Avalara Predicts 2026 Will Reshape Global Business Through AI, Transparency, and Compliance Agility 339

New Avalara insights forecast how automation, regulation, and real-time data will impact tax, trade, and digital operations worldwide

Avalara, the agentic tax and compliance leader, today released its 2026 trend predictions, offering insights from its executive team and thought leaders across finance, agentic AI, global trade, engineering, government, retail, lodging, and e-invoicing.

From CFO strategy to global supply chains and AI-driven tax enforcement, Avalara executives and business unit leaders agree that 2026 will be a year of greater digital precision, compliance intelligence, and data-driven agility for businesses worldwide.

“CFOs are becoming data strategists,” said Ross Tennenbaum, President of Avalara. “In 2026, the finance function’s ability to unify financial, tax, and operational data will define enterprise agility. Finance professionals who view tax beyond a cost to a strategic insight will lead the next wave of intelligent growth for their businesses.”

Finance and Strategy: The CFO as Data Strategist

According to Tennenbaum, CFOs will evolve from financial gatekeepers to strategic orchestrators of digital value. AI and automation will increasingly manage forecasting, reconciliations, and compliance, freeing CFOs to focus on scenario modeling and growth.

In 2026, leading finance organizations will operate more like analytics consultancies, using real-time tax, margin, and compliance data to guide daily decisions.

Tax complexity will also emerge as one of the most significant enterprise risks as governments accelerate real-time digital reporting and global minimum tax mandates. CFOs will begin budgeting not only for compliance but also for audit defense and data integrity.

“In 2026, we will finally see the end of tax data sitting in compliance silos,” Tennenbaum added. “Finance teams will use tax intelligence to optimize pricing, cash flow, and supply chain strategy.”

AI Accountability Emerges as the Cornerstone of Compliance in 2026

“AI will reshape how businesses manage compliance,” said Danny Fields, Chief Technology and Customer Operations Officer at Avalara. He added, “The biggest challenge in 2026 is governing automation. As AI takes on more tax and compliance decisions, accountability is critically essential.”

Fields predicts that continuous, real-time compliance will replace periodic filings as governments demand instant visibility into transactions. “Compliance will evolve to be a continuous state beyond quarterly reporting,” he said.

He also expects resilience and reliability to become core compliance metrics. “Continuity during disruption is now part of regulatory trust,” Fields added.

Finally, Fields said the true return on AI will come from orchestration, not experimentation, as organizations integrate governed, auditable systems that blend automation with human oversight. “In 2026, AI trust will be measured,” he said.

U.S. Tax Policy: Stability Meets Scrutiny

Scott Peterson, VP of Government Relations at Avalara, expects fewer structural tax shifts in 2026 following sweeping changes in 2025, but warns that compliance complexity will rise. “The permanent extension of 100% depreciation will influence capital investment strategies, while expiring provisions in the 2025 tax package could trigger new legislative debates.”

States face fiscal pressure as federal funding for programs such as Medicaid declines. How states respond will determine their compliance burden.

“States like Colorado are already revising their tax codes to offset federal changes,” noted Peterson. “Every jurisdiction will need to decide whether to follow the federal government’s lead or chart its own path.”

Industries under increased audit scrutiny include software, SaaS, and lodging marketplaces, as states expand sales tax regimes into new digital sectors.

Global Trade and Tariffs: Complexity Becomes Opportunity

Craig Reed, General Manager of Cross Border at Avalara, expects trade volatility to ease slightly in 2026 but cautions that supply chains must remain agile as nations diversify trade partnerships beyond the United States.

“2026 will not bring calm, but it will bring clarity,” Reed said. “The winners will be those who can anticipate change and adjust their supply chains accordingly.”

Reed emphasized the four fundamentals of global trade: de minimis levels, country of origin, tariff codes, and declared value. Accurate classification remains critical, as even minor data errors can delay shipments or inflate duty costs.

“In cross-border trade, bad data is more expensive than any tariff,” Reed added. “The future of commerce belongs to companies that treat compliance as a data discipline.”

