From Firefighting to Future-Proofing: Reactive vs Proactive Compliance

In a recent roundtable hosted by the Vixio team, we brought together senior compliance professionals from across the payments industries. The discussion was frank, open, and often surprising. Across markets and business models, one theme kept resurfacing: while most firms aspire to be proactive in compliance, the relentless pace of change often forces them into reactive mode.

This blog series, From Firefighting to Future-Proofing, captures six key themes that emerged from those conversations - as well as some notable soundbites from guests. The first: the constant tension between being reactive and proactive in compliance.

The Ideal vs. The Reality

Every compliance leader dreams of operating like a radar system — scanning the horizon for emerging risks, anticipating new regulations, and shaping business strategy before the rulebooks are written.

But the reality? It often feels more like firefighting.

“I would say very proactive, but slightly reactive - I find things out later than I’d like.”

Regulatory environments are shifting faster than ever, particularly in global and digital-first markets. With limited time and bandwidth, even well-prepared teams are sometimes forced into short-term responses rather than long-term strategy.

“If you’ve only got short timeframes, you don’t have time to digest and challenge - you’ve just got to do.”

The pace of change can outstrip even the best horizon scanning.

“Egypt just launched new payment regulation, the UAE just launched new payment regulation. One of which we saw coming, one we didn’t.”

These stories are common across the industry. The challenge isn’t avoiding surprises altogether — it’s learning to absorb them effectively.

The Pushback Problem

Some firms have learned when and where to push back on regulators. But success varies by jurisdiction.

“In some markets I’ve got away with a letter of objection. But in others - like France - you just have to comply.”

This patchwork reality creates a delicate balancing act. Compliance teams must gauge not only what’s possible under the law, but what’s politically or culturally acceptable in a given market. Over time, this teaches a critical truth: being proactive isn’t about having the loudest voice - it’s about knowing when to use it.

Agility Over Prediction

Too often, “proactive” is interpreted as “predictive.” But in practice, being future-proof isn’t about guessing the next regulation - it’s about building agility into how you respond when it lands. That agility comes from:

• Clear ownership: knowing who acts when a new rule emerges.
• Regulatory intelligence systems: tools and workflows that turn raw updates into actionable insights.
• Decision playbooks: predefined responses for key regulatory scenarios.
• Cross-functional communication: so Legal, Product, and Compliance are aligned from the start.

When these systems work, a surprise regulation becomes a challenge, not a crisis.

Resilient Responsiveness

No compliance function can ever be 100% proactive. The goal is not to eliminate reactivity but to respond reactively in a structured, resilient way.

This means having the clarity, confidence, and connections to act fast without cutting corners. It’s about turning firefighting into fire prevention and prevention into competitive advantage. Proactive compliance isn’t omniscience; it’s preparedness. It’s not about predicting every move regulators make, it’s about being ready for any move they could.

Key Takeaway

From our roundtable, one message came through clearly: future-proof compliance isn’t built on prediction, it’s built on preparation.

Proactivity is a spectrum, not a destination. Every improvement in awareness, collaboration, and agility helps firms move one step further from firefighting - and one step closer to future-proofing.
‍

Ready to read the next part? Or want to skip straight to a conversation of your own?

‍Get in touch or book a demo so a member of the team can tell you more about how Vixio can benefit your business.