Your Late Summer Guide to Risk and Compliance: Trends, Tips & Talks

Introduction

As the late summer sun begins to fade and the pace of work ramps up again, it’s the perfect time to recharge your professional thinking with fresh insights. For governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) professionals, staying ahead isn’t just about reacting to change; it’s about anticipating it. That means keeping up with the latest trends, expert perspectives, and real-world case studies that shape how we approach risk and resilience.

Whether you’re ending your summer reflecting poolside or diving back into busy boardrooms, here’s a curated list of standout reads (and listens) from the MetricStream library.

1. Everything You Need to Know About Cyber Risks in 2025’s Second Half

   If 2025’s first half has taught us anything, it’s that cyber threats don’t take vacations. This article unpacks the most pressing cyber risk trends for the latter half of the year, from the surge in AI-powered phishing attacks to the heightened regulatory scrutiny around incident disclosures. It also offers practical guidance for building resilience in the face of evolving ransomware tactics and supply chain vulnerabilities.

   Why it’s worth your time: Cybersecurity risks are increasingly intertwined with broader business strategy. This piece will help you think beyond IT controls and towards enterprise-wide readiness.

   Read Now

2. Risk, Regulations & Resilience: BFSI’s Critical Priorities

   For leaders in the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sector, the next few years will be defined by three words: regulation, innovation, and resilience. This report outlines how BFSI organizations can navigate tightening compliance mandates, including DORA in the EU and the new cybersecurity SEC disclosure rules in the US, while also managing financial, operational, and third-party risks.

   Standout insight: The paper explores seven critical focus areas for BSFI in 2025 along with best practices for conducting clear and effective RCSAs to streamline your risk management processes.

   Download here.

3. Shaping the Future of GRC: Trends, Insights & Expert Views

   This compilation of insights, quotes, and trends draws from the collective expertise of GRC industry leaders and analysts who attended the 2025 GRC Summit in London. From predictive risk modeling to AI-augmented compliance monitoring, several themes were discussed, including the all-important theme of how AI-driven solutions can help organizations navigate today’s complex risk landscape while strengthening their overall resilience.

   Top takeaway: AI-First GRC is reshaping risk and compliance. From autonomous policy mapping and risk assessments to smart control testing and real-time alerts, organizations are already seeing tangible results from AI integration.

   Download here.

4. Video Blog: 2025 GRC Journey Award Winners

   Every year, the GRC Journey Awards recognize organizations that exemplify innovation, impact, and leadership in risk and compliance. This year’s winners, representing diverse industries, share inspiring examples of how GRC programs can drive not just compliance, but measurable business value.

   Why it’s inspiring: Real-world success stories show that GRC is not a one-off task but an ongoing journey; evolving from ad-hoc processes, to managing risk in a structured way, to leveraging risk as a strategic advantage, and ultimately, thriving because of your mature GRC program.

   Watch the videos.

5. Podcast Pick: Compliance and AI – Navigating Risk Management in the AI Era

   In this conversation, Gaurav Kapoor, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of MetricStream, joins Tom Fox of the Compliance Podcast Network to explore the rapidly evolving intersection of AI, compliance, and risk. The discussion covers practical use cases for AI in GRC, the ethical considerations that come with automation, and the cultural shifts needed to adopt AI responsibly.

   Pro tip: Download this one for your commute. You’ll get both a strategic overview and actionable ideas for integrating AI into your compliance program.

   Listen here

Bonus Read

Here’s a last one for your beach bag.

Economic Times CIO Interview: An AI-First GRC Strategy for Enhanced Risk Detection, Faster Remediation and Predictive Insights

AI in GRC is transforming how organizations identify, assess, and respond to risk. Gaurav Kapoor, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of MetricStream, explains how a unified AI-first strategy can cut response times, improve decision-making, and offer predictive insights that traditional approaches simply can’t match.

Why it’s must-read: It connects the dots between technology investments and tangible outcomes like reduced risk exposure and faster compliance readiness.

Read the interview.

Simplify GRC with MetricStream’s AI-First Connected GRC Platform

MetricStream’s AI-first Connected GRC platform leverages agentic and generative AI to transform how organizations manage governance, risk, and compliance. By replacing fragmented, manual processes with an intelligent, integrated approach, the platform simplifies GRC and drives stronger outcomes. AI and advanced analytics power automation and convert raw data into predictive insights, enabling faster, smarter decisions.

With the MetricStream AI advantage, your organization is empowered with:

• Accelerated Risk Response: Automate risk identification, analysis, and exposure modeling for faster mitigation.
• Smart Compliance: Ingest regulatory updates, test controls, map compliance profiles, and gather evidence with AI.
• Effortless Policy Management: Use AI to draft documents, map policies to regulations, search content, and generate summaries.
• Efficient Audits: Summarize audit findings and identify control gaps quickly with AI support.
• Proactive Cyber Risk Management: Employ agentic AI for continuous control monitoring, threat detection, and policy updates.
• Third-Party Risk Control: Automate assessments and evidence collection while gaining real-time visibility into third-party risks.
• Enhanced Operational Resilience: Simulate risk scenarios, summarize incidents instantly, and optimize response plans with AI.
• Real-Time Monitoring: Process large volumes of data quickly to detect emerging risks, anomalies, or non-compliance events as they happen.
• AI-Infused GRC Workflows: Automate risk assessments, scoring, policy management, issue management, action planning, and other key workflows.
• Intelligent Insights and Recommendations: Harness the power of your own GRC and transactional data to train AI models for more relevant and accurate insights.

Enjoy what’s left of summer – and request a demo today!