Carlos Mercuriali, Senior VP and General Manager of International Business Operations at Avalara, shared a similar view: “Global trade in 2026 will reward companies that can anticipate change. The U.K. is reemerging as a dynamic trade hub, and those that align supply chain agility with compliance precision will turn complexity into opportunity,” Mercuriali said.

He added that industries with multi-country supply chains, including electronics and renewables, will face tightening margins as tariffs rise. Companies that embrace digital traceability and AI forecasting will lead in resilience and competitiveness.

Retail and Marketplaces: AI as the New Compliance Engine

“In digital commerce, AI will reshape every aspect of the retail and marketplace ecosystem,” said George Trantas, VP of Accelerator Sales at Avalara.

“The future of marketplaces will be AI-managed for transactions, with humans leading the strategy,” he added. “The best platforms will combine automation and compliance intelligence to fuel growth.”

Trantas predicts that AI-driven personalization will redefine consumer engagement, while tax intelligence will become a competitive advantage that ensures every transaction is accurate, auditable, and seamless.

“As automation scales, so does compliance risk,” he concluded. “Automation removes friction, not responsibility. The companies that combine speed with strong governance will win.”

E-Invoicing and International Compliance: From Obligation to Advantage

Across regions, digital tax mandates are accelerating, with more than 60 countries implementing or planning e-invoicing frameworks by 2030. Alex Baulf, Avalara’s VP of E-Invoicing and Live Reporting, expects 2026 to mark a tipping point when compliance becomes a catalyst for digital transformation:

“By 2026, e-invoicing will become a strategic business advantage, moving beyond a government mandate,” Baulf emphasized. “As countries such as France, Germany, and Belgium implement their frameworks, global tax reform will increasingly converge around data, pushing multinationals to standardize compliance processes and transition from reactive reporting to proactive control.”

Baulf stressed that companies embracing real-time digital reporting and e-document exchange will uncover new levels of efficiency, transparency, and insight across every transaction. “Digital tax mandates will no longer be just about compliance, but will serve as the backbone of connected commerce, enabling smarter, faster, and more borderless trade,” he said.

Lodging and Hospitality: Transparency, AI, and Local Enforcement

Nicole Rogers, General Manager of Lodging at Avalara, sees 2026 as a pivotal year for pricing transparency legislation and the challenges of non-uniform state regulation. “Operators must navigate a patchwork of changing lodging and special-district taxes, particularly in California, Hawaii, Illinois, Connecticut, and Colorado,” said Rogers.

Traveler behavior will also shift as major employers reduce remote work flexibility, which could lower long-stay demand. Meanwhile, jurisdictions such as Tennessee are tightening compliance rules, requiring upfront tax collection even for long-term stays.

“Even small classification errors can lead to significant compliance costs in high-rate states,” added Rogers.

Pam Knudsen, Senior Director of Compliance Services at Avalara, noted that AI is changing local short-term rental (STR) enforcement.

“Jurisdictions are using AI-powered tools to identify noncompliant STRs in real time,” Knudsen said. “Enforcement is becoming faster, smarter, and more consistent than ever before.”

Knudsen stressed that major global events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will test cities’ ability to balance tax collection with community needs as STR demand surges.

The future of tax and compliance is agentic. In 2026, success will depend on systems that support and drive tax compliance. Avalara’s AI-first infrastructure is built to observe, advise, and act across jurisdictions, platforms, and workflows, delivering the speed, accuracy, and accountability global businesses require.

About Avalara

Avalara is the agentic tax and compliance leader. For more than two decades, Avalara has developed one of the most expansive libraries of tax content and integrations in the industry, supporting over 43,000 businesses and government entities across more than 75 countries. The company’s purpose-built AI agents automate end-to-end compliance processes with greater precision, from tax calculation and filing to e-invoicing and exemption management. For more information, visit www.avalara.com.

