Global investors optimistic going into 2026

According to a recent report released by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, rising concerns about geopolitical tensions and market volatility have done little to dampen global investors’ enthusiasm for the investment environment in the year ahead. Roughly three-quarters (73%) believe 2026 will be favourable for investing.

The report concludes that Investors remain positive, despite headwinds. Amid ongoing geopolitical turbulence and rapid technological change, investors remain optimistic about the investment environment heading into the new year. About three-quarters of investors (73%) have a positive outlook on the overall investment environment heading into 2026, a similar sentiment to the year prior. The most optimistic are investors in the U.S., with 83% feeling positive about the year ahead, up from 64% for the same period a year ago. By contrast, investors in France are most guarded in their outlook for 2026, with just under half (49%) expressing a positive outlook, followed by Australia, where 65% describe the investment environment as favourable.

Tech advancement and private market opportunities supporting investor optimism

Tech change viewed as an enabler for investors In a year where AI continued to rapidly move from experimentation into real-world application, global investors appear to be embracing the pace of change. Overall, 86% of investors have a favourable view of the pace of technological change, up from 78% in 2024. The U.S.—a leader in the AI race due to supportive government frameworks, a deep talent pool and strong private-sector investment has the strongest positive views of technological change, with 91% viewing it favourably, up from 82% a year ago.

Essentially all investors surveyed (98%) are on a path to embedding AI capabilities in their businesses. Almost one-third (30%) said they are focusing on leveraging the technology to inform and enhance investment decisions, while about one-quarter are focused on boosting productivity (27%) and better leveraging their proprietary data (25%).

Q: As you look to the 2026 business environment, to what extent do you consider each of the following factors to be favourable for investors? Overall investment environment Technological change

Private markets environment

This optimistic outlook for the investment environment is being partially fuelled by private markets. Globally, 81% of investors have a favourable view of private markets, including aspects such as capital availability, liquidity and deal flow. All nine of the countries captured in the survey list private markets as one of their top two most favourable aspects of the investment environment, with the U.S., U.K. and India among the most positive.

Read the full report here