Banking and finance are always changing. To succeed, you need to keep up. Find out about the important trends that are shaping how banks and financial companies manage compliance and risks in 2026.

 

1. Improved and automated risk assessments

 

As businesses enhance their handling of risks, individuals dealing with risks in banks and financial services seek simpler methods for evaluating risks and controls. This simplification aids in more effective risk management and enables leaders to swiftly make informed decisions relying on automated risk assessments.

 

2. Increased focus on continuous compliance

 

Banks and financial services are dealing with more regulations like the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about cybersecurity. To stay stable, keep a good reputation, and keep people’s trust, it’s important for them to have a plan to always follow these rules.

 

3. Growing importance of managing operational risks and resilience

 

As digitalization and global connections bring new risks, banks and financial companies are paying more attention to operational risks. They’re adopting strategies to manage these risks better, making sure they’re ready for the future and working together across the whole company.

 

 

4. Making GRC processes more efficient with AI and automation

 

To handle the big amount of GRC work faster and more accurately, the industry is using AI, Automation tools like CyberArrow GRC, and other technologies like Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning. They’re finding more ways to use AI in banks and financial companies, and this trend will keep growing.

 

5. Using numbers to understand non-financial risks

 

To really know how non-financial risks, like operational and strategic risks, affect them, banks and financial companies will use risk quantification more in the next year. This means turning these risks into money whenever they can, to see how much they might lose.

 

6. Helping employees take charge of risks

 

Banks and financial companies are giving frontline workers more responsibility for managing risks. They’re training them well and giving them tools like CyberArrow Awareness Platform to understand risks better and work together. Some companies are improving how they talk about risks and making better plans to communicate across all parts of the company, so nothing gets missed.

 

7. Improving risk management across the company network

 

Banks and financial companies are taking more responsibility for risks outside their main business. They’re using automated processes for everything from collecting information to checking if everyone follows the rules, to make sure their network of partners is strong and can handle risks well.