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Shadow APIs and Weak Gateway Controls Elevate Fintech Risk, Finds Info-Tech Research Group 771

With banks expanding fintech partnerships to deliver digital services at scale, externally facing APIs have become foundational to modern banking infrastructure. However, many institutions lack complete visibility into APIs in production or consistent enforcement through mature gateway controls. New insights from Info-Tech Research Group show how these structural gaps increase exposure to evolving threats. The firm’s Improve Your API Processes to Secure Your Fintech Integrations blueprint outlines three priority actions to strengthen API governance and secure fintech ecosystems.

As fintech ecosystems grow more complex, many banks are expanding API integrations faster than governance models can mature. Recent findings from global IT research and advisory firm Info-Tech Research Group indicate that incomplete API inventories, inconsistent oversight, and underconfigured gateways are leaving critical integration points exposed. In some cases, direct integrations with fintech partners bypass centralized gateway enforcement entirely, reducing visibility and limiting consistent control over authentication, monitoring, and traffic management. Adversaries increasingly leverage automation and AI-enabled discovery techniques, heightening the likelihood of undetected vulnerabilities across banking environments.

In response to these growing security pressures in retail banking, Info-Tech has published its Improve Your API Processes to Secure Your Fintech Integrations blueprint. The resource outlines how IT leaders can strengthen fintech API security by establishing a complete inventory of APIs in production, evaluating and maturing API gateway capabilities, and analyzing transaction-level processes to identify and remediate security gaps.

“APIs serve as the connective tissue linking on-premises systems with cloud, SaaS, and third-party services. However, many financial institutions face a significant challenge in the form of shadow APIs, undocumented or unmanaged interfaces that can outnumber known APIs by as much as ten to one,” says Jon Nelson, principal advisory director at Info-Tech Research Group. “To address this risk, financial institutions must establish comprehensive API security policies, conduct thorough API discovery, and implement enforcement mechanisms such as API gateways to ensure consistent control. Without these foundational measures, the expansion of fintech capabilities may introduce substantially more risk than institutions anticipate.”

Info-Tech’s Three-Step Action Plan to Strengthen Fintech API Security

To help banks operationalize secure fintech integrations, Info-Tech’s blueprint details three priority actions that form the foundation of a mature fintech API security program. These actions are designed to strengthen visibility, enforce consistent gateway controls, and elevate transaction-level protections across externally facing APIs:

1. Create a Comprehensive Inventory of All APIs in Production
Enterprise architecture, infrastructure, and application teams must partner with business stakeholders to identify, catalog, and document all internal and external APIs, including previously unknown or shadow endpoints. Without a complete inventory, APIs cannot be consistently governed or secured through centralized controls.

2. Evaluate the API Gateway and Its Configuration
IT operations and security teams should assess the bank’s API gateway deployment model and configuration maturity. This includes reviewing authentication, authorization, rate limiting, monitoring, logging, and certificate management capabilities to ensure controls align with current security best practices and regulatory expectations.

3. Analyze API Transactions to Guide Secure Configuration
Application development, DevSecOps, and security architecture teams should review API transaction flows against a best-practice model to identify control gaps. Findings should inform gateway configuration updates and process improvements, with oversight from the bank’s risk function to align with enterprise risk tolerance.

By embedding structured API governance and modern gateway capabilities into their operating model, banks can reduce exposure while enabling innovation at scale. Info-Tech’s Improve Your API Processes to Secure Your Fintech Integrations blueprint provides a structured methodology to help financial institutions move from fragmented API management to a mature, security-first fintech integration model. This enables fintech partnerships to scale without compromising regulatory compliance, operational stability, or customer trust.

About Info-Tech Research Group

Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world’s leading and fastest-growing research and advisory firms, serving over 30,000 IT, HR, and marketing professionals around the globe. As a trusted product and service leader, the company delivers unbiased, highly relevant research and industry-leading advisory support to help leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For nearly 30 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to expert guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com

CIMG Inc. Announces Liquidity Provider Agreement with The Ching Labs to Support DeSyn Pool TVL 785

CIMG Inc. (“CIMG” or the “Company”), a business group specializing in digital health and sales development, which utilizes technologies and marketing networks to enhance its business partners’ sales growth and commercial value, today announced that CIMG PTE. Ltd., its wholly owned subsidiary, has entered into an agreement with The Ching Labs Ltd. in connection with the DeSyn Protocol ecosystem to explore a strategic collaboration relating to compliant tokenization, structured on-chain yield opportunities, and decentralized governance.

