Business Confidence stories

Digital ordering and payment options are influencing behaviour, with more people using QR codes to avoid awkward money conversations with friends.

Trans-Tasman small firms are upbeat and boosting tech and marketing, yet consumers report patchy service and missing digital basics.

Spark and Icehouse will run free nationwide AI and productivity workshops to help New Zealand SMEs lift performance and overcome tech barriers.

UK tech, IT and telecoms leaders grow bolder on risk, eye private equity backing and global expansion despite rising cost pressures.

Canadian bosses bet big on AI for 2026 as global economic optimism lags, embracing autonomous agents while employees resist AI managers.

Security, privacy and data protection will command the biggest tech spend for Australian retail SMBs in 2026, ahead of AI and global growth.

Employment Hero launches a quarterly SMB Insight Engine to track Canadian small firms’ confidence amid hiring strain and burnout fears.

NZ adds more jobs but works fewer hours as high-paid tech roles, casual shifts and young workers’ pay all slide, new data shows.

New Zealand firms plan bigger tech budgets as optimism grows, shifting AI from pilots to scaled deployments despite talent and cyber strains.

UK and Irish SME bosses fear a worsening economy yet still plan to ramp up investment, betting on AI, innovation and sales growth in 2026.

Global CEOs pin 2026 hopes on APAC growth and soaring AI spend, despite geopolitical risks and investor pressure for faster returns.

UK SMEs remain upbeat on growth but risk falling behind as economic jitters, rising customer demands and poor grasp of AI strain marketing.

UK founders warn unclear AI rules and weak digital trust threaten competitiveness, as many eye EU markets despite backing Britain to start up.

UK firms most confident on EU AI Act readiness yet report more fines and contract turmoil than German and French rivals, study finds.

Energy bills surge for Australian SMEs as federal rebates end, driving cost cuts, delayed investment and a pivot to digital and AI tools.

Australian SMEs show growing confidence into 2026, with rising revenue and increased digital adoption helping them tackle soaring energy costs and economic challenges.

Small businesses in the UK and Ireland face confusion and lack confidence in adopting AI, citing skills gaps and need for clearer guidance, research reveals.

UK Budget 2026 sparks concern in tech and construction over investment, tax changes, and public spending’s impact on growth and business confidence.

Multinational US firms outperform domestic companies by 16% amid dollar volatility, but domestic businesses eye growth as interest rates fall and investment rises.

CPiO appoints Duncan Boyne as Power BI Lead to enhance data strategy and analytics for UK SMEs amid economic uncertainty and operational challenges.