Nearly two-thirds of firms globally are allowing employees to trade digital assets without pre-approval, according to new research from StarCompliance, exposing what the company describes as a significant compliance blind spot at a time of increasing regulatory scrutiny.
The Fifth Annual Crypto & Compliance Market Study from StarCompliance, a provider of employee and firm compliance technology, assesses how organisations are approaching oversight of employee digital asset transactions and holdings. The findings suggest that while awareness of digital asset risks is growing, many firms have yet to implement robust governance frameworks.
The research shows that 63% of firms permit employee crypto trading without any formal pre-clearance process. Only 37% confirm they have established a formal crypto-trading policy, underscoring a wide policy gap across the industry. At the same time, 79% of firms say they do not plan to introduce a crypto trading policy in 2026, potentially leaving themselves exposed to conflicts of interest, insider trading risks and the misuse of material nonpublic information.
Visibility remains another core challenge. More than 50% of respondents cited lack of visibility as the primary obstacle in monitoring employee digital asset trading and identifying conflicts or misuse of sensitive information. This lack of oversight is particularly concerning as digital asset markets continue to evolve and regulatory frameworks mature across major jurisdictions.
Regulatory preparedness also appears to be lagging. The study found that 75% of respondents described their organisations as either “somewhat unprepared” or “very unprepared” to manage risks associated with crypto, tokenisation and prediction markets. Despite clearer regulatory signals globally, many firms appear hesitant to act decisively.
Approaches to regulatory change vary widely. While 21% of firms report taking aggressive steps to prepare for tokenised assets and digital market regulations, 46% are adopting a “wait-and-see” stance. A further 25% say they are planning action but have not yet implemented changes, and 8% admit they are unaware of the regulatory implications.
Star argues that firms which formalised employee crypto trading policies early are better positioned as regulation becomes more clearly defined. Star head of business development Steve Brown said, “As digital asset regulation matures into clear, defined standards globally, firms can move forward with greater confidence in building comprehensive compliance programs. Our data shows that firms which formalized employee crypto trading policies early are better positioned as regulations take shape, while those without clear controls now face growing pressure to catch up using established regulatory roadmaps.”
In response to these challenges, Star offers Crypto Dealing & Tokenized Asset Compliance Solutions, designed to provide automated pre-clearance, real-time risk detection and continuous monitoring. The platform aims to enable employees to trade crypto while giving compliance teams the visibility required to mitigate regulatory and reputational risk.
As digital assets become further embedded within global financial markets, the research suggests that firms without clear policies and monitoring capabilities may face increasing pressure from regulators and stakeholders alike.
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