As institutional participation in digital assets continues to grow, the demand for compliant, capital-efficient, and secure infrastructure has increased. Through this collaboration, CIMG intends to evaluate DeSyn’s cross-chain liquidity architecture and proprietary Triple-Layer Decentralized Security Model within its institutional initiatives, with the goal of supporting tokenized assets and structured yield strategies across multiple blockchain networks.

The joint initiative is expected to focus on developing an enterprise-oriented framework designed to simplify multi-chain asset management and tokenized real-world asset (RWA) use cases for institutional treasuries and asset managers.

About CIMG

CIMG is a business group specializing in digital health and sales development, with a cryptocurrency-focused strategy. The Company leverages AI and cryptocurrencies (such as Bitcoin and stablecoins) to drive business growth, helping clients maximize user growth and enhance brand management value. The Company’s current client portfolio includes brands such as Kangduoyuan, Maca-Noni, Qianmao, Huomao, and Coco-mango.

Katana Launches KAT Token With No VC Investment, Listing Directly on Binance 657

DeFi-native Layer-2 bypasses venture capital rounds entirely, launching with $500M+ in TVL and listings on Binance, OKX, KuCoin, and more

Katana, the DeFi-native Ethereum Layer incubated by Polygon Labs and GSR, today launched its KAT token with no venture capital investment and no preferential unlock schedules for insiders — making it one of the first major Layer-2 tokens to go to market without VC backers taking priority over users. KAT is now live for trading on Binance, OKX, KuCoin, Kraken, and other leading exchanges.

The launch follows an oversubscribed early access sale via Binance Wallet, signaling strong community participation ahead of the Token Generation Event (TGE).

Built on Polygon’s Agglayer, Katana concentrates DeFi liquidity into a focused core stack; Sushi for spot trading, Morpho for lending, and soon perpetuals trading, addressing the structural fragmentation and unsustainable yield models that have limited DeFi adoption. The network attracted over $500 million in total value locked (TVL) prior to today’s TGE.

“Today marks the next phase for Katana,” said Matthew Fisher, Head of Katana. “KAT activates the full DeFi flywheel; staking, coordination, and real yield driven by protocol activity. This is the result of months spent building productive infrastructure with real liquidity behind it.”

The KAT token underpins Katana’s incentive-aligned ecosystem. Holders can stake KAT to receive vKAT, which grants voting rights to direct protocol emissions to specific DeFi pools. By directing liquidity toward specific pools, vKAT holders influence which markets deepen, generate fees, and attract activity — creating a self-reinforcing cycle of capital allocation.

Rewarding early participation, users who stake within the first 72 hours of the TGE will receive “Founding Staker” status, unlocking enhanced rewards including a share of early exit fees. Pre-stakers will also receive 3x voting weight and 3x reward weight during the first eight weeks, alongside a 35% minimum yield floor for the first 60 days, calculated in KAT and paid in KAT (for the first 350 million KAT pre-staked, subject to terms).

KAT is available for spot trading on Binance (KAT/USDT, KAT/USDC, KAT/TRY), with additional listings on OkX, KuCoin, Kraken, and other leading exchanges. The broad exchange distribution reflects confidence in Katana’s approach to building sustainable DeFi infrastructure.

