After navigating a year of rapid change and high uncertainty around tariffs and trade dynamics, CEOs are increasingly shifting their focus to opportunities for growth – M&A, innovation, and, of course, AI.

CEOs are recognizing that AI is more than a technology. It opens the door to a fundamentally different way of running organizations – touching strategy, operations, culture, risk, and talent. Sixty-five percent of CEOs say accelerating AI is one of their top three priorities, a prime way to improve both growth and productivity.

On the M&A front, signs point to 2026 as a potentially dynamic year for global deal making. Improving sentiment in key regions and sectors and stabilizing macroeconomic and financial conditions create fertile ground for renewed activity, though regulatory conditions in some markets remain fluid.

While tariffs and geopolitical shifts remain on the agenda, companies are changing their posture from reactive to proactive in order to achieve competitive advantage, looking to different countries and, increasingly, regional blocs, as powerful engines for growth.