Top Business Trends in 2025 and in 2026

 

2025

In 2025, the business landscape was defined by the transition of Artificial Intelligence from experimental pilots to core operational infrastructure, alongside a mandatory focus on sustainability and human-centric leadership. 

1. The Rise of "Agentic AI" and Hyper-Automation

Beyond simple chatbots, 2025 marks the shift to Agentic AI—autonomous systems capable of making decisions and executing complex workflows with minimal human oversight. 

• Operational Impact: Companies are using AI to automate 30%–50% of routine tasks in finance, marketing, and customer service.
• Hyper-Personalization: Businesses leverage real-time behavioral data to tailor every customer interaction, a strategy that is now driving 40% faster revenue growth for early adopters. 

2. Mandatory Sustainability and the Circular Economy

Sustainability has moved from a "nice-to-have" marketing asset to a core business requirement due to new regulations like the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). 

• Circular Models: Leading brands are adopting "product-as-a-service" and buy-back programs (e.g., IKEA) to minimize waste.
• Green Finance: Global ESG assets are projected to surpass $50 trillion in 2025, reshaping how capital is allocated to businesses. 

3. Human-Centric Leadership and "Re-humanization"

As AI handles more technical tasks, the value of unique human skills is rising. There is a strong counter-trend toward re-humanizing marketing and sales to differentiate from generic AI-generated content. 

• Emotional Intelligence: Managers are shifting their focus from results-only oversight to coaching, mentorship, and fostering inclusion.
• Workplace Well-being: High-performing companies are integrating holistic mental health programs as a competitive advantage to attract and retain top talent. 

4. Resilience Amidst Global Volatility

With global GDP growth capped at 3.3% and ongoing geopolitical tensions, operational resilience has become a baseline for performance. 

• Supply Chain Diversification: Businesses are moving away from single-source suppliers and adopting "self-healing" supply chains that use AI to reroute logistics in real-time.
• Digital Trust: Cybersecurity is now treated as a critical risk-control layer rather than just an IT function, with 72% of organizations adopting "Zero-Trust" security architectures. 

5. The Permanent Hybrid Work Paradigm 

Hybrid work is no longer an interim measure but a long-term strategic advantage for 2025. 

• Outcome-Centric Models: Companies are moving away from tracking hours worked to tracking outcomes, supported by AI-powered productivity analytics.
• Upskilling Imperative: To bridge the "skills gap" caused by rapid tech changes, 56% of companies have integrated dedicated upskilling programs into their daily operations. 

2026

In 2026, the global business landscape will be defined by the transition of Artificial Intelligence from an experimental tool to a core "silicon workforce," coupled with a "re-humanization" of leadership and a move toward structural operational resilience in a fragmented geopolitical environment. 

1. The Era of Agentic AI and Autonomous Operations

The primary shift in 2026 is from Generative AI (content creation) to Agentic AI (task execution). 

• The Silicon Workforce: AI "agents" will move beyond simple assistance to autonomously managing end-to-end business processes, such as reconciling complex financial transactions, onboarding employees, or managing multi-stage supply chain logistics.
• Agentic Platforms: Organizations are shifting from individual AI tools to integrated agentic platforms that function as a new layer of operational infrastructure, potentially reducing the need for traditional software licenses.
• Vibe Coding and Innovation: "Vibe coding"—using natural language to build software—is expected to go mainstream, allowing non-technical employees to develop custom applications rapidly. 

2. The "Re-humanization" of Work and Skills

As technical tasks are automated, unique human capabilities are gaining a "digital premium" in the labor market. 

• Power Skills over Soft Skills: Leadership is pivoting toward "Power Skills"—emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and the ability to manage "augmented teams" where humans and machines work side-by-side.
• Skills-First Hiring: 2026 is predicted to be the year that skills-based hiring definitively overtakes degree-based recruitment for many roles.
• The AI Generalist: A new class of workers—AI Generalists—is emerging. These are professionals who understand broad business functions well enough to orchestrate and oversee the AI agents performing specialized tasks. 

3. Structural Resilience and Supply Chain "Geopatriation"

Businesses are moving away from global efficiency-only models toward models built for survival in a volatile geopolitical climate. 

• Near-shoring and Localization: "Globalization 2.0" focuses on supply security over cost, leading to increased near-shoring and the creation of localized "self-healing" supply chains.
• Geopatriation: Organizations are increasingly moving data and digital workloads to sovereign or regional cloud providers to mitigate the risk of geopolitical lockdowns. 

4. Sustainability as a Strategic Asset

Sustainability is shifting from a marketing "add-on" to a mandatory driver of business growth. 

• The Circular Economy: Circular business models—focused on product longevity, recycling, and "as-a-service" options—are becoming baseline requirements to meet strict 2026 regulatory standards like the EU's CSRD.
• AI for Green Returns: AI is being deployed specifically to find "green alpha," such as identifying customers willing to pay premiums for sustainable products or optimizing transport routes to lower both emissions and fuel costs. 

5. Cybersecurity as Boardroom Accountability

Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT function; by 2026, it is a core survival strategy with direct executive liability. 

• Boardroom Responsibility: Executive compensation and performance contracts are increasingly being tied to measurable cybersecurity outcomes.
• The "Ambient" Defense: Companies are moving toward "Zero-Trust" architectures where security is ambient and built-in, using AI security agents to proactively hunt and neutralize threats at machine speed.