Ten Key Regulatory Challenges of 2026
Balancing the Regulatory Stack
Rapid technological innovation and evolving supervisory priorities are impacting regulatory activity.
Organizations face a complex “regulatory stack” requiring balance between innovation and control, speed and resilience, and modernization and stability. In our Ten Key Regulatory Challenges of 2026 we project, based on regulatory signals observed in 2025, “what to watch” across the risk areas below:
01 Executing Mandates
Aligning with the Administration’s priorities to reduce complexity, encourage innovation, and promote growth, regulators have narrowed supervision and enforcement to core statutory authorities; organizations must be cognizant of maintaining compliance with existing laws and regulations and growing regulatory divergence.
02 Adopting Disruptive Tech & AI
Federal and state regulatory adaptation of existing risk frameworks and policies respond to complexities in evolving AI innovation, with increasing private sector participation.
03 Maintaining Cyber & Data Security
Increasingly sophisticated threats to data require organizations and governments to employ advanced technology, adaptive strategies, and skilled professionals to protect critical data and operations.
04 Mitigating Financial Crimes
“Modernization” of existing requirements, shaped by the shift to a risk-based approach, new technology applications, dynamic sanctions activity and the Administration’s national security priorities and foreign policy goals.
05 Averting Fraud & Scams
Traditional frauds and scams are giving way to a new generation of rapidly evolving AI-enhanced activities carried out at scale, significantly raising the importance of effective risk management and reporting.
06 Protecting Fairness
Though in part redefined by executive actions, “fairness” laws continue in force with ongoing attention to disclosure clarity and accuracy, “access” to banking, and the use of AI.
07 Ensuring Resiliency
A growing focus on organizations’ preparedness to withstand or recover from significant market stresses and disruptions that may impact non-financial operations (e.g., cybersecurity, technology) and financial risks (e.g., capital, liquidity).
08 Driving Capital Formation & Growth
Focus on capital-raising sources to promote economic growth and innovation, including private credit, public markets, and the role of retail investors.
09 Expanding Digital Assets
Accelerating and widespread actions designed to structure markets and develop regulatory frameworks that will facilitate and expand digital and other alternative asset offerings in the U.S.
10 Enhancing Parties & Workforce
Third-Party Risk Management remains a focus of regulators, highlighting oversight of the full lifecycle of third-party relationships, especially critical service providers. Concurrently, employing a skilled workforce is a critical element for both regulators and organizations.
“As the U.S. regulatory landscape evolves, regulators appear to be returning to fundamentals—core missions, statutory mandates—even as they embrace implementation of the digital financial technologies, like digital assets and AI applications, that are reshaping the financial system. This approach may signal a lighter supervisory touch in some areas and a growing reliance on market-driven discipline. For all organizations, the overarching challenge in 2026 will be to balance the regulatory stack.”
Laura Byerly
Managing Director, Regulatory Insights, KPMG LLP
Dive into our thinking:
Explore more
Get the latest from KPMG Regulatory Insights
KPMG Regulatory Insights is the thought leader hub for timely insight on risk and regulatory developments.
Meet our team
