"The 2026 edition’s message is clear: in a world where threats accumulate and accelerate, the greatest risk is postponing crucial decisions. Technology’s unprecedented evolution makes predicting the economy a decade from now difficult, but data shows organizations that move, invest, and push beyond traditional boundaries pull ahead of those that stand still.
Innovation increasingly separates growing companies from stagnant ones. Globally, half of leaders say innovation is central to their strategy, but few have mechanisms to turn ideas into revenue. In Romania, new products and services already generate significant revenue, indicating a brisk pace of portfolio renewal. But sustaining this pace requires discipline in innovation, not just enthusiasm."
Daniel Anghel, Country Managing Partner, PwC Romania
Here are some of Romanian CEOs perceptions
43%
of CEOs estimate that global economic growth will accelerate in the next 12 months.
33%
of CEOs forecast increased national economic growth in the coming year.
What do our findings show?
In the wake of a decade filled with challenges—pandemic, energy crises, economic fluctuations, and geopolitical tensions—CEOs today face a dual challenge: delivering results quickly while reimagining their companies for an evolving economic landscape shaped by technological advances and changing consumer behaviors. This complex environment seems to have shaken executives’ confidence in their organisations’ ability to achieve short term growth..
43%
of CEOs question whether their business is changing quickly enough to keep up with technological evolution, particularly AI.
23%
of CEOs state that implementing AI has resulted in cost reductions in their companies.
What do our findings show?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping how businesses operate, challenging leaders to keep pace with rapid technological advancements. This year, CEOs worldwide are asking: Are we evolving quickly enough to harness AI’s potential? It’s not just about automating tasks - it’s about reimagining how we deliver value, engage with markets, and innovate our offerings.
46%
of CEOs plan to undertake at least one significant acquisition in the next three years.
52%
of CEOs affirm their organizations have begun competing in new sectors or industries in the last five years.
What do our findings show?
This year’s study underscores a significant shift: industries are increasingly interconnected. With the rapid pace of technological advancements, climate change, geopolitical shifts, and evolving customer expectations, companies are no longer confined to their traditional sectors. Instead, they are venturing into broader ecosystems where technology, financial services, energy, mobility, and health converge. Over 40% of CEOs globally have reported that their organizations have entered new sectors in the past five years. Among those planning major deals, more than four in ten are eyeing acquisitions beyond their core industries.
59%
of Romanian executives’ agenda is dedicated to current operations, with a horizon of less than one year.
55%
of CEOs claim that new products and services generate 20% or more of their total company sales.
What do our findings show?
How leaders allocate their time and manage operations is a key indicator of competitiveness. Globally, CEOs say nearly half their hours are spent on tasks lasting less than a year, with just 16% on issues impacting beyond five years. In a world driven by volatility and immediate results, this focus on the urgent can undermine an organization’s ability to transform and remain relevant long-term.
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Explore the findings of PwC CEO Survey for Romania 2026
Confidence in business growth
Romanian CEOs are recalibrating their growth expectations, aligning more with global trends than regional ones. Just 25% of leaders herefeel very or extremely confident about their business growth over the next year—the lowest in five years. Meanwhile, another 25% express little confidence, highlighting a growing divide in outlooks. Looking three years ahead, optimism slightly improves, with 39% confident in growth, though this is a decline from previous studies.
Globally, only 30% of leaders are very or extremely confident in next year’s growth, marking a five-year low. Over three years, confidence in revenue growth climbs to 49%, yet remains below the 2025 figure of 53%.
In Central and Eastern Europe, the trend flips: 42% of leaders are confident in 12-month growth (up from 39% in 2025), but only 39% maintain this confidence over three years (down from 47% last year).
The drop in 12-month confidence to a five-year low, alongside declining three-year confidence, suggests Romanian business leaders foresee a challenging environment, characterized by volatility, demand and cost pressures, and fiscal and regulatory uncertainties.
How confident are you about your company’s prospects for revenue growth over the next 12 months and the next 3 years?
AI application maturity
AI’s effective use in Romanian business processes is limited, yet some areas show promise. Over half of CEOs report minimal AI use in core processes, with non-use reaching two-thirds in some areas. However, Romania surpasses the Central and Eastern European average in AI use for product development (20% vs. 14%), demand generation (19% vs. 15%), and strategic direction (19% vs. 13%).
Globally, AI adoption is also nascent: only 22% use AI extensively for demand generation, 20% for support services, 19% for new products, 15% AI Application Maturity for strategic direction, and 13% for demand fulfillment. Less than a third use AI in these areas, with nearly half not using it at all.
While Romania aligns with global trends of limited AI use, there are strategic advancements in product development, demand generation, and strategic orientation. As AI becomes a competitive edge, moving from isolated trials to systematic integration into business models is crucial to unlocking its full potential.
To what extent has AI been applied in the following areas of your business?
Planned major acquisitions
Romanian companies are showing a growing interest in transactions, reflecting regional trends but diverging from global patterns. Among Romanian CEOs, 46% plan to make at least one major acquisition—over 10% of company assets—within the next three years. This is an increase from 41% in 2025 and 2024. Nearly a quarter (24%) of local leaders are eyeing a single acquisition, 11% are considering two, and 8% are looking at up to three acquisitions in this period. This signals a clear openness to growth through mergers and acquisitions.
Globally, however, M&A plans are cooling: the percentage of executives planning at least one major acquisition has dropped to 41%, down from 55% in 2025 and 60% in 2024. In Central and Eastern Europe, intentions are moderate: 45% of business leaders plan an acquisition in the next three years, up from 37% last year, yet still below the 49% mark in 2024.
So, while global caution is on the rise, Romanian companies, like their regional counterparts, view M&A as a key strategy for growth and strategic repositioning.
How many acquisitions (worth more than 10% of your company’s assets) is your company planning to make in the next three years?
Inside the mind of the CEO
What are the measures taken by the CEOs to cope with the challenges their companies face? What motivates them to remain optimistic about the future and the evolution of the local economy in the coming years? 8 top CEOs from Romania speak in the interviews included in this report about the priorities they have set and the actions they have planned to maximize the growth prospects of their companies: Cătălin Radu, CEO Bristol Myers Squibb Romania, Nicolas Richard, CEO ENGIE Romania, Mihai Bordeanu, Managing Director Dacia South Eastern Europe, Ömer Tetik, CEO Banca Transilvania, Gilles Ballot, CEO Carrefour Romania, Volker Raffel, CEO E.ON Romania, Karan Khurana, CEO METRO Romania, Sergiu Manea, CEO Banca Comerciala Romana.
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Read the full interviews here:
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