CEO survey hits 5-year low globally but Malta CEOs remain upbeat
A survey conducted by PWC found that 69% of local CEOs reported stronger results in 2025 while 92% were expecting stable or improved economic conditions in the coming months.
However, the resilience shown by the CEO Confidence Tracker for Malta stands in stark contrast with the findings of PwC's 2026 Global CEO Survey, which reveals that only 30% of CEOs worldwide are confident about revenue growth in the next 12 months, the lowest in five years.
The latter survey concluded that the decline was due to the challenges of realising financial returns from investments in artificial intelligence and rising cyber and geopolitical risks.
Lucienne Pace Ross, Territory Senior Partner, PwC Malta, said: "The contrast with the global confidence dip underscores the importance for Malta-based companies to stay the course on transformation, especially AI foundations and cyber preparedness, while continuing to invest for growth."
Global CEOs' biggest challenge was whether they were transforming fast enough to keep pace with technological change: 42% cite this as their top concern, ahead of worries about innovation capability or medium-to-long-term viability (both 29%).
The survey found a considerable increase in concerns about cyber risk, with almost a third of 31% of CEOs now listing it as a major threat (2024: 24%). Tariff exposure to tariffs is also having a negative impact: one in five CEOs globally report high or extreme risk of significant financial loss from tariffs over the coming 12 months.
Awareness is important but so too is preparation, and the survey reassuringly notes that more than four in ten (42%) report that their company has begun competing in new sectors in the past five years. It also honed in those planning major acquisitions and found that 44% expect to invest outside their current industry, most often in technology.
Mohamed Kande, PwC Global Chairman, said: "In periods of rapid change, the instinct to slow down is understandable – but it's also risky. The value at stake across the global economy is increasing, and the window to capture it is narrowing. The companies that succeed will be those willing to make bold decisions and invest with conviction in the capabilities that matter most."
The PwC 2026 Global CEO Survey is available at www.pwc.com/ceosurvey