The 2025 State of Trade Compliance: Certivade Annual Survey Results

For the fifth consecutive year, Certivade has surveyed trading company executives across 54 countries on the state of compliance in their organisations. This year's survey of 820 respondents provides the most comprehensive picture available of how the trading industry is navigating an increasingly complex compliance environment.\n\nHEADLINE FINDINGS:\n73% of respondents report that compliance costs increased in the past twelve months, with an average increase of 18%. This continues a five-year trend of rising compliance costs driven by expanded regulatory requirements, enhanced enforcement activity, and technology investment needs.\n\n61% have declined or reviewed a transaction due to sanctions concerns in the past 12 months, up from 44% two years ago. The expansion of sanctions programmes following geopolitical developments has made sanctions compliance the most operationally complex area for the majority of respondents.\n\n58% now have dedicated compliance personnel, up from 44% three years ago. The shift from compliance as a part-time function to a dedicated resource reflects both the growing complexity of requirements and the increasing personal liability of senior executives for compliance failures.\n\n47% have implemented AI or machine learning tools for compliance tasks, primarily for sanctions screening and document analysis. This is higher than most industry observers expected and reflects the genuine efficiency advantages these tools provide.\n\nBENCHMARKING DATA\nThe survey provides benchmark data on compliance staffing, technology investment, and programme maturity by company size. For companies with $10-50 million in annual revenue, the median compliance budget is $45,000 annually, with 0.8 FTE dedicated to compliance. For companies with $50-200 million in revenue, the median rises to $180,000 with 2.3 dedicated FTE.\n\nCompanies with ISO 37001 (Anti-Bribery) certification reported 34% lower average compliance incident rates than non-certified peers — a statistically significant finding that underscores the operational value of systematic anti-bribery management beyond its reputational benefits.