European organisations are taking steps to strengthen resilience but are struggling to translate risk insight into business action, according to new research from Marsh.
Developed by Marsh’s European risk consulting practice and published ahead of FERMA Forum 2026 in Rotterdam, the survey examines how organisations are integrating risk management into decision-making across scenario planning, supply chain resilience, AI and analytics, workforce preparedness and infrastructure resilience.
The findings, based on responses from 146 organisations across Europe, point to a disconnect between risk management and business strategy, with organisations also facing a gap between their ambitions for AI and analytics and their current capabilities.
Some 39% of respondents said they do not currently use AI or analytics tools in risk management, while a further 32% use them only in selected areas.
At the same time, AI and analytics were identified as the leading near-term priority for action by 30% of respondents, highlighting the gap between the importance attached to the technologies and their current deployment.
The survey also found limitations in supply chain visibility, with nearly 40% of respondents having full visibility only of their direct suppliers, while around one-third have visibility into tier two and tier three suppliers in critical supply chains.
Monitoring remains largely manual, with 57% of respondents relying on human-led review of alerts.
Marsh said a similar gap is evident in the use of scenario analysis and stress testing. More than 50% of respondents embed scenario analysis in strategic planning, while 43% integrate stress testing into strategic and financial planning.
However, only around one-third use the findings against defined risk limits to confirm or adjust decisions, suggesting that risk analysis is not consistently feeding through into business decisions.
Climate-related resilience shows a comparable disconnect between assessment and implementation. Marsh’s survey found that more than 60% of respondents have conducted quantitative climate scenario analysis, but only around one-third have defined adaptation and mitigation plans.
Investment in physical resilience is also limited, with just 11% of respondents reporting investing in adapting owned assets to physical climate risks, while 8% report investment in supply chain adaptation.
With all this in mind, Marsh has recommended strengthening the connection between risk insight and decision-making, extending supply chain visibility and applying AI and analytics more effectively.
The firm has also called for a more forward-looking approach to workforce planning and for climate adaptation and mitigation to be integrated more systematically into strategy and investment decisions.
Typhaine Beauperin, Client Leader, Risk Management, Europe, Marsh, said, “Organisations increasingly recognise where resilience needs to be strengthened, but the challenge is turning insight into action. Risk management has an opportunity to move beyond identification and monitoring and play a more active role in business decision-making.
“Organisations that better connect governance and strategy with data-driven risk management will be better positioned to make faster informed decisions, build greater resilience, and plan more effectively for the future.”
Maurizio Quintavalle, Head of Risk Consulting, Europe, Marsh, added, “The report highlights gaps between risk management ambitions and current practices. Addressing these requires risk managers to strengthen their role as decision architects, combining data and quantitative analytics, foresight capabilities, and AI to identify emerging risks earlier and better understand their potential impact.
“In doing so, they can provide business leaders with a stronger basis for strategic decisions and increase the value risk management brings to the organisation.”
