Chris Jessup

DLA Piper’s Financial Futures: Leading through disruption report shows that overall optimism remains strong, with companies addressing ongoing disruption as the new normal and with greater resilience, operational readiness, and technology adoption. Many are investing in core operating models built to withstand prolonged periods of instability due to geopolitical tensions, trade barriers, and shifting regulatory requirements and are increasingly focused on managing risk by integrating compliance and governance considerations into decision-making processes.

Key Irish findings include:

• A focus on risk and compliance is even more marked in Ireland, where 67 percent of firms cite financial crime among their top three challenges compared with 45 percent globally, while 70 percent cite cybersecurity and data protection risks compared with 48 percent globally.
• Irish firms appear especially focused on AI implementation, with 87 percent investing in the required technology compared with 66 percent globally, 80 percent providing training and guidance for existing staff compared with 58 percent globally, and 70 percent developing ethical frameworks compared with 49 percent globally.
  Driven by EU regulations such as the Green Asset Ratio, 77 percent of firms in Ireland identified the development of sustainable finance products and equity and debt investments as a key opportunity, compared with 57 percent globally.

The report surveyed nearly 800 senior decision makers at global financial firms, including banks, fund managers, fintechs, and market infrastructure, with revenues ranging from under USD10 million to more than USD10 billion, with 30 representatives of firms based in Ireland included.

The global key findings include:

• 83 percent are optimistic about the short term outlook (next 12-24 months) for the sector despite geopolitical headwinds.
  Nine-in-ten firms (89 percent) report that trade barriers have had an impact on operations, with a third reporting that geopolitical pressures are reshaping investment allocation and capital flows.
• Use of AI is accelerating and has become embedded in operations and business strategy, with 66 percent of firms investing in required technology (up from 64 percent in 2024) and 58 percent providing training to embed AI into daytoday operations (up from 51 percent in 2024).
• Nearly half of leaders cite ongoing compliance challenges as a major business impact, up from almost a fifth in 2024.
• Despite less than one quarter of respondents viewing sustainability as having a significant impact on business (down from 58 percent in 2024, in part due to a pull back in the US), 82 percent increased sustainability investment in 2025.
• Keeping up with the speed of regulatory change in sustainability is the most pressing challenge (51 percent, up from 39 percent in 2024).

Chris Jessup, financial services regulatory partner in the litigation and regulatory practice at DLA Piper Ireland, said: “Irish financial services firms are feeling heightened exposure to financial crime and cyber risk, which is reflective of their global connectivity and increased cross-border threats.

“EU regulation is also shaping strategy, pushing these firms to embed risk, compliance and sustainability into decision-making. In response to this ongoing regulatory and geopolitical disruption, it is crucial that firms prioritise governance, operational resilience, and invest strategically in technology to remain competitive.”