CEO confidence holds steady despite geopolitical disruption and rising costs: PwC

• Globally, CEO confidence remains steady despite macroeconomic shocks
• One-third of global CEOs are more confident than they were eight months ago
• Energy costs emerge as CEOs’ biggest financial surprise of 2026 so far, outpacing all other cost pressures
• Companies with stronger “techno-resilience” are 66% more likely to report high growth confidence
• Nearly four in 10 CEOs are using AI to capture new opportunities created by global disruption
  
  

LONDON, August 4, 2026 — CEOs are maintaining confidence in their companies’ growth prospects despite navigating an increasingly volatile business environment marked by geopolitical disruption, rising energy costs and more complex strategic decision-making, according to PwC’s inaugural CEO Survey Mid-Year Snapshot.

The survey of hundreds of CEOs across more than 50 countries finds overall confidence in revenue growth has remained unchanged over the past six to eight months, even as executives report significant operational challenges stemming from global shocks. About 42% of CEOs remain very or extremely confident about revenue growth over the next 12 months, essentially unchanged from 39% eight months ago. One-third (33%) report that their confidence has actually increased, compared with 26% whose confidence declined.

• CEO confidence remains resilient. About 42% of CEOs remain very or extremely confident about revenue growth over the next 12 months and 51% over the next three years, levels that have remained broadly stable over the past eight months. One-third (33%) report greater confidence than they did eight months ago, while only 26% report lower confidence.
• Energy costs are the biggest surprise. CEOs were significantly more likely to report sharp increases in expected energy costs than in other operating costs. Nearly one in five CEOs (19%) reported energy costs increasing by more than 10% due to global shocks, compared with just 12% reporting similar increases in non-energy costs—making energy the most pronounced cost pressure.
• Strategic decisions are becoming more difficult. More than one in four CEOs (27%) say pricing decisions have become challenging to a large or very large extent because of global shocks, closely followed by supply chain management (26%).
• AI adoption continues to evolve. Although average AI-driven revenue and cost impacts have remained broadly unchanged over the last eight months, individual companies are moving rapidly: more than half of CEOs (51%) experienced a shift in AI’s business impact over the past eight months, and nearly four in ten (39%) now report positive AI outcomes. Almost four in ten CEOs (38%) have also used AI to capture new business opportunities created by global disruption.
• Prepared companies outperform. Companies with high “techno-resilience”—combining long-term thinking, resilience capabilities and strong AI foundations—are 74% more likely to report AI success (55% versus 32%) and 66% more likely to express strong confidence in future revenue growth (48% versus 29%) than companies with low techno-resilience.

The findings suggest that resilience is becoming a competitive advantage rather than simply a defensive capability.

The CEO Survey Mid-Year Snapshot builds on PwC’s annual Global CEO Survey by capturing how executive sentiment and business priorities have shifted amid rapidly evolving geopolitical and economic conditions.

Methodology

PwC surveyed 351 CEOs across 59 countries and 27 industries between May 15 and June 22, 2026. The CEO Survey Snapshot follows respondents from PwC’s 29th Annual Global CEO Survey, providing a longitudinal view of how executive perspectives have evolved over the past six to eight months.