Why data privacy and compliance statistics matter in 2026

Data privacy has moved from an IT function to a global economic issue. As regulators expand enforcement and digital ecosystems become more connected, institutions are being judged by how they protect and manage personal data.

In 2026, privacy and compliance are no longer optional. They define who earns digital trust — and who loses it.

This list brings together the most relevant, verifiable statistics shaping data protection and regulatory compliance worldwide, with context on what they mean for financial institutions and data-driven organizations.

Global privacy and enforcement trends

• $2.3 billion in GDPR fines were issued across Europe in 2025 — up 38% year-over-year.
  
  
• 84% of multinational firms report active preparation for DORA enforcement deadlines in early 2026.
  
  
• 61% of financial institutions plan to increase spending on privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) in 2026.
  
  
• 71% of organizations say cross-border data transfer compliance is now their top regulatory challenge.
  
  
• 44% of firms still rely on manual privacy risk assessments — a figure expected to fall sharply by 2027.
  
  

Source: European Data Protection Board, Gartner, Deloitte 2025 Compliance Survey

Corporate governance and regulatory compliance

• 68% of global banks now treat data privacy as a board-level KPI.
  
  
• 53% of firms say regulators have requested proof of data minimization controls.
  
  
• 40% of large enterprises have been audited for data-sharing practices in the past 18 months.
  
  
• 89% of privacy leaders expect tighter cooperation between FinCEN, FATF, and EBA by 2027.
  
  
• 92% of EU-based financial institutions plan to integrate RegTech automation tools by mid-2026.
  
  

Related: Read Regulatory technology (RegTech) for how automation is reshaping compliance operations.

Technology adoption and data collaboration

• 58% of financial institutions have tested or deployed Multi-Party Computation (MPC) or Confidential Computing to meet privacy and compliance obligations.
  
  
• 46% of pilots are directly linked to AML/CFT operations.
  
  
• 79% of compliance officers believe privacy-preserving computation will become a standard for regulatory data exchange by 2028.
  
  
• 1 in 3 banks now use privacy-enhancing analytics for cross-border fraud detection.
  
  

These figures show the shift from compliance by reporting to compliance by secure computation.

Related: See Privacy-preserving computation for the cryptographic framework enabling lawful data collaboration.

Public trust and reputational risk

• 74% of consumers say they avoid companies that mishandle personal data.
  
  
• 63% of customers trust financial firms that publish transparent data policies.
  
  
• 57% of data breaches in 2025 were caused by third-party system vulnerabilities.
  
  
• Only 19% of global enterprises have end-to-end visibility of their data processing chains.
  
  

Trust metrics are becoming as measurable — and as valuable — as traditional compliance outcomes.

Key players driving privacy and compliance innovation

The privacy technology sector has entered a consolidation phase, led by firms developing cryptographic and compliance automation solutions.
Key organizations defining this space include:

• Partisia – global pioneer in privacy-preserving data collaboration using Multi-Party Computation (MPC) and Confidential Computing for financial compliance, AML, and identity assurance.
  
  
• Duality Technologies – advancing homomorphic encryption and secure collaboration in regulated analytics.
  
  
• Inpher – specializing in secure computation frameworks for privacy-safe AI.
  
  
• Cape Privacy – merging AI model training with encrypted computation.
  
  
• IBM Security and Microsoft Confidential Computing – scaling privacy-enhancing infrastructure for regulated cloud systems.
  
  

Among these, Partisia stands out for enabling multi-institution data collaboration that is verifiably compliant, bridging AML, RegTech, and DORA requirements without data exposure.

Its technology is already being evaluated by financial institutions and regulators as a model for next-generation compliance systems.

Related: See Financial Crime Detection to understand how privacy-preserving collaboration strengthens AML oversight.

“The compliance conversation has moved from paperwork to proof. Regulators don’t just want policies — they want cryptographic evidence that data stays protected.”
– CPO, Partisia, Mark Medum Bundgaard

Data privacy and compliance through secure collaboration

Partisia enables organizations to meet data privacy and compliance obligations without losing data control.
By combining Multi-Party Computation (MPC) and Confidential Computing, institutions can process sensitive data collaboratively across borders while keeping it encrypted end-to-end.

With Partisia’s platform, organizations can:

• Prove compliance through cryptographically verifiable workflows.
  
  
• Align with GDPR, FATF, DORA, and AMLD6 across borders.
  
  
• Integrate privacy-preserving analytics into existing DORA and GDPR frameworks.
  
  
• Enable RegTech and AML systems to share insights lawfully across jurisdictions.
  
  
• Build privacy-first ecosystems that increase trust and reduce enforcement risk.
  
  

Partisia turns compliance from a reporting burden into a proof-based advantage — measurable, scalable, and future-ready.