For the past two decades, compliance has been defined by scale. Robust programs, multilayered policies, and sophisticated monitoring tools are all hallmarks of a well-managed compliance program. Yet, as this series revealed, resiliency is not a result of size but rather a product of connection. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which form the backbone of many economies, can leverage their small size into an advantage. These SMEs will shape the future of compliance.

Among the thousands of professionals displaced when USAID was dismantled were numerous lawyers whose work had undergirded the agency’s programs worldwide. Understanding that those skills could be transferred to serving other organizations in the international development and humanitarian assistance space – such as foundations, impact investors, multilaterals and non-profits, as well as corporations – a team of attorneys recently launched Mission Driven Counsel LLP. 

As 2025 winds down and compliance priorities continue to evolve, how can teams adapt to meet organizational needs in a changing landscape?

Surveys are a tool that allows compliance and ethics professionals to understand the effectiveness of an integrity program. They provide insights on how comfortable employees feel speaking up, how they view integrity successes, and identify emerging challenges. They are a way to signal that your company operates with integrity and is less of a risk for potential partners and collaborators. Paired with other monitoring tools, their insights are both powerful and essential...

 What a great question! It is becomingly increasingly clear that compliance obligations are expanding and thus aligning with the obligations of other departments more often. Suddenly, risks regarding working with third parties becomes a data security risk, a contracts risk, and a compliance risk all at one time. So, what can be done to help all of your departments to synchronize your efforts?

Entrepreneurs are unique actors in the private sector; they drive innovation and create new jobs and boost economic growth. Their high growth and risk tolerant mindset, coupled with finite resources, mean they face a unique set of integrity and ethics challenges.