➤ Key Highlights
Ncontracts released a new survey Tuesday that examines how institutions are managing evolving compliance expectations in 2026.
The survey included responses from 183 financial institutions across various asset sizes, charters and geographies.
Leadership support is rising at the compliance level, with 82% of respondents saying they’re satisfied with board and management backing.
74% are satisfied with their institution’s compliance culture.
More than half (56%) reported stronger integration of compliance into policies, procedures and training since 2021.
Nearly 40% of institutions operate with one or two compliance professionals.
At roughly one in four institutions, 25% of personnel may retire within five years.
Regulatory uncertainty is the top compliance risk at 38%.
Ncontracts released a new survey examining how financial institutions are handling compliance expectations in 2026. The survey covered 183 institutions of varying sizes and found increasing leadership support for compliance, but also highlighted staffing strains and regulatory uncertainty as key challenges.
Through the lens of construction and execution risk, evolving compliance demands present new operational challenges for organizations. Navigating shifting regulatory expectations requires careful alignment of resources and processes to minimize execution delays or errors. The uncertainty around regulatory changes increases the complexity of implementing effective compliance programs. Institutions must ensure their compliance functions are resilient and adaptive to maintain operational stability amid ongoing change.
⚠️ Why it matters now
For CRE professionals, understanding the pressures of compliance execution is key to managing project and organizational risk. Regulatory ambiguity can impact how resources are allocated and how quickly institutions adapt to new standards. The execution lens reinforces the importance of robust operational frameworks to address both current and future compliance requirements without disrupting core business activities.
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➤ TAKEAWAY
Institutions may need to develop more agile approaches to compliance management as regulatory expectations evolve. Continued focus on staffing and integration of compliance functions could be necessary to address ongoing uncertainty. Monitoring changes in compliance demands and adapting execution strategies will likely remain a priority to ensure organizational resilience.
