Q21. Which category of regulatory risk is most frequently underweighted by financial services compliance teams?

Consumer protection. AML and sanctions dominate compliance budgets and attention, but regulators globally are steadily tightening rules around fee disclosure, misleading terms, and unfair payment practices. The enforcement fines are smaller—but the reputational consequence is disproportionate, because consumer harm is visible and viral in a way that a sanctions screening failure typically is not. Consumer protection risk is underweighted because it feels less urgent; regulators are signalling it will become less optional.