealing remain underdeveloped across much of the industry. The study found that only 37% of respondents have a formal employee crypto-trading policy in place, underscoring a significant divide between early adopters of compliance controls and those yet to implement structured oversight.
Visibility is another critical weakness. More than 50% of respondents identified a lack of visibility as the primary challenge when attempting to monitor digital asset trading activity and detect potential conflicts or misuse of sensitive information. Without effective surveillance and monitoring tools, firms risk falling behind evolving regulatory expectations.
Readiness for emerging digital risks also appears limited. Some 75% of respondents described their organisations as either “somewhat unprepared” or “very unprepared” to manage digital assets, tokenisation and prediction-market risks. This suggests that regulatory momentum is outpacing internal compliance transformation at many institutions.
Firms’ strategic responses to digital asset regulation remain fragmented. While 46% are adopting a “wait-and-see” approach, 25% are planning but have yet to take action. Only 21% are taking aggressive steps to prepare for tokenised assets and digital market rules, and 8% said they were unaware of the regulatory implications altogether.
Star’s Crypto Dealing & Tokenized Asset Compliance Solutions aim to address these gaps through automated pre-clearance, real-time risk detection and continuous monitoring. The company says its technology is designed to empower employees who wish to trade crypto while giving businesses the visibility needed to protect against misconduct and regulatory breaches.
The findings suggest that as digital asset regulation becomes more clearly defined, firms without structured digital assets trading policies may face mounting pressure to modernise their compliance frameworks in line with emerging global standards.
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