Budgeting season is well underway, and many firms are now turning their attention to 2026.
As financial institutions look to enhance their operational resilience, securing buy-in for RegTech investment is becoming increasingly important, claims RelyComply.
For compliance teams, the challenge lies in showing how next-generation tools can unlock long-term value, secure operational gains and prove their worth to the chief financial officer and other senior stakeholders.
Although compliance conversations often centre on rising costs and complex rules, the idea that compliance must remain a drain on budgets is increasingly outdated. Modern RegTech can be a strategic investment rather than a simple cost centre, delivering competitive gains even as customer expectations, digital threats and regulatory pressures continue to intensify. Demonstrating that value is essential if compliance teams hope to secure their share of 2026’s budgets.
Understanding the CFO’s perspective is crucial. Over the past decade, compliance has evolved from a purely legal necessity to a highly sophisticated risk-management function. With the UK’s annual compliance bill now reaching around £38bn, many CFOs face intense pressure to keep spending under control at a time of heightened scrutiny. Yet the conversation often overlooks the significant return that modern compliance can deliver, especially when it prevents financial crime failures that result in multi-bn penalties and long-term reputational harm. Beyond punitive fines, public trust can erode quickly, making it harder to attract new business and retain staff.
Supporting the case for RegTech requires evidence, dialogue and clarity. Research from Grant Thornton highlights three core concerns for compliance technology buyers: cost, ease of use and operational effectiveness. At the same time, 86% of respondents felt communication between compliance teams and stakeholders needs improvement. Opening up that dialogue early in the budgeting process can help shift perceptions and highlight how RegTech can support broader business goals.
Clear metrics are essential. AI-driven monitoring that cuts false positives, automated workflows that remove inefficient manual tasks, and elastic cloud-based architectures that scale as regulations evolve all contribute to measurable ROI. This is especially true for firms upgrading from static legacy systems, which are often expensive to maintain and slow to adapt. As RelyComply CTO James Saunders said, “Technology can be an answer to many budget allocators’ concerns, albeit knowledge around its real-world improvements for the bottom line need to be stressed.”
There are several compelling reasons for CFOs to consider RegTech investment. Cloud-native platforms integrate smoothly with existing IT infrastructure, meaning firms can build on past investments rather than replace them wholesale. Centralised systems reduce friction, eliminate duplicated work and strengthen AML oversight across departments. Continuous testing environments allow firms to refine configurations without accumulating technical debt.
To advance the conversation, businesses should assess their current AML strategies, document gaps, review existing tools and engage potential RegTech partners. A careful internal review helps create a transparent picture of risk maturity and highlights where technology could reduce overheads or strengthen operational controls.
Ultimately, delaying RegTech investment can create greater long-term costs—financial, regulatory and reputational. Investing now enables firms to future-proof their compliance functions, build more resilient risk-management frameworks and position themselves competitively in an increasingly complex regulatory environment. A collaborative approach between compliance teams and CFOs will be essential to secure the technology foundations required for a safer and more efficient financial ecosystem.
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