Global Scans · Standards · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Improving standards are likely to be driven more by business and technological improvement than governments in the future. The latter will be under severe pressure to cut bureaucracy, speed policy making and improve their nation's productivity performance.

• [New] The forthcoming National AI Mission Framework (expected 2025) will likely define sector-specific standards, testing protocols, and a voluntary AI Safety Board for ethical governance. Nemko Digital B.V.
• [New] The CSL amendments seek to implement stronger guardrails that improve AI ethical standards, strengthen risk monitoring, and utilise AI to enhance cybersecurity protection. Passle
• [New] In 2026, organizations will need to shift from static defences to posture-aware, behavior-based detection and continuous validation of AI-enabled services. SecureWorld
• [New] Universal standards will likely emerge in 2026 that enable any blockchain to communicate with any other blockchain through standardized interfaces, similar to how TCP/IP enables communication between different types of computer networks today. SEI Blog
• [New] Security leaders must shift to a compliance as code approach in 2026, bringing compliance standards to the business level. Information Security Buzz
• [New] If Microsoft or Google simply adopt AAIF standards and bundle them, niche players might struggle unless they offer clear value-add. IntuitionLabs
• [New] In addition to rolling back renewable energy investments, the U.S. is looking to eliminate key pollution control laws, which will affect pollution standards for cars, trucks, power plants, and fossil fuel production. Virginia's home for Public Media
• [New] By 2026 we expect first major moves toward post quantum encryption standards. DeepStrike
• [New] Organizations like the Financial Action Task Force are working to establish global standards that ensure a unified approach to crypto regulation, aiming to prevent regulatory gaps that could be exploited. The Currency Analytics
• [New] More broadly, with only a minority of countries possessing comprehensive 5G cybersecurity regulations, the absence of unified global standards invites exploitation by malicious actors and poses threats at national and international levels. Fuse Squared
• [New] As rules tighten in both the EU and the UK, payment institutions and e-money institutions that treat safeguarding as a core systems challenge, not just a policy document, will be better placed to demonstrate that client funds are genuinely protected in good times and in stress. FinExtra
• [New] The European Space Agency's Zero Debris Charter aims to eliminate the creation of new orbital debris by 2030 through voluntary design and disposal standards. Belfer Center
• [New] The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was proposing less stringent standards that would lead to fuel efficiency of roughly 34.5 miles per US gallon by model year 2031. BBC News
• [New] 2025 sees a push towards Continuous Adaptive Trust, where authentication is not a one time event but a continuous assessment of risk based on behaviour, location, and device health. DeepStrike
• [New] The world will see alternative systems for international data transfers, such as the Global Cross Border Privacy Rules system, become substantially more prominent. Future of Privacy Forum
• [New] Alignment with global standards from bodies like the FSB and BIS will be critical to preventing regulatory arbitrage as adoption scales. Fintech Singapore
• [New] The SFC has published its expected standards for SFC-licensed virtual asset trading platform operators in two new circulars, as part of its initiatives under the ASPIRe roadmap to develop Hong Kong as a global virtual asset hub. Mondaq

Last updated: 18 December 2025