Risk in Focus 2026
Risk in Focus is an annual thought leadership research project analysing the top risks faced by organisations across Europe, currently in its 10th year of publication. This year, we have also produced a special report for the 10th anniversary which you can download below.
It is a tool for internal auditors and audit committees and an indicator of what Chief Audit Executives (CAEs) and others perceive as their organisations’ risk priorities for 2026 and beyond.
Risk in Focus 2026 explores how organisations across Europe are grappling with macroeconomic, social and geopolitical uncertainty, which has exacerbated every other risk category due to global trade wars, tariffs and sanctions.
We hope this year’s Risk in Focus provides you with the ideas and insights to navigate these challenging times.
Key Findings
- Digital disruption, new technology and AI continued to be a growing risk, moving from 4th to 3rd place in 2026, with organisations across Europe striving to develop AI strategies despite being unclear on the potential benefits and risks.
- 83% of respondents indicated that cybersecurity and data security was the top risk yet again in this year's survey, with sophisticated cyber attacks continuing to be a key concern for audit functions.
- Human capital, diversity, talent management and retention held its 2nd place ranking with 48% of CAEs placing it as a top 5 risk.
Risk in Focus 2026 Board Briefing
The board briefing is a condensed version of the report aimed at Boards and senior management.
CAEs continue to provide advisory support on critical business risk areas, including AI implementation, the pace at which the risk landscape is evolving means that board-level support is critical.
Risk In Focus 10 year anniversary report
For the past 10 years, Risk in Focus has sought to highlight key risk areas to help internal auditors understand the key risks their organisations face. To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we have produced a report that provides an overview of the past 10 years, highlighting key insights that have been shared from Risk in Focus.
Download the 10 year anniversary report
About the report
For the past 10 years, Risk in Focus has sought to highlight key risk areas to help internal auditors prepare their independent risk assessment work, annual planning and audit scoping. It helps CAEs and other risk professionals understand how their peers view today’s risk landscape as they prepare their forthcoming audit plans for the year ahead.
This year, Risk in Focus 2026 involved a collaboration between 14 European Institutes of Internal Auditors, spanning 15 countries, which included Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
The survey elicited 879 responses from CAEs across Europe, the highest number of responses to the survey so far. Simultaneously, five roundtable discussions were organised with 44 CAEs on the five risk areas covered in the report. In addition, we also conducted 10 one-to-one interviews with subject matter experts which included CAEs, and industry experts, to provide deeper insights into these risks.
Previous reports
Risk in Focus 2025 | Risk in Focus 2024 | Risk in Focus 2023