Digital threats continue to dominate Asia’s boardroom risk outlook according to Willis

SINGAPORE, June 2, 2026 — Data loss and cyberattacks remain the top concerns for directors and officers in Asia, according to latest Directors & Officers (D&O) liability insurance survey by Willis, a WTW business, (NASDAQ:WTW), conducted in collaboration with international law firm Reed Smith LLP. In the latest report, 76% of respondents in Asia rank data loss and cyber attack as a very important or extremely important risk this year.

While the core risk landscape for Asia boards remains broadly stable, the survey highlighted a notable recalibration in priorities. Data loss, cyberattacks, health and safety, and systems and controls continue to dominate the agenda. However, regulatory breach has declined in relative importance, bribery and corruption has risen to fifth place in the top seven risks for directors and officers. Corporate crimes and ‘failure to prevent’ offences have emerged as key concerns, displacing traditional litigation risk.

Notably, geopolitical and AI-related risks remain outside Asia’s top seven perceived risks despite growing global attention. Even though geopolitical risk sits in the top tier for larger global companies and features prominently in other regions, Asia’s regional boards continue to prioritise nearer-term, controllable operational and compliance exposures.

Other key findings include:

• Data loss and cyberattacks remain Asia’s top-ranked risks, cited by 76% of respondents respectively as very important or extremely important. This contrasts with the global picture, where health and safety remain the leading concern.
• Rapid technological adoption across Asia is increasing expectations on boards to oversee cyber resilience, data governance, and incident response preparedness.
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning do not feature in the top seven risks for Asia, continuing last year’s trend, with boards viewing AI as a medium-term issue versus more immediate governance and cyber risks.
• Perceived regulatory breach risk has fallen in relative importance in Asia to 66% down from 75% last year, although the increasing complexity and continuous evolution of cross-border regulatory frameworks across Asia remain a key concern for boards.
• Bribery and corruption have edged up to the fifth most highly ranked risk in Asia at 67%, reflecting tougher enforcement activity from regional authorities.
• Corporate crimes and ‘failure to prevent’ have now appeared as a key risk for Asia boards. Business crimes that can be committed by companies include money laundering, foreign bribery and corruption, financing of terrorism and fraud, as well as rapidly evolving corporate offence and filature to prevent misconduct by their employees.
• Climate change has fallen from the top seven risk ranking in Asia.

Namit Mahajan, Head of FINEX, Asia, at Willis, said: “The latest survey findings show that while the core risks facing directors and officers in Asia remain broadly familiar, the order of concern is evolving in line with the region’s economic and digital transformation. Data loss and cyberattacks continue to dominate board agendas, underlining the need for strong governance around cyber resilience, data protection and incident response.

“At the same time, shifts in areas such as bribery and corruption, corporate crime and regulatory exposure point to a more complex and fast-changing risk environment for boards across Asia. In this context, organisations need to take a proactive view of both risk management and D&O insurance protection to stay ahead of emerging exposures.”

The findings highlight several priority actions for boards and senior management across Asia, including strengthening cyber governance frameworks, maintaining balance between traditional and emerging risks, and preparing for heightened regulatory scrutiny and claims activity.

About the survey

Respondents include 975 global senior decision makers working in services, finance and insurance, healthcare, industry, energy and utilities and transportation and retail. Company size includes revenues of $5 billion or more (14%), $1 to 5 billion (15%), $50 million to $1 billion (35%) and less than $50 million (36%).

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