Global Corporate Survey 2026: Risk Management Budgets, Priorities And Tech Preferences

Report
Corporate Risk Leaders
Tom Murphy
Tom Murphy
Bill Pennington
Bill Pennington
27 Jul, 2026

Access this research

Access all Corporate Risk Leaders content with a strategic subscription or buy this single report

Log in / Register Subscribe to access

Need help or have a question about this report? Contact us for assistance

Executive Summary

The Verdantix 2026 global corporate survey for risk management analyses insights from 301 risk leaders across 41 countries and 16 industries. The survey offers insights into spending projections, business challenges and technological preferences for 2026 and beyond. Verdantix finds that geopolitical considerations and wider global risks have surged to the top of current challenges for many firms. In addition, organizations have slowed spending on risk management technologies amidst global disruption, and have taken a renewed interest in reputational risk monitoring and controls software. This report examines current and historical disruptions, risk trends and regulatory developments across the market to understand how risk leaders are adjusting their priorities in a changing world. 
Summary for decision-makers
The Verdantix 2026 global corporate risk management survey examines responses from 301 risk leaders across 16 regions
Risk management is being reshaped by simultaneous, compounding pressures
Geopolitical risk dominates internal agendas, but its impact on external strategy lags
Firms’ technology and strategic priorities show a disconnect between how they view the risk landscape and how they invest to address it
Enterprise risk and technology adoption is entering a more complex and fragmented phase of maturity
AI and emerging technologies are now in their full deployment stage, but scaling remains bound by trust and data gaps
In a crowded vendor market, firms are looking to multiple vendors for risk management solutions
Figure 1. Survey respondents: geographic breakdown
Figure 2. Survey respondents: revenue breakdown
Figure 3. Survey respondents: industry breakdown
Figure 4. Challenges to risk goals
Figure 5. Significance of external risks
Figure 6. View of future risks
Figure 7a. MEA-exclusive geopolitical concerns
Figure 7b. Wider geopolitical concerns
Figure 8. Spending behaviour
Figure 9. Risk intelligence use
Figure 10. Risk management technology goals
Figure 11. Risk management structures
Figure 12. Planned spending on emerging technologies
Figure 13. Barriers to AI adoption
Figure 14. Current and future uses of AI
Figure 15. Risk management vendor perception
Figure 16. Rate of risk management software implementation

About the Authors

Tom Murphy

Tom Murphy

Analyst

Tom is an analyst at Verdantix, specializing in third-party, GRC, reputational and geopolitical risk. His current research agenda focuses on how organizations can insulate the...

View Profile
Bill Pennington

Bill Pennington

VP Research

Bill is VP Research at Verdantix, where he leads analysis on the evolving and interconnected landscapes of EHS, quality, AI and enterprise risk management. His research helps ...

View Profile

Other related content

Webinar
Third-Party Risk Management
Enterprise Risk & GRC
Corporate Risk Leaders
Cybersecurity’s AI Paradox: Confident O...

Vendor networks and cloud environments are multiplying the ways sensitive data can be compromised, and it shows: third-party and supply chain exposure is now considered a material ...

Mahum Khawar
Mahum Khawar

Upcoming / 10 September, 2026

Webinar
Third-Party Risk Management
Enterprise Risk & GRC
Corporate Risk Leaders
The New Risk Agenda: How Risk Leaders A...

The risk landscape is becoming more complex and interconnected. Geopolitical events are now influencing cybersecurity, data privacy, third-party risk and brand reputation, creating...

Tom Murphy
Tom Murphy

21 July, 2026

Blog
Corporate Risk Leaders
China Goes Extraterritorial (Again): PR...

The latest expansion of China’s already complex compliance architecture represents a serious issue for firms in the West. While Chinese frameworks are already present across three ...

29 June, 2026

Blog
EHS Software & Services
Corporate Risk Leaders
The Tijuana River Crisis Highlights The...

The years-long Tijuana River sewage crisis has become one of North America's most visible examples of how environmental risks can escalate when aging infrastructure, fragmented ove...

24 June, 2026

Webinar
Third-Party Risk Management
Enterprise Risk & GRC
Corporate Risk Leaders
AI Platforms & Applications
AI-Driven Risk Management: Opportunity ...

The relationship between AI and risk in the software landscape is becoming increasingly central as organisations embed these capabilities into core governance, risk, and compliance...

Mahum Khawar
Mahum Khawar
Luis Niño
Luis Niño

24 June, 2026

Blog
Corporate Risk Leaders
AI Governance Is An Opportunity: Key Ta...

During the PwC global risk services analyst forum in June 2026, one of the main messages was that organizations are under mounting pressure to scale AI quickly, but the governance ...

09 June, 2026