Global Risk Landscape 2026

Original content provided by BDO

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.

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.