18 September 2025, Singapore – Financial institutions across Asia-Pacific are leading global peers in compliance investment, according to the 2025 Annual Compliance Health Check Report – APAC Snapshot from SteelEye, the global leader in integrated surveillance and compliance technology.
Canvassed and collected from senior compliance professionals in the APAC market, this bespoke set of insights offers a regional perspective into how APAC firms are progressing with current priorities, trends, and challenges. The survey found that 84% of firms in APAC increased their compliance budgets in the last year, with technology investment driving the majority of this growth. This marks a sharp acceleration in compliance spending across the region.
However, the report reveals stark differences between markets:
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Singapore leads globally in AI adoption, with 97% of firms using AI in surveillance and 96% of AI users reporting measurable improvements. Yet, nearly two-in-five firms (37%) still cite inadequate surveillance tools as a major challenge, and only 31% monitor WhatsApp.
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Hong Kong is ahead in monitoring encrypted messaging, with 49% of firms surveilling WhatsApp, but it remains behind on AI, with only 39% of firms adopting the technology.
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Australia prioritises record-keeping and regulatory reporting, with 79% investing in archiving and 66% in reporting. It lags significantly on WhatsApp surveillance (11%, the lowest globally) and faces severe staff resourcing challenges.
Across APAC
, firms continue to struggle with using Management Information (MI) effectively: 39% of firms said they face difficulties converting raw surveillance outputs into board-level MI, making it a top regional compliance challenge.
Commenting on the findings, Matt Smith, CEO of SteelEye, said:
"APAC firms are leading the way in compliance investment, but the picture is far from uniform. Singapore shows what’s possible when technology is embraced, while Hong Kong and Australia reveal persistent blind spots in AI, voice, and encrypted communications monitoring. Regulators in the region are stepping up enforcement, and firms cannot afford to let these gaps undermine their progress. The winners will be those who view compliance not as a cost, but as competitive infrastructure."
About the research
The research was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of SteelEye, with 300 Senior Compliance Decision Makers within Financial Services firms across Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the USA. Data was collected between 31 January and 4 February 2025.
About SteelEye
SteelEye is the industry’s pioneering integrated trade and communications surveillance solution. We empower financial firms with the data-driven tools and complete insights they need to focus on what matters, all from a single platform.
State-of-the-art algorithms and intelligent alerts proactively detect market manipulation and compliance breaches, while our holistic data model – which combines communications, trades, orders, news, and market data – provides intelligent insights and deep analytics. Founded in 2017, SteelEye has offices in the UK, North America, Portugal, and India, while also being incorporated in Singapore. For further information, visit steel-eye.com.
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