Global Risk Landscape 2026

Risk Everywhere: extending ownership beyond the risk function

Global Risk Landscape 2026

The global risk landscape has fundamentally changed. What were once isolated risks are now deeply interconnected, fast moving threats amplified by geopolitical instability, technological disruption and economic volatility. For business leaders, change and disruption are no longer the exception – they have become the baseline.

About the Global Risk Landscape survey

About the Global Risk Landscape survey

The Global Risk Landscape 2026 report explores how organisations can respond to this new reality by rethinking how risk is understood, owned and acted upon. Drawing on insights from 500 C-suite executives across major global markets, the report reveals where organisations are most exposed today – and where traditional approaches to risk management are holding them back.

Key insights from the report include:
  • Why uncertainty is now structural, and why waiting for stability is no longer a viable strategy: with 80% of business leaders say the global risk environment is more defined by crisis than ever before.
  • How geopolitical risk has become the multiplier shaping all other risks, from supply chains to cyber and regulation.
  • Why cyber is now a top three risk organisations feel unprepared for, despite rising investment.
  • How fraud risk is being underestimated as AI-powered fraud accelerates: 93% of leaders do not see fraud as a top risk.
  • Why AI is amplifying governance and control weaknesses rather than addressing them: only 13% of organisations are actively updating defences against AI-driven fraud, down from 79% a year ago.
  • The case for shared, cross-functional ownership of risk that enables faster, confident decision-making.


The findings show a growing divide between organisations that treat risk management as a defensive, siloed function and those that embed risk thinking across the business – using it as a strategic enabler rather than a brake on growth. In an era where the cost of inaction can be existential, the ability to act with confidence, even with incomplete information, is becoming a competitive advantage.

This report sets out what businesses need to change, why it matters, and what leaders can do now to make the shift from reacting to risk to shaping outcomes.


Gain deeper insight into the risks shaping 2026 – and how leading organisations are responding.

Worried about how your business can thrive and grow despite uncertainty? You should read BDO’s Techtonic States: The New Business Edge - a forward-looking view of the forces shaping business with a simple framework for organisations navigating uncertainty: build, secure and grow. Risk management and the Global Risk Landscape 2026 report clearly sit under the “Secure” theme. This report shows businesses the way when it comes to building and growing.

Key Findings:

  • Risks in 2026 are becoming interconnected and systemic, so it is no longer possible to view them in isolation or leave them solely to risk management functions.
  • An effective response to this new reality requires shared cross-functional responsibility—from leadership down to operational teams.
  • Organizations that integrate risk-oriented thinking into their decision-making will not only be better protected but will also grow with greater confidence amid uncertainty.

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