CAMBRIDGE, England–(BUSINESS WIRE)–This week, database software company Redgate published its 2026 State of the Database Landscape: Finance Edition. The report reveals a sector under pressure with 81% of finance organizations undergoing a compliance audit in the last year and 42% of finance organizations operating in a permanent hybrid state, mixing cloud and on-premises hosting, and 36% struggling to manage four or more different database platforms.

The survey of 2,150 IT professionals globally identifies additional critical trends in the finance sector’s fight for data control, including:

• Finance teams are 20% more likely to face audits than the global average, driving 79% to rate database security as a strategic concern.
• Despite high audit rates, only 14% of finance firms use data governance or quality frameworks in analytics, falling behind the 23% seen in other sectors.
• 47% of finance respondents already use AI for database management. While 54% use it to automate management tasks, experts warn that weak governance foundations increase risk as AI scales.
• Finance is leading the shift away from manual risks, with 55% using dedicated Database DevOps tooling to ensure repeatable, auditable change delivery.

“In finance, losing control of your data is a regulatory target on your back ” said CTO of Redgate Software Graham McMillan. “Over 4 out of 5 companies are facing audits this year. You don’t want to be reconstructing your data lineage because of potential audit scrutiny or while the regulator is in the room. You need a delivery pipeline that proves you’re in control by default, not by luck. This is especially true now that AI is going to amplify every weakness in your data estate.”

The report reveals that true resilience in finance now requires moving beyond isolated fixes to address the intersection of analytics governance, data quality, and auditability. To succeed, firms must establish consistent delivery practices that provide credible evidence trails and operational visibility across every environment.

Read the full report on the financial sector: red-gate.com/finance-report