GRC MARKET UPDATE: 🇩🇪 Munich to 🇬🇧 London, 🌍Global Demand & 2026 Pipelines

I trust the year is wrapping up well for everyone. This has been the busiest professional year of my life: more engagements, more flights, and more time with organizations around the world than ever before. Across all of this, one trend is unmistakable:

• Europe continues to be the strongest market for GRC solutions and services, driven by regulatory velocity and mature operating models.
• The Middle East remains the fastest-growing region globally, with significant investment in risk, resilience, and governance infrastructure.
• North America is treading water, with slower 2025 spending than 2024 — but the pipelines I am seeing indicate renewed momentum for 2026.

This Week: Munich, Germany

Germany in December is delightful — and Munich remains one of my favorite cities to work in. You simply cannot beat a German Christmas market next to a medieval cathedral (happy to send pictures)!

Yesterday I had an excellent strategy session with Horváth discussing their Business Confidence framework and go-to-market strategy for advisory and services. Last night included a great dinner with the Mitratech team here in Munich alongside several of their clients and prospects.

Today I am teaching my Risk & Resilience Management by Design Workshop, bringing together organizations across Germany (and broader Europe, I know of one flying in from Spain) seeking to align their resilience, risk, and operational integrity programs. Tomorrow includes a series of meetings, including conversations with EY, a private equity firm, and organizations looking for market intelligence as they prepare to evaluate solutions and services heading into 2026.

Next Week: London, United Kingdom

Then it is on to London for an engaging week. I am delivering my Risk Management Workshop, with a special focus on the UK Corporate Governance Code, to a room that is now oversubscribed with a waiting list. Demand for risk and governance training in the UK is exceptionally strong.

In addition, I have several strategy sessions scheduled with solution providers, as well as a full slate of briefings with organizations developing 2026 RFPs. Many are seeking clarity on requirements, maturity benchmarking, and market navigation — and I am providing guidance as they prepare to enter the GRC selection cycle in Q1–Q2.

Organizations & Topics Engaging GRC 20/20 This Week

Below are the anonymized organizations and topics that are downloading articles/research from www.GRC2020.com and/or asking inquiries on solutions this past week:

• A global aviation firm — Supply Chain Risk & Global Logistics Solutions
• A major investment management group in EMEA — Enterprise Risk
• A large North American distributor — GRC Program Modernization
• A global data management company — Digital Risk & Resilience
• A multinational company — Enterprise Risk & Third-Party/Supply Chain Risk
• A major retailer — Enterprise Risk
• A global hygiene and health products company — Internal Audit, Risk & Controls
• A large U.S. public university — Digital Risk & Resilience
• A UK-based digital services provider — GRC Requirements & Maturity
• A UK land and property intelligence company — Compliance & Regulatory Change
• A UK wealth management firm — Risk Management
• A global humanitarian organization — Compliance
• A global entertainment company — Compliance & Ethics
• A large Asian financial institution — Financial Crime & GRC
• A major European energy provider — Enterprise Risk
• A Mediterranean financial institution — Risk Management
• A UK clearing bank — GRC Modernization
• A UK insurance and financial group — Risk & Compliance
• A global manufacturing group — Compliance Audit
• A humanitarian NGO — GRC Expansion
• A UK insurance group — Enterprise Risk
• A national reserve bank — Risk Management
• A global mining organization — Risk Management & Resilience
• A large global Asian construction firm — GRC Strategy
• A UK foreign exchange and payments firm — Risk Management
• A pan-African investment firm — Risk Management

If you are looking for insights into market direction, competitive landscape, or RFP insight for 2026, feel free to reach out. My advisory and briefings calendar for January–March is filling quickly.

Grateful to all of you across the GRC technology, professional services, and investment community for another year of meaningful collaboration and conversation.