The first half of 2026 is reshaping the priorities of general management in Europe and North America. Between the reconfiguration of supply chains, the operational integration of generative AI in sectors that have been minimally digitized until now, and new regulatory constraints on greenwashing, the business world is undergoing a phase of rapid transformation whose contours remain difficult to anticipate.
Private equity and continuation funds: a market changing pace
Private equity has long operated on a simple cycle: acquire, transform, sell within five to seven years. This model has become stuck. Higher interest rates since 2023 have slowed traditional exits (initial public offerings, sales to another fund), forcing managers to rethink the holding period of their investments.
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The emerging mechanism is called the continuation fund. The principle: the majority investor remains in the capital but sells part of their position to a new vehicle, often managed by the same team. Bain & Company, in its Global Private Equity 2024 report, describes this practice as a structural trend, not just a temporary stopgap.
This type of deal allows for the extended support of a performing company without forcing it into a discounted exit. For the companies involved, this means longer shareholder stability, but also increased pressure on value creation.
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Funds adopting this strategy focus on margin improvement rather than financial leverage, a notable reversal from the previous decade. To keep up with these developments, you can check the business section on Atlantic News.
Generative AI in industry and B2B services: beyond the pilot phase
Generative AI is no longer a topic reserved for tech giants. McKinsey observes a clear shift in 2024: use cases are moving from the experimental stage to large-scale deployments in insurance, manufacturing, and B2B services.
Three areas are concentrating the most massive investments:
- Automated customer service, where language models handle first-level requests and significantly reduce response times
- Contract drafting and analysis, enabling legal departments to process a much higher volume without proportionally increasing recruitment
- Sales assistance, with tools capable of personalizing commercial proposals in real-time based on prospect data
What changes the game is not the technology itself. It is the accompanying business model. Several publishers now offer a performance-based pricing: the client pays based on the results achieved (number of cases processed, conversion rate) rather than a fixed subscription. This hybrid product-service logic redistributes margins between solution providers and client companies.
Field feedback on this point is mixed. Some companies report rapid productivity gains, while others find that integration costs (training, adapting internal processes) delay the return on investment by several quarters.
Industrial reshoring: resilience over cost
The trend toward reshoring, or more accurately, the geographical diversification of supplies, is accelerating in 2024-2025. The OECD, in its report on the resilience of value chains, identifies a paradigm shift: location decisions now incorporate geopolitical risk at the same level as unit cost.
The trade war initiated by U.S. tariff increases under the Trump administration has amplified this movement. In Europe, several national programs support the reinstallation of production capacities in segments deemed strategic (semiconductors, pharmaceutical active ingredients, batteries). France and Germany are among the most active countries in this area.
The international market is observing a reconfiguration of flows. Countries like Mexico, Vietnam, and Morocco are capturing an increasing share of productive investments, not because they are cheaper than China, but because they offer geographical proximity to end markets (the U.S. for Mexico, Europe for Morocco). This “nearshoring” logic is transforming global supply networks.
Greenwashing and European directive: what companies need to anticipate
The European regulatory framework on environmental claims is tightening. The legislative package that complements the “Fit for 55” program and the rules on unfair commercial practices requires companies to substantiate every ecological claim with verifiable evidence.
The operational consequences are concrete:
- Marketing departments will need to have their environmental messages validated by third-party organizations before publication
- Vague mentions (“eco-friendly,” “good for the planet”) without precise data become legally challengeable
- Companies selling online or in-store in the European market, including franchises, will need to adapt their product communication materials
For franchise networks and companies with significant commercial activity in Europe, this text changes the game. Every claim must be based on a documented methodology, which implies an internal investment (CSR training, traceability tools) or the use of specialized providers.
The available data does not yet allow for an average cost estimate for compliance. Initial feedback will likely come with the first checks planned after the text comes into force.
The business world in 2026 is characterized by a convergence of pressures: financial (high rates, new private equity landscape), technological (operational generative AI), geopolitical (reshoring, customs tariffs), and regulatory (greenwashing oversight). These trends are not isolated.
A company that reshapes its production must also rethink its environmental claims. Those deploying generative AI must anticipate future regulations on automated content. The ability to manage these interdependencies will distinguish organizations that adapt from those that merely endure.