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Legal costs for Indian companies surged in FY25, with top firms spending over US$7.3 billion on litigation, arbitration, regulatory filings, and compliance, which is an ~11% increase from the previous year. This rise reflects growing legal complexity, stricter regulations, and the escalating financial impact of corporate disputes. The increasing scale and sophistication of corporate disputes mean that even minor errors or oversights can have a significant financial and reputation impact. This makes timely, accurate, and strategic legal planning more critical than ever before.

Counterfeiting continues to present a significant and evolving challenge within the global marketplace. It is the unlawful replication of goods with the intent to deceive consumers and exploit established brands. The issue spans multiple sectors, including fashion, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and luxury goods, and poses serious risks not only to economic stability but also to public health and safety. There is also a concomitant significant risk to both the tax and revenue receipts of the nation.

In 2024, regulatory failures had cost companies over US$4.5 billion in fines. This led senior management to rethink compliance as a necessity and forced companies to change and evolve from considering ‘regulating’ as an active verb rather than a noun. Both regulation and regulating impact compliance by creating a legal and procedural framework, within which organisations must operate to meet required standards and avoid penalties.

In today’s corporate environment, the consequences of inadequate due diligence before appointing independent directors can be material.  In 2025 the resignation of an independent director over governance concerns caused a major drop of 12.8% in a listed company’s shares. This highlights why thorough due diligence on independent director is essential in ensuring that they bring true independence, expertise, and integrity to the board.

Financial frauds continue to threaten corporate integrity, often revealed through discrepancies between reported income and actual financial behaviour. In 2025, surveys by the Income Tax Department uncovered undisclosed income totalling US$3.5 billion highlighting how visible wealth often exceeds declared earnings. Such gaps between reported earnings and observable wealth often signal deeper financial irregularities that demand closer scrutiny.

As geopolitical tensions rise, Indian businesses have felt the impact on their balance sheets, with sanctions violations becoming a growing risk. In 2025, a major private equity firm paid over$11 million in penalties for violating Ukraine-Russia related sanctions by investing in entities linked to a sanctioned individual. In this context, sanctions due diligence is crucial for companies to avoid penalties, reputation damage, and business disruptions. Robust sanctions due diligence allows businesses to proactively manage risk while continuing cross-border operations with confidence.

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in compliance is transforming how organisations manage risk and regulatory requirements offering significant benefits like real-time data analysis, automated compliance workflows, and enhanced fraud detection. However, despite its potential, the adoption of AI introduces new compliance challenges. A recent report revealed that 95% of C-suite executives and directors have experienced AI related incidents or concerns.

The modern business environment has transformed significantly, and background screening has become a fundamental element of responsible partnership. Acknowledging the critical role of integrity due diligence, most organisations now incorporate background screening for high-risk individuals into their hiring and partnership procedures. This trend reflects an increased recognition of the need to base these hiring and partnership decisions on thoroughly verified reliable information.

In a recent case revolving around a private institution, the college operator with prior criminal records was able to secure regulatory approvals and enrolled thousands of students. Later, investigations revealed links to terrorist financing through opaque channels, demonstrating how high-risk operators can exploit gaps in oversight. This highlights why integrity checks are crucial for risk management and how comprehensive due diligence helps uncover hidden threats. It involves thorough assessment of organization’s corporate governance, practices, and reputation to identify potential risks and vulnerabilities.

From 8 unicorns a decade ago, India has 118 as of 2025, reflecting a 13x growth in high-value startups. The spread is geographical too, as in 2016, only four India States had dedicated startup policies, but today, 31 States / Union Territories have implemented their own dedicated startup policies, largely spurred by the Startup India initiative. This rapid growth underscores the importance of startup due diligence for investors and corporate partners looking to navigate India’s growing startup ecosystem.