< Go Back

September, 2025

GSS Sanctions Survey 2025/2026 

Reading time: 1 minutes

Sanctions are a critical tool for governments to enforce foreign policy objectives. Against a backdrop of geopolitical instability and the G20’s 2027 payments roadmap, sanctions screening is both a regulatory requirement and a hidden friction point in cross-border payments.

The second annual GSS Sanctions Screening Survey captures the views of senior leaders across global financial institutions, revealing year-on-year shifts in priorities, investment, and risk management.

Data quality has overtaken sanctions complexity as the #1 compliance challenge.

Institutions are accelerating adoption of AI/ML, analytics, and cloud screening.

Trade sanctions are rising in importance, demanding supply chain visibility.

Nearly all respondents (97%) say collaboration is critical to future resilience.

Sanctions compliance challenges institutions face

The results underline the need for new approaches that deliver sanctions compliance that is safer, faster, and cheaper. Shared platforms, richer data, and consistent standards are key to reducing duplication and strengthening outcomes.

More from GSS