Resilience Amid Uncertainty, Reinvention Still Untapped

Hong Kong CEOs enter 2026 with a distinctive profile: bold in AI, cautious in the near term, and confident in the long run. This selective boldness is paying off today—but the next frontier is reinvention.

The 29th Global CEO Survey shows Hong Kong business leaders riding a powerful rebound while facing intensified risks. In an open, digitally advanced economy, they balance optimism about global growth with heightened sensitivity to near-term pressures such as cyber threats, stakeholder trust demands, and geopolitical volatility.

What sets Hong Kong apart is the combination of exceptional long‑term confidence, strong AI foundations, and higher risk appetite in innovation—alongside polarised AI returns and slower progress in reinvention through new products, new sectors, or major M&A.

Confidence split: strong on the economy, weak on near-term revenue.

Optimism about economic growth in the next 12 months has risen to 70% (vs 61% globally), up from just 62% last year. Revenue confidence shows a clear divide: 98% are confident over three years (vs 87% globally), while only 56% are confident in the next 12 months (vs 75%).

AI delivers breakthroughs—and sharp contrasts.

58% of Hong Kong CEOs report revenue increases (vs 29% globally), and 17% achieve both revenue growth and cost reduction (vs 12%)—outperforming peers on both counts. Yet 63% face higher costs (vs 22% globally), and 9% suffer both higher costs and reduced revenue (vs 1%), exposing the polarised returns of rapid scaling.

Cyber resilience is now the licence to operate.

56% identify cyber risks as a top threat—nearly double the global 31%. 

Data governance is the new currency of trust.

68% of Hong Kong companies face stakeholder scrutiny on data use, privacy, and transparency—far above the global average (39%).

Bold experimenters, cautious reinventors.

New products contribute only 9% of revenue (vs 20% globally), entry into new sectors is rare (6% vs 42%), and 81% have no plans for major acquisitions (vs 46%). Untapped potential lies in targeted M&A, partnerships, and Greater Bay Area collaboration—not just to acquire technologies and talent, but to accelerate AI-led transformation and reshape organisational capabilities more rapidly.