By the numbers:

65% of respondents cite cybersecurity incidents as one of the most concerning risk events for the next 12 months.
80% say a fragmented AI regulatory landscape puts their compliance efforts at risk.
63% expect corporate disputes, such as commercial litigation, to increase in the next year.
Only 48% feel "very prepared" to address financial crime and fraud.
Just 35% say their organization is "very prepared" for potential changes in sanctions, down from 44% in 2025.

Zoom in: The rapid adoption of AI is creating a critical new risk frontier.

Concern over AI-powered cyberattacks doubled from last year, with 34% of respondents citing it as a top cybersecurity worry. However, nearly 75% have not yet completed system upgrades to address such threats.
On the regulatory front, a federal push for an "innovation-first" approach to AI clashes with stricter rules in the EU and some U.S. states, creating a compliance challenge. Almost half (45%) of companies surveyed still lack key AI governance elements.

The big picture: Beyond technology, preparedness for geopolitical and economic risks is eroding.

Confidence in handling supply chain disruptions has fallen, with 68% of organizations now not feeling "very prepared," compared to 59% last year.
Similarly, 65% are not "very prepared" for geopolitical and trade impacts on their operations, an increase from 61% in 2025.
The survey also points to a rise in fraud, with U.S. business leaders reporting revenue losses of nearly 10% to fraudulent activity in the past year, a 46% increase from 2024.

Between the lines: The adoption of new technologies like cryptocurrency is outpacing the implementation of risk controls.

While 59% of companies are already using or testing crypto for payments, fewer than half have established more involved controls like escalation procedures (45%) or third-party risk assessments (44%).
This uneven application of security measures could deepen exposure to fraud and financial crime in an already high-risk area.

See the full 2026 U.S. Risk Survey report here:

SURVEY: U.S. Companies Feel Unready for AI and Cyber Threats