Trends

Emerging themes driving global conversations around growth opportunities, trade, wealth and technology

  • Growth opportunities

    Fast-growth corporates fuelling UK economy

    Scaling corporates make up less than 1% of UK companies, yet account for more than 40% of private sector revenues, totalling £2.44 trillion a year.

    Fast-growth firms are essential to the UK economy, creating jobs, strengthening supply chains and investing in innovation.

    James Cundy, Head of Corporate and Leveraged Finance, HSBC UK

    Read HSBC UK’s Fast Growth Spotlight 2026 (opens in new window) report, produced with Wired Consulting, to find out more about how UK corporates are investing, expanding and adapting.

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  • Wealth

    India to power upper-income consumer growth

    The global middle- and upper-income population is expected to grow by 1.2 billion by 2050, with Asia set to account for more than three-quarters of this growth, and India alone for close to 50%.

    The coming decades suggest a shift not only in the geographic distribution of consumer spending, but also in the sectors that stand to leverage this growth.

    Bethan Ellis, Global Economist, HSBC

    Read Global Investment Research’s report, The next generation of spenders (opens in new window), to find out more about the next wave of global consumer spending growth.

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  • Wealth

    Entrepreneurs plan to spend more on AI

    79% of high-net-worth entrepreneurs and founders plan to increase AI investment in the next year – and 95% are positive about their business prospects, HSBC Private Bank’s global survey found.

    Our research shows how AI is the newest proving ground for the entrepreneurial mindset, where founders and business owners are doing what they do best: turning disruption into opportunity.

    Ida Liu, CEO of HSBC Private Bank

    Explore more findings from our survey of more than 3,000 high-net-worth business owners in our Global Entrepreneurial Wealth Report 2026: Investing for an AI world (opens in new window).

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  • Embracing technology

    Treasury moving from AI curiosity to AI capability

    72% of Asia-Pacific treasurers believe AI will be extremely or very useful in three years’ time, but 20% still haven’t adopted any AI tools for treasury at all.

    "As treasury teams get more comfortable with AI, they should move beyond using it as a basic search tool and learn how to apply it to more complex tasks,” our experts say.

    Explore more findings from Redefining Treasury Asia Pacific: Voices of Treasury 2026 (opens in new window) to find out how treasury is transforming.

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  • Growth opportunities

    AI tools are boosting consumers’ spending power

    The free nature of many personal AI tools is generating a US consumer surplus that could reach $250 billion in 2027, our calculations suggest, equating to 0.8% of GDP or 1.5% of consumer spending.

    Savings from paid-for services that become replaced by AI could be funnelled into non-AI affected spending, such as clothing, entertainment and eating out.

    James Pomeroy, Global Economist, HSBC

    Explore more findings from HSBC Global Investment Research’s report: Breaking the data – The billions of AI consumer surplus (opens in new window).

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  • Wealth

    The rising power of the 'silver dollar'

    As populations across the world get older and wealthier, the real spending power of the over-65s is set to rise by 4-5% per year, compared with closer to 1% for other adults*.

    *HSBC estimates

    While older populations have ‘outperformed’ in terms of spending in recent years, the coming decade points to an even bigger role for the so-called silver dollar.

    James Pomeroy, Global Economist, HSBC

    Explore more findings in Global Investment Research's report, Breaking the data: Why ageing populations may prop up consumer spending (opens in new window).

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