Successful companies know that there are benefits to compliance. It is not just about avoiding penalties, it is about building business resilience and unlocking growth, writes Olivier Cornet, UK country manager at Sixthfin

The new anti-fraud measures can be a benefit to large organisations. Far from being a burden, compliance offers a golden opportunity to streamline operations and modernise outdated practices. When controls are data-driven, enhanced by AI and integrated across an organisation, they do not just mitigate risks, they drive efficiencies, uncover innovation and set the stage for sustainable growth.

So how can accountants and control teams ensure compliance is a company benefit? These are some typical challenges to address:

• Fragmented data or silos. This can hold up real-time system management and decision making;
• Inadequate separation of duties. For example, 40% of internal fraud is linked to poor segregation of duties, such as allowing the same person to enter purchases and payments;
• Existence of older technology and processes. It does what it always did, but it is not ready for the future and now it is holding the business back.

A solid compliance process implementing robust controls can drive value. Regional entities can be fully integrated with head office, ERP systems can be properly combined and employee training can bring everyone up to date. All this leads to the compliance benefits of improved processes, greater data quality and recognition of best practices. These business improvements can generate growth, innovation and funding.

There is already a new sense of urgency and opportunity around compliance, according to the PwC Global Compliance Survey 2025. Companies know that changes are coming and are readying themselves for the task ahead. The PwC research goes on to say that although “only 7% of respondents currently consider themselves to be leading in compliance… 38% aim to be leading within three years.”

Internal controls will be at the forefront of the new trend. The way to meet the new measures is to turn your controls into a data-driven discipline that reduces risks, improves efficiency and ensures compliance at scale.

Accountants and controls teams can aid their clients by avoiding compliance in a hurry. With the right technology, new anti-fraud measures could benefit large corporates, and reveal inefficient corners of a company. They need a systematic approach to preventing fraud, which means it needs to be automated.

As the finance transformation director at Saint Gobain says: “It is important to achieve efficiency and move teams to higher-value work. That is the true return on investment.”

The benefits of improved processes and greater data quality are that the team gains in credibility. Companies that act now to modernise their controls will not only avoid stressful, last-minute fixes but will position themselves as leaders in governance, transparency and trust. The benefits of getting ahead go far beyond compliance: they redefine what is possible for your business.