MetricStream, the global market leader in governance, risk, and compliance (GRC), today announced its annual forecast of GRC trends for 2026. As organizations confront a more volatile and interconnected risk environment, the 2026 predictions provide guidance for enterprises seeking to strengthen resilience, anticipate emerging threats, and unlock new opportunities for enterprise-wide GRC transformation.

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The MetricStream team will review these trends and more in a January 21, 2026, webinar with Michael Rasmussen, the GRC Pundit, analyst, and founder of industry research service GRC 20/20.

“2026 will demand a fundamental shift in how organizations manage risk and compliance, moving from siloed and reactive practices to integrated, predictive, and AI-driven models,” said Manu Gopeendran, SVP of Strategy and Marketing at MetricStream. “These predictions offer more than insight; they provide direction on how leaders can simplify GRC and amplify outcomes, leading to faster decisions, deeper transparency, and long-term sustainable performance.”

Key GRC Trends of 2026

1. Agentic GRC, with Human Governance Takes Hold
   
   GRC workflows shift toward agentic, autonomous models that streamline monitoring and decision support, while keeping humans firmly in control of oversight and governance.
2. Data Quality Becomes the New GRC Differentiator
   
   A trusted, high-quality data foundation emerges as essential for powering AI-ready GRC programs and ensuring accuracy, transparency, and confidence in automated insights.
3. Business Continuity Evolves into Operational Resilience
   
   Programs shift from recovery-focused plans to holistic resilience strategies that sustain critical services across increasingly unpredictable disruptions.
4. Cyber GRC Rises to the Top of the Enterprise Agenda
   
   Cyber risk management becomes a board-level priority, with organizations unifying cyber, IT, and compliance insights to defend against escalating threats.
5. Boards Deepen Their Engagement in GRC
   
   Boards demand clearer risk intelligence, enhanced reporting, and stronger governance as regulatory scrutiny and stakeholder expectations intensify.

“In 2026 and beyond, success will favor those who treat risk as a dynamic pulse, not a checkbox, and use AI to transform governance, compliance, and resilience into a unified, intelligent system,” said Michael Rasmussen, GRC Analyst & Pundit at GRC 20/20. “AI-first GRC gives organizations the ability to connect cyber, operational, third-party, compliance, and business risks into a living ecosystem, allowing GRC teams to shift to proactive resilience.”

Join us on January 21, 2026, for a live webinar with Michael Rasmussen as we discuss these and other top GRC trends and strategies for 2026. Register here.

For more information on MetricStream’s 2026 GRC predictions and the full list of trends, please visit: 10 Trends Shaping GRC in 2026 and Beyond.

About MetricStream Inc.

MetricStream simplifies Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) with purpose-built AI-first Risk, Compliance, Audit, Cyber GRC, Third-party Risk, and Resilience products on a single low-code / no-code GRC cloud platform. Trusted by over 1 million GRC professionals across 35+ countries, our industry-specific products and AI agents help businesses successfully manage audits, avoid compliance violations and fines, reduce risk exposure, and strengthen resilience. MetricStream is headquartered in San Jose, California, with operations and offices around the globe. Learn more at www.metricstream.com.

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"2026 will demand a fundamental shift in how organizations manage risk and compliance, moving from siloed and reactive practices to integrated, predictive, and AI-driven models,” said Manu Gopeendran, SVP of Strategy and Marketing at MetricStream.