In a new era of uncertainty, risks are hitting organizations from all angles. Yet more than 60% of organizations are insufficiently prepared to address nearly all of them.
Our Global Risk Survey offers insights on the pressing risks facing today's businesses, major gaps in preparedness, and where regional and industry peers stand.
A consequential year of elections has unleashed rapid-fire policy changes—from sanctions to tariffs to cybersecurity requirements—at a pace that has fast become the new normal. At the same time, AI-related disruption, technological advancements, and economic volatility show no signs of letting up.
For today's executives and their advisers, it's not enough to identify and understand these risks. Business leaders must prioritize and proactively address them, often with limited (or overextended) resources at their disposal. Even the tools meant to mitigate risks add complexity: while investing in new technologies can help detect and analyze risk factors, our research reveals that these tools can create more vulnerabilities if poorly implemented.
The AlixPartners 2025 Global Risk Survey aims to bring insights to business leaders faced with solving organizations most critical problems, by drawing on responses from 1,000 senior executives serving in legal, regulatory/compliance, and risk functions across the globe. Respondents were surveyed in February and include professionals from the U.S., the UK, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America working in financial services, technology, manufacturing, and other major industries.
KEY FINDINGS
Financial Crime
63% believe financial crime will increase in the next 12 months
"With regulatory enforcement expected to ease, most
legal and compliance leaders believe financial crime will increase.
While technology is a cost-effective way to mitigate risk and
reduce exposure, these tools are still evolving and have yet to
fully prove their effectiveness—creating potential
vulnerabilities for organizations of all kinds."
Sean Dowd, Partner and Managing Director
"For financial institutions and corporates alike, it is
important to remain vigilant and invest in proactive compliance in
the fast-evolving regulatory landscape. Organizations that harness
human expertise with advanced technology will be better equipped to
navigate this new era."
Meaghan Schmidt, Partner and Managing Director
Regulatory
Fewer than half of respondents feel very prepared to adapt to potential regulatory changes
"While we expect more clarity in the U.S. as senior
agency officials are installed, one thing that's certain is
that there will be shifts in priorities. State and local regulators
in the U.S. will likely seek to fill the void left by changes at
the national level. We could also see shifts in international
compliance priorities from one jurisdiction to the next. All of
this could result in multi-national companies needing to assess
compliance in areas where they may not have historically
focused."
Brad Mroski, Partner and Managing Director
"In today's fragmented and rapidly transforming
regulatory environment, a lack of preparedness exposes
organizations to prominent compliance gaps, enforcement actions,
and reputational risk. Rather than treating policy changes as a
series of one-off hurdles, organizations should view regulatory
compliance as a continuous and strategic business function. The
question is no longer if rules will change, but how quickly firms
can respond."
Lisa Osofsky, Partner and Managing Director
Technology
Fewer than 40% say their organizations are very prepared to address cybersecurity incidents, data privacy breaches, and digital disruption
"As business leaders increasingly look to adopt AI
tools across their organizations, they should create a dedicated AI
leadership role and/or cross-functional task force to oversee
implementation, risk management, policies and guidance, and ethical
considerations. At the same time, organizations should invest in
robust cybersecurity and data privacy frameworks, including
proactive monitoring systems, as well as employee trainings and
incident response plans to minimize the impact of data breaches and
digital disruptions."
Vineet Sehgal, Partner and Managing Director
"As threat actors grow more coordinated and technology
advances at breakneck speed, firms can no longer afford to operate
with siloed cybersecurity functions and outdated response plans.
The most forward-looking companies are embedding cyber risk into
enterprise-wide strategy—treating it not just as an IT issue,
but as a board-level imperative tied directly to brand, innovation,
and market value."
Beth Musumeci, Global Leader of Cyber
Litigation
Nearly 70% believe corporate litigation will increase in 2025
"As risks increase, so does the likelihood of
litigation. Such litigation is often handled in-house—but as
disputes become more and more complex, businesses will look for
specialized and sophisticated outside counsel who can address their
most critical compliance gaps."
Greig Taylor, Partner and Managing Director
"Organizations that treat litigation risk as a core
business driver—integrating legal analytics, cross-functional
scenario planning, and early warning systems—will be far
better equipped to navigate the challenges associated with
potential legal risks arising from the rapidly changing economic,
regulatory, and geopolitical landscape."
Iona McCall, EMEA Co-Head of Economics Consulting
Regional Spotlights
Our survey included a significant number of respondents from key regions including the U.S., Asia-Pacific (China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Singapore), Western Europe (Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy), the UK, and Latin America (Brazil, Mexico).
INDUSTRY HOT SPOTS
Financial Services Respondents
Manufacturing Respondents
Technology Respondents
LOOKING FORWARD
"Changes are happening so fast it's hard to
keep up while also training staff."
- Chief Compliance Officer, accountancy
"[We] do not have the resources necessary to
adapt to major changes."
- Chief Regulatory Officer, consumer goods
"Too many unknowns, too much
unpredictability."
- Chief Compliance Officer, healthcare and life sciences
These sentiments from senior executives who took our survey ring truer than ever as the year advances. While the comments refer to potential regulatory changes, they could easily apply to the many other risk factors facing today's organizations—from economic volatility and new tariffs to heightened cybersecurity threats and AI advancements to anticipated spikes in financial crime and corporate litigation.
As new challenges are added to the global risk landscape, the insights from our survey and subject matter experts can help business leaders navigate this complex period. In addition to our key findings, we'll be rolling out subsequent perspectives, taking a deeper dive into key themes and industries as well as region-specific findings. Throughout, we'll update our analysis to incorporate the latest headlines and key policy changes impacting your business.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