Ispire Highlights Economic Impact of New FDA Guidance on Flavored ENDS Unlocking a $50 Billion Market and Driving Significant Potential Asset Value 566

  • FDA establishes first-ever framework for flavored ENDS, recognizing device level age verification as a regulatory requirement
  • FDA guidance unlocks an estimated $50 billion total addressable market, allowing companies to lawfully transition the 70% illicit flavored vape market into a compliant ecosystem
  • Ispire’s 40%-owned IKE Tech joint venture is positioned to generate $5 million to $20 million in annual recurring SaaS revenue per customer in the US
  • Based on conservative SaaS metrics, even a limited number of customers could potentially value the IKE joint venture in the hundreds of millions, dramatically increasing Ispire’s book value

Ispire Technology Inc. (“Ispire” or the “Company”), a trailblazer in vaping technology and precision dosing, today highlighted the massive economic value and multi-billion-dollar market opportunity created for its shareholders by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) newly issued draft guidance outlining evidentiary expectations for Premarket Tobacco Product Applications (PMTAs) for flavored electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).

The FDA’s guidance effectively unlocks a $50 billion total addressable market by providing a lawful pathway for flavored vapes, which currently consist largely of illicit products. Ispire’s 40%-owned joint venture, IKE Tech LLC (“IKE Tech” or “IKE”), is uniquely positioned to capture this market. IKE’s recurring SaaS revenue model is expected to generate $5 million to $20 million annually per customer. Management believes that securing even a limited number of customers could value the IKE joint venture in the hundreds of millions, creating a highly valuable asset on Ispire’s balance sheet.

The guidance marks the first time the FDA has formally outlined a framework for evaluating flavored ENDS products, recognizing that device-level access technologies — or Device Access Restrictions (DAR) — may factor into whether a product meets the “appropriate for the protection of public health” (APPH) standard for PMTA authorization.

The draft guidance highlights DAR technologies such as biometric authentication, geofencing, and continuous age verification as potential safeguards designed to prevent underage use of ENDS devices. FDA also emphasizes that traditional safeguards such as local age restrictions and point-of-sale verification that do not directly prevent youth use may not, when employed alone, sufficiently reduce youth use.

“We believe this guidance represents a major step toward a technology-enabled regulatory framework for the vapor category,” said Michael Wang, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Ispire. “FDA’s recognition of Device Access Restrictions validates our long-held position that continuous, device-level age verification can protect youth while preserving adult choice.”

Ispire has long advocated for technology-driven youth prevention solutions. Through IKE, a joint venture that includes Ispire as a founding partner, the Company has supported the development of advanced identity and authentication systems designed to control device access directly at the point of use, rather than solely at the point of sale.

In 2025, IKE Tech submitted the first-ever component PMTA for a standalone, interoperable age-verification technology designed for integration across ENDS devices. The platform combines Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) chips, biometric authentication, and blockchain-secured identity verification to ensure that only verified adult users can activate a device. In a multi-center Human Factors Validation Study submitted with the PMTA, the IKE age-gating technology achieved:

  • 100% effectiveness in preventing device activation by underage users
  • 100% accuracy in demographic verification
  • User error rates below 1%, underscoring ease of use for adults
  • 91% user satisfaction with app simplicity and functionality

In addition to age verification, the IKE technology platform can also support product authentication and anti-counterfeiting capabilities, helping manufacturers and regulators identify illicit or counterfeit devices that bypass regulatory safeguards, evade taxes, and undermine consumer safety.

Economic Opportunity and Market Impact

The FDA’s draft guidance may immediately unlock access to a multi-billion-dollar segment of the U.S. vapor market. With flavored products representing a substantial portion of consumer demand, the agency’s recognition of DAR creates a potential pathway for compliant manufacturers to compete in segments previously dominated by illicit trade.

Industry estimates suggest that approximately 70% of the current U.S. vape market consists of illicit or unauthorized products. Data suggests that the total U.S. vapor market is currently around $50 billion annually, when accounting for hard-to-track illicit and unauthorized products. IKE’s technological solutions will allow companies to address this massive total market.

Over recent months, IKE Tech is actively working with large tobacco companies, leading independent brands, and several of the largest e-cigarette manufacturers to evaluate integration of its technology into flavored PMTA submissions, while also receiving strong inbound interest from manufacturers seeking to bring compliant flavored ENDS products to the U.S. market.

