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A third of EMEA-based financial firms are already using artificial intelligence for compliance, according to Global Relay’s newly released Industry Insights: Compliant Communications Report 2025. The report, now in its third edition, highlights accelerating AI adoption and a clear divergence between EMEA and North American (NA) firms when it comes to communication policies.
Among firms in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, 71.4% of those not yet using AI plan to implement it within the next 12 months. In North America, only 43.7% said the same. According to Global Relay, the trend reflects a shift toward broader channel enablement in EMEA, supported by regulatory developments such as the EU AI Act and the UK FCA’s pro-innovation approach.
“Recent technological advances in AI are moving the needle quickly”
Don McElligott, Vice President of Compliance Supervision at Global Relay, commented, “Recent technological advances in AI are moving the needle quickly when it comes to adoption, although AI is still generally perceived as difficult, expensive, and only marginally effective for risk detection use cases. It will be very interesting to see if adoption numbers increase as organizations realize the value and availability of effective AI solutions.”
The 2025 report is based on responses from hundreds of compliance and surveillance professionals across financial firms. It shows that EMEA-based organizations are also far less likely to view banning communication channels as an effective compliance strategy. Just 31.7% of respondents in the region believe bans are effective, compared to 50.6% in North America.
More than half of EMEA firms, or 52.4%, reported enabling and actively monitoring all communication channels used by staff, including tools such as WhatsApp. In contrast, only 31.2% of North American firms do the same.
Rob Mason, Director of Regulatory Intelligence at Global Relay, commented, “It’s very interesting to see that a surprisingly high number of firms are enabling the use of communications channels like WhatsApp, as conventional wisdom suggests the majority prohibit it. Since our 2023 report, we have seen the dial shift away from channel bans and towards communicating compliantly throughout the finance industry, and firms, their employees, and even regulators will no doubt continue to see the benefits of a more permissive, collaborative compliance environment.”
The report also points to improving internal compliance behavior, with only 29.5% of firms now struggling to enforce adherence to communication policies, compared to 61.5% in 2023. This change suggests better training, improved surveillance tools, and increased staff awareness of regulatory expectations.
The report attributes EMEA’s stronger AI compliance adoption to regulatory clarity. The EU AI Act, passed earlier this year, classifies AI systems by risk level and provides sector-specific guidance for high-risk use cases like financial compliance. Meanwhile, the UK Financial Conduct Authority has reiterated its support for AI in financial services, opening consultation channels and publishing best practices for responsible deployment.
The contrast with North America likely stems from the U.S. regulatory focus on enforcement. Since 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have issued over $2.6 billion in fines related to unauthorized messaging apps. As a result, many NA firms default to bans on off-channel communications to limit exposure.
Global Relay’s findings suggest this cautious strategy may be limiting innovation. While channel bans reduce immediate risk, they often introduce friction in workflows and can discourage client-facing staff from using preferred tools. In contrast, EMEA firms appear more willing to support secure, monitored communications, trusting technology and compliance architecture to mitigate risks.
The Compliant Communications Report also explores the role of AI in detecting risky communications, flagging policy violations, and enhancing supervisory workflows. While uptake remains uneven, the firm expects adoption to rise as AI solutions mature and costs fall.
The report concludes that the industry is moving from a prohibitive model to an adaptive one, particularly in EMEA. Firms are increasingly balancing regulatory obligations with operational flexibility, using AI and policy automation to enable compliant communication rather than blocking it outright.
