Looking back at the past twelve months, 2025 has truly been a watershed year for the regulatory landscape. At complianceRT, we started this year with a bold outlook on how automation and new laws would reshape your daily operations.
As we close out December 2025, it’s time to see where our predictions hit the mark, where they evolved, and which “black swan” events caught the industry by surprise.
Here is our 2025 year-in-review.
2025 Retrospective: Prediction vs. Reality
Early 2025 Prediction: EU AI Act would be a distant concern for 2026.
Reality: Prohibitions and GPAI rules became active this year (Feb & Aug).
Early 2025 Prediction: Cyber Resilience would stay focused on IT teams.
Reality: NIS2/DORA forced compliance to the boardroom level.
Early 2025 Prediction: ESG would be a “nice-to-have” reporting layer.
Reality: CSRD turned ESG into a hard-coded audit requirement.
Early 2025 Prediction: Data Privacy would consolidate globally.
Reality: 144+ countries now have laws, creating a “fragmentation headache.”
Early 2025 Prediction: Automation would be for large enterprises only.
Reality: Mid-market Swiss firms adopted “Real-Time Compliance” to survive.
Top 5 Compliance Trends of 2025
1. The EU AI Act’s “Iron First” Phase As discussed in our recent Swiss {ai} Weeks session, 2025 was the year the Tiered Risk Approach became law. In February, prohibited practices (like social scoring) were officially banned. By August, providers of General-Purpose AI (GPAI) had to align with new transparency rules.The Lesson: Companies that didn’t inventory their AI models by mid-year found themselves scrambling to meet the August deadline for systemic risk assessments.
2. Hyper-Fragmentation of Data Privacy While we hoped for global alignment, 2025 saw a surge in “Digital Sovereignty” laws. From California’s new AI-specific protections to the continued evolution of Switzerland’s FADP, compliance is no longer about checking one box—it’s about managing a “mesh” of overlapping jurisdictions.
3. The “Deepfake” Compliance Emergency (Unexpected) One trend we didn’t fully anticipate in January was the sheer scale of AI-generated fraud in KYC (Know Your Customer) processes. Compliance officers spent much of H2 2025 upgrading their verification frameworks to detect deepfake identities, turning identity management into a 24/7 security battle.
4. Supply Chain “Chain of Custody” With the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and new ESG mandates, 2025 was the year you became responsible for your vendors’ sins. Compliance frameworks moved from “internal-only” to “ecosystem-wide,” requiring automated proof of compliance from every third-party software provider.
5. Transition to “Continuous Assurance” The old model of “annual audits” died in 2025. Driven by resource constraints and a talent gap in the compliance sector, firms shifted to Real-Time Compliance. This means using platforms like our 360vue to collect evidence automatically rather than manually chasing screenshots every December.
How to Prepare for 2026: The Road Ahead
If 2025 was the year of regulation, 2026 will be the year of enforcement. To stay ahead, your framework needs three pillars:
• Automation by Design: Stop manual tracking. If it’s not automated, it’s already out of date.
• AI Literacy: Ensure your legal and IT teams speak the same language regarding the EU AI Act risk tiers.
• Swiss Excellency: Leverage local expertise to navigate the intersection of EU regulations and Swiss data standards.
The Big Takeaway: Compliance is no longer a cost center; in 2025, it became a competitive advantage. Companies that can prove “Trust” in real-time are winning more contracts and avoiding the heavy fines seen this past year.
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