Following the FDA’s guidance, Ispire believes this framework could also influence global regulatory policy, with several major markets potentially moving toward mandating device-level age verification for ENDS products.

IKE’s business model is structured as a recurring compliance technology platform, generating SaaS revenue from manufacturers integrating the system into their devices. Each customer using the technology is expected to generate approximately $5 million – $20 million in annual recurring SaaS revenue, alongside recurring per-device hardware sales or firmware licensing fees. Even a limited number of authorized flavored ENDS products incorporating IKE’s technology could create significant enterprise value for the platform.

About IKE Tech LLC

IKE Tech LLC is a joint venture comprised of Ispire Technology Inc., Touch Point Worldwide Inc. d/b/a Berify, and Chemular Inc. Founded in 2024, IKE Tech is building the identity layer for the physical world. With patented technologies spanning blockchain authentication, secure BLE communication, and AI-enhanced access control, IKE powers secure, user-centric device interactions across regulated and high-risk sectors.

IKE’s System-on-a-Chip allows manufacturers to embed customizable, interoperable access controls into vapor devices — ensuring authorized adult use and preventing youth access through real-time mobile and biometric authentication. Visit www.iketech.com.

About Ispire Technology Inc.

Ispire is engaged in the research and development, design, commercialization, sales, marketing and distribution of branded e-cigarettes and cannabis vaping products. The Company’s operating subsidiaries own or license more than 400 patents worldwide. Ispire’s branded e-cigarette products are marketed under the Aspire name and are sold worldwide (except in the U.S., People’s Republic of China and Russia) primarily through its global distribution network. The Company also engages in original design manufacture (ODM) relationships with e-cigarette brands and retailers worldwide. The Company’s cannabis products are marketed under the Ispire brand name primarily on an ODM basis to other cannabis vapor companies. Ispire sells its cannabis vaping hardware in the US, Europe and South Africa and it recently commenced marketing activities and customer engagement in Canada and Latin America. For more information, visit www.ispiretechnology.com

Every Launches AI-Native Back Office Agents for Startups and Small Business Owners 584

Every (every.io) today unveiled its next-generation AI-powered back-office agents, empowering startups and small businesses with the operational support of a full-service team—spanning banking, payroll, benefits, HR compliance, accounting and taxes – without having to hire anyone.

Every, the all-in-one back-office platform designed for scaling businesses, today unveiled its next-generation AI agents: the AI CFO, AI Bookkeeper and AI CHRO. For founders stretched thin across every function, Every replaces the patchwork of consultants and software tools with a single AI-Native platform that works around the clock, autonomously.

Owners should be 100% focused on growth, but the burden of managing administrative tasks often gets in the way. Every is designed to eliminate this conflict. With powerful AI agents trained and managed by real human experts, Every handles the operational complexity of a small business, ensuring owners and their teams can finally dedicate themselves to scaling.

AI agents are only as good as the context they are given. While competitors offer point solutions that provide low-context agents, Every is an all-in-one platform—handling banking, payroll, HR, benefits, accounting, and taxes. This 360 degree view of a company’s back-office gives our AI agents high-context, enabling them to deliver accurate and customized operational support.

“At my last startup, Reflektive, I made some critical mistakes when setting up my back office because I couldn’t afford the right help—so I just guessed as I went,” said Rajeev Behera, CEO of Every. “That experience is exactly why we built Every. Most small businesses don’t need more software to manage; they need a partner who handles the hard stuff for them. Every gives every business owner the operational support of a full-service team—without the overhead.”

What Every Does for Your Business

AI CFO: Real-Time Financial Intelligence, Not Just a Dashboard
Every provides AI CFO that holds the complete financial context of your company. It knows how much you’re spending, whether your business is viable at your current burn rate, when your runway ends, and what levers to pull to extend it. Business owners can run “what if” scenarios—modeling the financial impact of a new hire, a capital expenditure, or a pricing change—instantly. Real-time snapshots of expenses and cash balances feeds this intelligence continuously, so your AI CFO is always working from current numbers, not last month’s data.

