Businesses remain confident amid shift to ‘measured growth’

Small and mid-sized enterprises are upbeat on their future – with three-in-five expecting revenue over 5% for the coming 12 months. According to the inaugural Nexia Global Growth Insights Survey 2026, mid-market companies remain ambitious despite economic and geopolitical uncertainty, but are increasingly prioritising sustainable, achievable growth over high-risk expansion.

The findings come as economic forecasts suggest the UK is on a path of steady but modest growth. According to new IMF estimates, GDP growth could hit 1.0% in 2026, rising to 1.3% in 2027 – while the more cautious OECD forecasts growth of 0.9% in 2026 and 1.1% in 2027, having recently adjusted its expectations for next year.

This is part of a trend which spans the continent – and is powering renewed confidence for organisations of all sizes. European mid-sized businesses in particular more likely to expand, than those on any other continent, according to researchers from consulting network Nexia. A 48% portion of growth leaders now plan to enter new territory in the next year, or are considering it – narrowly ahead of 46% in Asia-Pacific, but 20 percentage points ahead of confidence in North America.

At the heart of the boosted positivity among Europe’s businesses, is a switch in emphasis. While uncertainty in global markets means that meteoric short-term growth – the kind largely prioritised by shareholders in the last four decades – is harder to realise, a more sustainable long-term approach still has a good chance of paying dividends.

Simon Kite, partner at Saffery – a member firm of Nexia, commented, "Our research finds global business leaders are adapting to uncertainty by taking a smarter approach to growth. Most companies remain ambitious and are focused on sustainable expansion, investing in their people and making disciplined strategic decisions.”

Expanding on this refreshed mindset, Nexia outlined five key points where ‘growth leaders’ build for sustainable growth. Acknowledging there are no short-cuts, growth leaders stay alert to new market opportunities caused by uncertainty. They know growth comes through excellence in leadership, innovation, operations, products and services. Accordingly, they focus on clarity of strategy, strong sales and marketing capability, operational efficiency and leadership alignment. Growth leaders leverage technology for growth, but they also bring in external human expertise when they need it. And finally, in response to risk, they aim to control their own circumstances – building relationships with capital providers, banks and lenders to do this.

Nexia invited a hand-picked cohort of 179 predominantly mid-sized companies from its client base to participate in the survey. And it found that when they put these methods to practice, 61% of firms told Nexia they expected 5-20% revenue growth in the coming 12 months. And while 54% identify their strategy as “ambitious”, 83% are confident of reaching their growth targets.

The image from Silicon Valley is that all growth must be stratospheric – but according to Nexia’s findings, that’s not the real experience of most businesses. The survey shows that only a small percentage of companies expect to break 20% revenue increase a year, but that this is actually acceptable, even desirable. It’s a stable and steady rate, against the volatility in the global economy. 

“The global picture reflects what we’re seeing and hearing in the UK. Many of our clients and contacts remain positive and focused on strategic measured growth, while keeping a close eye on the upcoming October budget and potential tax rises,” added Kite.