Cyber Threats Surge to Top Risk for Bulgarian Businesses in 2026
Jerusalem, 15 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Sofia (BTA) – Cyber incidents are the biggest risk for Bulgarian businesses in 2026, marking a significant shift in risk perceptions in the country’s private sector, Allianz reports in its latest edition of its global survey, Allianz Risk Barometer 2026. With 39 percent of responses, cyber incidents are at the top of the list of threats, a sharp jump from 2025, when they ranked 10th with 12 percent of the votes of participating company representatives from Bulgaria, Allianz announced on the occasion of the publication of the global report.
Such an arrangement, according to the announcement, reflects the growing threats of cybercrime, ransomware attacks, IT system failures, and more, and is a clear sign of the understanding of companies’ vulnerability in the digital environment.
After digital security, Bulgarian businesses place emphasis on the regulatory environment in the 2026 ranking. Changes in legislation and regulations come in second place (33 percent). And natural disasters come in third (24 percent), which also marks an increase compared to last year.
Significant risks remain business and supply chain disruptions, climate change, and macroeconomic developments (21 percent each), with the latter showing a noticeable decline compared to 2025.
New risk categories in the Bulgarian top 10 ranking are fire and explosion risk (18 percent) and human health risks, including pandemics (12 percent). The data shows an increasingly broad and complex risk landscape, in which technological and regulatory threats are overtaking traditional economic factors, according to the release.
In 2026, cyber incidents are also the leading global risk for the fifth consecutive year, with their highest score ever (42 percent of responses) and the largest margin (10 percent). They rank as the top concern after business in all regions (Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa and the Middle East).
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly making its way into the global business concern rankings, rising to second place (32 percent) in 2026, up from 10th place a year earlier. This, the report authors say, marks the biggest jump in the latest ranking. AI is among the fastest-growing risks across all regions – ranking second for businesses in the Americas, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, and third for Europe. AI is a growing risk for companies of all sizes, ranking in the top three for large, medium and small businesses.
With its accelerated deployment and deeper integration into core business operations, respondents expect AI-related risks to intensify, especially in terms of liability.
Amid protectionist trade policies, tariff wars and rising geopolitical risk, business disruption and supply chain disruption remain among the top threats facing companies around the world. They are third on the list for 2026, with 29 percent of respondents globally ranking business disruption as their top threat. This risk has dropped one spot since 2025.
The risk of changes in legislation and regulations, including trade tariffs, ranks fourth globally in 2026, unchanged from last year, but with an increase in the number of respondents concerned about rising protectionism.
Political risks and violence climb two places to seventh in the new survey, their highest position ever.
According to 51 percent of respondents globally, the paralysis of supply chains due to geopolitical conflict ranks as the most likely scenario that could occur in the next five years, the Allianz barometer also finds.
The Allianz Risk Barometer is an annual ranking of business risks and brings together the views and perceptions of 3,338 risk management experts in 97 countries and territories, including senior managers, risk managers, brokers and insurance experts. The document is published for the 15th time in 2026.
