Regulatory Ownership and In-Region Engagement
Tags: Statistics
Ownership and Location
- Accountability location: 56% of those responsible for regulatory readiness are part of a global function based outside Southeast Asia and India; only 9% focus on a single domestic market.
- Responsibility models: 38% share responsibility across people with no single owner; 33% have a dedicated legal/compliance function; 9% have no defined owner.
- Who’s involved: 67% involve Legal/Policy/Privacy; 48% Leadership/Management; 31% Product/Tech/Data; 24% Marketing; 18% Finance/Operations.
- Ultimate accountability when multiple functions are involved: 52% Legal, 31% Leadership.
- Awareness of support: 27% do not know who in their company is responsible for helping them understand how a regulation applies to their role.
Proximity Boosts Participation
- Companies with in-region legal teams submitted formal feedback at 2x the rate: 17% vs 8% where legal is based outside the region.
- 58% of Legal respondents participate during the drafting phase. Product (25%), Leadership (29%), and Finance (29%) more often engage only after implementation.
Preparedness Practices That Work
- Among the most prepared companies, two practices stand out:
- Defined contacts/roles (81%) for regulatory response (vs 57% among somewhat prepared).
- Internal training/awareness (76%) (vs 52%).
Takeaway
Co-locating expertise and clarifying ownership materially improve the ability to shape regulations early and translate them into actionable guidance for teams, closing gaps in awareness and confidence.
Sources:- 2026-IAB-SEAIndia-Research-The-Regional-Regulatory-Forecast.pdf
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