2Q25 Compliance Briefing: AI-Driven Strategies for Navigating Regulatory Complexity

This IDC Perspective discusses how regulatory activity surged in 2Q25, accelerating expectations for how institutions manage fraud, crypto exposure, sanctions, and cross-border risk. Compliance functions must now operate in real time and provide traceable, auditable decisions. The market is shifting toward demonstrable fraud compliance, with regulators beginning to emphasize the use of new external data sources such as shipping movements, trade documentation, and ownership registries. As budgets tighten, spending on compliance technology continues to rise, driven by the need for defensible investments that deliver measurable outcomes. Institutions are prioritizing platforms that improve speed, enhance oversight, and scale across compliance, risk, and fraud functions."Institutions that invest in explainable, adaptive, and AI-enabled frameworks will not only keep pace with enforcement trends," says Sam Abadir, research director, Risk, Financial Crime, and Compliance, IDC. "They will build a foundation for more resilient, responsive, and cost-effective operations."