AI Bookkeeper: Automate the Work Your Bookkeeper Bills You For
For most small businesses, bookkeeping is one of the largest line items in the budget—paid to outside consultants who spend hours on transaction categorization and month-end reconciliation. Every AI agents automate both. The transaction categorizing agent and month-end reconciliation agent handle the time-consuming work that used to require a dedicated bookkeeper, continuously learning the patterns of your business to become more accurate over time.

AI CHRO: Your Compliance Co-Pilot for Every People Decision
HR compliance is where small businesses get into trouble—not from bad intentions, but from a lack of information. Every AI CHRO monitors every person’s decision in real time: hiring, terminations, time off, and benefits changes. Rather than doing the work for you, it checks your work—scanning thousands of current regulations and flagging risks before they become liabilities. It’s the compliance safety net every growing company needs.

One Platform, Full Context: The Every Difference
AI tools are only as good as the data they can see. Point solutions, a standalone payroll tool, a separate accounting app, a disconnected HR system—give AI a fragmented view of your business. Every is different. Because banking, payroll, benefits, HR, bookkeeping, and taxes all live in one platform, Every’s AI agents have the full context of your back office. The AI bookkeeper understands your cash flow. The AI CFO understands your burn. The AI CHRO understands your team. Together, they deliver the kind of integrated operational intelligence that was once available only to companies with dedicated finance, HR, and legal departments—and they get smarter with every transaction, every hire, and every decision your business makes.

Expert Guidance When You Need It Most
Every doesn’t just automate—it advises. From onboarding new employees to navigating compliance requirements, Every’s AI guides decision-making at every step. When a question goes beyond what AI can handle, Every’s human experts step in directly.

Security You Can Count On
Every uses anonymized data to power its AI—personal identifiable information is never passed to large language models. Business owners and their employees’ data stay protected.

About Every

Every is the all-in-one back-office platform for startups and small businesses, combining incorporation, banking, HR, payroll, benefits, taxes, and bookkeeping into a single AI-powered solution. Trusted by founders, business owners, and operators across the country, Every makes it easier to run a company—keeping teams compliant, finances clear, and operations running smoothly. For more information, visit every.io.

Chartis names SAS a leader in AI Governance 459

SAS AI offerings are developed, deployed and maintained in a responsible, transparent and ethical way

Chartis Research has named SAS a category leader in the Chartis RiskTech Quadrant for AI Governance Solutions. Among the 28 vendors it examined in the quadrant – part of a larger assessment of the governance, resilience and compliance solutions market – Chartis also recognized SAS as best-in-class in the model management and workflow categories.

“The SAS Viya platform includes leading governance capabilities that extend classic machine learning, model risk management, explainability, bias detection, privacy protection and end-to-end monitoring to the broader enterprise AI environment,” said Michael Versace, Research Director for Governance, Resilience and Compliance at Chartis. “By combining these capabilities with its deep expertise in regulated industries, SAS is in a position to demonstrate AI as a growth strategy for clients and prospects.”

Best-in-class and advanced capabilities

AI governance enables firms to systematically expand their AI capabilities while embedding safety, ethics, data quality and operational resilience into business workflows and decisions.

SAS Viya, the company’s data and AI platform, helps customers ensure that AI systems are reliable, explainable and human-centered through built-in trustworthy AI controls, bias detection and human-in-the-loop oversight at every critical decision point.

“AI governance isn’t a compliance exercise – it’s a competitive advantage,” said Stu Bradley, Senior Vice President of Risk, Fraud and Compliance Solutions at SAS. “When organizations get it right, they move faster, they build deeper trust and they get in front of risk instead of reacting to it. Chartis’ latest recognition reflects what our customers already know: with SAS, governance is built in, not bolted on.”

