Integrated Risk Management (IRM) and Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance (GRC) are related but distinct concepts. While GRC focuses on ensuring that an organization operates within the bounds of applicable laws and regulations and manages risks in a compliant manner, IRM takes a more comprehensive and integrated approach to risk management.

Governance, Risk Management and Compliance (GRC) refer to the coordinated efforts of an organization to effectively balance and manage the interrelated components of governance, risk management and compliance. In the banking and insurance sector context, GRC refers to the processes and procedures that financial institutions put in place to ensure they are operating within the bounds of applicable laws and regulations while also managing and mitigating risks and ensuring effective decision-making and oversight at the board and management levels. This includes protecting customer data and assets, ensuring the accuracy of financial reporting, and adhering to ethical and responsible business practices.

IRM is a holistic approach to managing risk in an organization. It involves considering an organization’s financial, operational, strategic, and reputational risks and developing a comprehensive and coordinated strategy to manage those risks. It goes beyond traditional, siloed risk management approaches by considering the interrelated nature of risks and the potential impact of one risk on another. This approach allows organizations to identify and prioritize risks more effectively, make informed risk-management decisions, and allocate resources to manage risks most effectively.

IRM also involves collaboration between different departments and levels of the organization to ensure that risk management is integrated into all aspects of decision-making and business operations. This includes involving all relevant stakeholders in the risk management process and ensuring that risk management information is shared and communicated effectively throughout the organization.

The objective of IRM is to create a more comprehensive and practical approach to risk management that supports achieving the organization’s objectives and helps it better prepare for and respond to potential risks and threats.

IRM considers all types of risks that an organization faces, including financial, operational, strategic, and reputational risks, and develops a coordinated strategy to manage those risks. It also involves collaboration between different departments and levels of the organization to ensure that risk management is integrated into all aspects of decision-making and business operations. In this sense, IRM can be seen as a subset of GRC or as a more comprehensive approach to risk management that encompasses the goals of GRC. However, IRM and GRC are not mutually exclusive, and many organizations implement IRM and GRC as part of their risk management program.

So, contrary to the popular belief, IRM is not necessarily the new GRC but rather a complementary approach to risk management that supports the goals of GRC by providing a more comprehensive and integrated perspective on risk management.