Financial Firms ‘Unprepared’ to Handle Crypto Trading Among Staff: Report

A new study finds that a number of financial firms fall short of compliance with regard to crypto trading.

Maryland-based technology provider StarCompliance recently revealed the results of its annual “Crypto & Compliance Market Study.”

Now in its fifth year, the report offers a “snapshot of how firms are managing employee crypto trading,” according to StarCompliance, and “assesses firms’ readiness to monitor employee crypto transactions and holdings while highlighting critical compliance gaps.”

This year’s study found that 63% of firms globally permit employee crypto trading without pre-approval, “revealing a material compliance gap at a time of heightened regulatory scrutiny of digital assets worldwide.”

“As digital asset regulation matures into clear, defined standards globally, firms can move forward with greater confidence in building comprehensive compliance programs,” suggests Steve Brown, Head of Business Development at Star.

But 79% of firms do not intend to implement a crypto trading policy in 2026, according to the annual report, exposing them to possible conflicts of interest such as insider trading or the mishandling of nonpublic information.

And 75% of respondents described their organizations as “somewhat unprepared” or “very unprepared” to manage crypto, tokenization, and prediction-market risks, with half adopting a “wait-and-see” approach.

Some are acting, however. While one-quarter report making plans but not yet implementing them, 21% of firms say they are actively taking “aggressive steps.”

“Our data shows that firms which formalized employee crypto trading policies early are better positioned as regulations take shape,” noted Brown, “while those without clear controls now face growing pressure to catch up using established regulatory roadmaps.”

Founded in 1999, Star delivers Crypto Dealing & Tokenized Asset Compliance Solutions, offering automated pre-clearance, real-time risk detection, and continuous monitoring for employees who want to trade and sell crypto while providing their business with visibility.