Compliance risk is defined as the potential threat to the earnings or businesses of a company resulting from violations or infringement of laws, regulations or stipulated practices and standards within the company, industry and government. Compliance is therefore, the system of procedures and controls required to ensure conformance to these established rules and regulations. The impact of compliance risk can be rather far-reaching. It could even lead to loss of earnings and business opportunities, tarnished company image and imminent lawsuits.

In some organizations compliance risk is regarded as a component of operational risks within the risk management structure. Operational compliance risk refers to conformance to the administrative and operational procedures, guidelines and regulations. However in the financial sector, banking compliance risk is considered a category of its own. IT governance compliance risk is now an escalating concern for most companies, as they have to comply with government and industry regulations regarding data security and web exposure.

Compliance risk governance provides the mechanism to ensure that the stipulated controls and policies are being administered and adhered to. Systems are established to ensure compliance with the specified guidelines and the appropriate corrective action to be taken in the event of violation or errors. Another important function is to audit compliance risk measures and controls. This will make sure that the self-assessments carried out are effective, and the risk management approaches and controls are functioning and effectual.

Compliance risk management is a process of internal controls designed to manage and control risks throughout the company. It is imperative to first, identify the types and areas of risks. Compliance risk analysis is carried out, either by the compliance unit of an organization, or in some companies, self-assessment is conducted by the individual business units. The existing controls to detect risk occurrence and minimize loss exposure are subjected to regular checks and monitoring to measure their efficiency. An effective compliance risk framework depends on the execution of efficient controls and monitoring. The success of such a framework would also depend very much on the commitment of the management and the employees. Be sure that your employees have the proper training and know the proper procedures to avoid compliance risks.