Aon plc, a leading global professional services firm, has released the Asia findings of its 2025 Global Risk Management Survey, revealing that the region is grappling with intensifying competition and economic uncertainty as organisations confront a new era of disruption and transformation.
The survey, which gathered insights from nearly 3,000 risk managers, C-suite leaders, and executives across 63 countries, highlights how Asia’s risk priorities are shifting in response to technological, economic and geopolitical forces.
“Cyber Attacks/Data Breach” remains the number one risk across Asia. However, in 2025, “Increasing Competition” and “Exchange Rate Fluctuation” have risen sharply, reflecting the region’s dynamic markets and heightened exposure to global financial volatility.
“Increasing Competition” is now in business leaders’ top three key risks for the region, a significant jump from eighth place in 2023.
Asia’s risk landscape also features “Weather/Natural Disasters” as a prominent concern, ranking eighth. This issue is more pronounced in Asia compared to other regions, underscoring Asia’s vulnerability to climate-related disruptions.
Additionally, “Failure to Attract and Retain Top Talent” rounds out the top ten risks — a challenge that does not appear among the global top ten, highlighting unique workforce pressures in the region.
The survey found that 52.1 per cent of businesses reported losses due to “Exchange Rate Fluctuations”, followed by 45.4 per cent from “Economic Slowdown” and 43.6 per cent from “Increasing Competition”. Workforce challenges persist, with 30.4 per cent of businesses reporting losses due to “Failure to Attract and Retain Top Talent”.
“Asia’s business environment is transforming rapidly. Digitalisation, shifting economic currents and increasing competition are reshaping priorities,” said Terence Williams, head of Commercial Risk, APAC at Aon. “Today’s challenges are more interconnected than ever — cyber threats can disrupt supply chains; economic volatility can impact talent retention, and climate events can trigger regulatory changes overnight. The insights from Aon’s 2025 Global Risk Management Survey offer leaders clarity amid complexity, helping them benchmark and focus risk strategies.”
While most organisations in Asia recognise the importance of risk management, there is still room to strengthen and formalise their approach — unlocking greater resilience and future growth.
“In a world where disruption is the new normal, understanding the intersection and velocity of risks is essential for creating sustainable success,” said Adam Peckman, global head of cyber risk consulting and head of Cyber Solutions for APAC at Aon. “To mitigate the risks of Cyber Attacks and Economic Slowdown, organisations must move away from a reactive approach and instead embed cyber resilience and financial agility into their core strategies. This means adopting advanced analytics, scenario planning, robust continuity frameworks, and continually evaluating the role of risk capital to manage volatility.”
Aon’s 2025 Global Risk Management Survey also provides a forward-looking perspective on the risks business leaders expect to be most critical by 2028. Increasing competition and cyber risk remain the top concerns for the future.
At the same time, geopolitical volatility joins the top five future risks, reflecting the growing instability across regions, with implications for supply chains, regulatory environments and financial performance.
