Ncontracts: Compliance Gains Prominence at Board, Management Levels
Compliance is gaining prominence at the leadership level, according to Ncontracts, Nashville.
According to the firm’s report, The Future of Compliance: Benchmarking the People, Processes, and Pressures Shaping Compliance in 2026, 82% of respondents are satisfied with board and management support and 74% are satisfied with their institution’s compliance culture. More than half–56%–report stronger integration of compliance into policies, procedures and training since 2021.
Ncontracts noted that compliance has evolved from a regulatory necessity to a strategic differentiator. However, the data also show compliance departments operate under significant pressure, with lean staffing and static budgets to cover the expanding regulatory scope.
“What we’re seeing is compliance evolving into a strategic function that influences everything from risk culture to boardroom decision-making,” Ncontracts Founder and CEO Michael Berman said. “Yet compliance teams are being asked to do more with the same resources, creating both challenges and opportunities for institutions willing to invest in modernization and talent development.”
Other findings covered by the report include:
Lean Teams Managing Expanding Mandates
• Nearly 4 in 10 institutions operate with just one or two compliance professionals
• 25% of institutions in the $1-10 billion range still operate with only one to two compliance staff
• 64% of teams expect their budgets to stay the same or decrease over the next 12-18 months
Widening Knowledge Gap
• 64% of compliance professionals have eight or more years of experience
• 24% of institutions say up to a quarter of their compliance staff will be eligible for retirement within five years
• 9% could lose more than half their compliance workforce to retirement
Regulatory Uncertainty Tops Risk Concerns
• Regulatory uncertainty (38%) leads compliance risks in 2025
• Fair lending (33%), limited resources (30%), and staff training (30%) follow as top concerns.
