Allianz Risk, part of the Allianz Group and a provider of insurance solutions and risk consulting for commercial and corporate clients, has published the Allianz Risk Barometer 2026, outlining the most significant risks expected to affect businesses worldwide over the coming year.
The findings show that cyber incidents continue to be the dominant concern for organisations, while artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly become one of the most prominent emerging risks.
According to Allianz Risk, cyber incidents rank as the number one global business risk for the fifth consecutive year, cited by 42% of survey participants. This is the highest level recorded for cyber risk since the barometer was introduced and reflects a growing gap between cyber threats and all other risk categories.
Allianz Risk reports that cyber incidents are viewed as the leading concern across all regions, including the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Africa and the Middle East. The results highlight the increasing dependence of companies on digital infrastructure at a time when cyber threats are becoming more frequent, targeted, and complex.
“Large companies’ investments in cyber security and resilience have been paying off, ensuring they can detect and respond to attacks early. However, cyber risk continues to evolve. Organisations are increasingly reliant on third party providers for critical data and services, while AI is supercharging threats, increasing the attack surface and adding to existing vulnerabilities,” said Michael Bruch, Global Head of Risk Consulting Advisory Services, Allianz Commercial.
Artificial intelligence has shown the most dramatic change in the 2026 ranking, moving from tenth place last year to second, with 32% of respondents identifying it as a major source of risk. Allianz Risk attributes this rise to the rapid integration of AI systems into business operations across nearly all sectors.
“Companies increasingly see AI not only as a powerful strategic opportunity but also as a complex source of operational, legal, and reputational risk. In many cases, adoption is moving faster than governance, regulation, and workforce readiness can keep up,” added Ludovic Subran, Chief Economist, Allianz.
“As more firms attempt to scale in 2026, they will face greater exposure to system-reliability issues, data-quality constraints, integration hurdles, and skilled talent shortages. Meanwhile, new liability exposures are emerging around automated decision-making, biased or discriminatory models, intellectual-property misuse, and uncertainty over who is responsible when AI-generated outputs cause harm.”
The Allianz Risk Barometer 2026 shows business interruption falling to third place, marking the first time it has not ranked among the top two risks. Allianz Risk emphasises, however, that business interruption remains a critical issue, as it is often a direct consequence of other threats such as cyber incidents, supply chain disruption, or political developments. Nearly one-third of respondents continue to rank it among their top concerns, underlining its ongoing relevance for corporate risk planning.
Allianz Risk also observes changes in other areas of the ranking. Natural catastrophes have moved down to fifth place compared with the previous year, influenced by lower overall losses during 2025. In contrast, political risks and violence have risen to seventh place, their highest position to date in the survey. Allianz Risk links this increase to heightened uncertainty surrounding international relations, regional conflicts, and government intervention in trade and economic policy.
The report highlights continued strain on global supply chains as a result of shifting trade policies and rising barriers to cross-border commerce. Allianz Risk points to a sharp increase in trade restrictions over the past year, affecting a significant share of global merchandise flows. Despite these pressures, only a small proportion of respondents describe their supply chains as highly resilient.
Allianz Risk notes that this environment is prompting companies to reconsider sourcing strategies, including greater regionalisation and closer alignment with preferred trading partners. Changes in legislation and regulation, including tariffs and trade rules, remain the fourth-ranked global risk, with a growing number of respondents identifying this area as a concern.
Allianz Risk concludes that the 2026 findings reflect a business landscape shaped by closely connected risks, where digital threats, emerging technologies, and political developments interact to increase uncertainty.