As noted in the Chartis Vendor Spotlight, SAS earned category leadership in AI governance on the strength of SAS Viya and a robust solutions portfolio purpose-built for regulated industries. Per the Vendor Spotlight, SAS’ best-in-class and advanced capabilities include:

Best-in-class

  • Model management – SAS’ model risk management (MRM) expertise is a foundational pillar of its AI governance strategy, underpinning a forward-thinking approach to AI model risk at all stages of use and implementation. SAS Viya’s lifecycle monitoring detects drift, automates documentation and triggers retraining in support of customers’ compliance needs. Audit trails and interpretability tools help organizations respond to changing regulatory demands, crucial in banking and financial services.
  • Workflow – The SAS platform supports unified workflows to assist in the management of AI models, with a focus on automating governance tasks. These structured pipelines enhance data visibility and accelerate decision-making, while enforcing checkpoint and compliance gates.

Advanced

  • Governance – SAS’ governance capabilities actively help firms mitigate AI and model risks, enabling automated enforcement of AI-risk frameworks and regulations. Human oversight provides accountability via explainability checkpoints and reviews throughout the lifecycle.
  • Data management – SAS’ data management capabilities emphasize data privacy and protection, visibility and benchmarking/mapping, while SAS Viya’s unified platform handles structured/unstructured data with audit trails. Tools such as SAS Data Maker generate synthetic data for secure testing, helping users mitigate risks.
  • Visualization/Dashboarding – SAS Viya provides auditable reports, traceability dashboards and explainability tools designed to detail agentic AI decision-making. This visibility strengthens stakeholder trust. The solution also supports human-in-the-loop oversight to help firms clarify and troubleshoot complex outcomes and problems, facilitate their compliance with AI regulations, and assist in regulatory reporting.
  • Model coverage – SAS Viya supports a broad range of model types, including traditional machine learning, GenAI, large language models (LLMs) and agentic systems. Customers can use Viya to establish an enterprise inventory and control environment for AI, extending governance to models via tools for transparency, accuracy, fairness and lifecycle tracking.

What is AI governance?

AI governance is an all-encompassing strategy that establishes AI oversight, ensures compliance, and develops consistent operations and infrastructure within an organization. It also fosters a human-centric culture and promotes AI transparency and accountability.

Strong AI governance builds trust with customers, regulators and internal stakeholders such as boards of directors and employees. Organizations with robust AI governance frameworks are better positioned to strengthen trust in AI-driven decisions and confidently manage AI risks. Without AI governance, organizations face possible legal penalties, reputational damage from biased or opaque AI decisions, operational inefficiencies, and lack of stakeholder trust in AI.

How SAS supports AI governance

With decades of governance experience, SAS supports AI governance with capabilities embedded throughout SAS Viya and in a comprehensive product portfolio for all areas of governance, risk and compliance. Users can perform model risk management (MRM), model interpretability, bias detection and mitigation, data masking and more.

SAS AI Navigator, coming next quarter, helps organizations gain full visibility and control of their AI usage. It centralizes information about models, agents and use cases; includes assessments; and enables governance and responsible adoption.

SAS AI Governance Manager supports highly regulated industries like banking and insurance. It enables enterprise-grade compliance through integrated governance, policy controls, MRM and model deployment.

Technology and industry leadership

This AI governance rating is only the latest recognition for SAS from Chartis. Others include:

  • SAS placed No. 2 overall in the Chartis RiskTech100 2026, the world’s most prestigious risk management technology rankings.
  • In the RiskTech100, SAS won in seven solution awards categories: AI for banking, balance sheet risk management, behavioral modeling, capital optimization, enterprise stress testing, IFRS 9 and MRM.
  • Chartis named SAS a category leader in all six quadrants of its analysis of the asset and liability management (ALM) market.
  • Chartis recognized SAS as a category leader in seven separate sectors of the credit risk management market.

Strong governance is the key to unlocking AI’s full potential while minimizing risk. For a clear, practical roadmap to innovate confidently and responsibly, download the free SAS e-book, How to govern your AI strategy in a highly regulated world.

About SAS

SAS is a global leader in data and AI. With SAS software and industry-specific solutions, organizations transform data into trusted decisions. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW.