How Financial Institutions Can Stay Ahead of Regulatory Risk in 2026

Financial institutions today operate in one of the most highly regulated environments in the world. From evolving global GRC mandates to the introduction of DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act), regulators are raising the bar on how banks and financial services organizations manage risk, resilience, and compliance.

The challenge is no longer whether institutions comply—but how efficiently and proactively they do so. This is where automation, intelligence, and the right GRC strategy become critical.

The Rising Complexity of Regulatory Risk in Financial Services

Banks and financial institutions must simultaneously address:

• DORA requirements for ICT risk management, resilience testing, and third-party oversight

• Global regulations such as SOX, GDPR, RBI, EBA, SEC, and APRA guidelines

• Increasing scrutiny on operational resilience, cyber risk, and vendor risk

• Faster regulatory change cycles with limited compliance resources

Traditional, siloed approaches—manual controls, spreadsheets, disconnected tools—struggle to keep pace with this complexity. The result is higher operational risk, audit fatigue, and reactive compliance.

Why Automation is the Foundation of Modern GRC

Leading financial institutions are shifting from compliance-driven GRC to risk-driven, automated GRC. Automation enables:

• Continuous risk monitoring instead of point-in-time assessments

• Real-time visibility across enterprise, IT, cyber, and third-party risks

• Consistent control testing and evidence collection

• Faster regulatory response with auditable traceability

By centralizing governance, risk, and compliance on a single platform, banks can transform GRC from a defensive necessity into a strategic capability.

Simplifying DORA Compliance Through Intelligent GRC

DORA is not just another regulatory checkbox—it demands operational resilience by design. Financial institutions must demonstrate:

• End-to-end ICT risk management

• Ongoing resilience testing and scenario analysis

• Strong third-party and vendor risk controls

• Clear governance, accountability, and reporting

An automated GRC framework allows institutions to map DORA requirements directly to risks, controls, incidents, and vendors—ensuring continuous compliance rather than last-minute remediation.

REDE Consulting: Enabling Smarter GRC for Financial Institutions

REDE Consulting is a pure-play GRC and ServiceNow consulting firm focused on the financial services, fintech, and regulated industries. We help banks and financial institutions simplify regulatory compliance while strengthening enterprise-wide risk posture.

Our expertise includes:

• ServiceNow IRM/GRC implementations tailored for banking and financial services

• DORA-ready frameworks aligned with global regulatory standards

• Automation of risk assessments, control testing, issue management, and audits

• Integration of cyber, IT, and third-party risk into a unified GRC model

• AI-driven insights for predictive risk identification and control effectiveness

REDE’s approach goes beyond tool implementation—we align regulatory expectations, business risk, and technology automation to deliver measurable outcomes.

From Compliance Burden to Strategic Advantage

Financial institutions that lead in regulatory compliance share a common mindset:they treat GRC as a continuous, automated, and intelligence-driven process.

With the right GRC strategy and platform, institutions can:

• Reduce regulatory and operational risk

• Improve audit readiness and regulator confidence

• Gain real-time visibility into enterprise risk

• Enable faster, more confident business decisions

Ready to Future-Proof Your Regulatory Compliance?

If your organization is preparing for DORA, strengthening global GRC, or moving away from manual compliance processes, REDE Consulting can help.

📩 Talk to our GRC and ServiceNow experts at info@rede-consulting.com to learn how we help financial institutions stay ahead of regulatory risk - today and in the future.