US Small and Midsize Businesses Poised for Growth, Waiting to Make Significant Moves: 2026 Columbia Bank Business Barometer

Douglas Blakey

Sun, June 28, 2026 astatine 1:14 PM CDT 4 min read

There is increasing assurance among US concern leaders that ratio and productivity gains implicit the adjacent 12 months volition construe to accrued profitability and greater opportunities to put successful technology, enlargement and hiring betwixt present and the mediate of 2027, reports Columbia Bank.
Fuelled by a notable year-over-year betterment successful the outlook of smaller enterprises, a grounds fig of some tiny and mediate marketplace businesses accidental they are prioritising making investments implicit cutting costs. However, their optimism remains measured. While businesses are assured successful their 12-month outlook, 3 successful 5 bespeak they program to hold large decisions for astatine slightest six months arsenic they show existent pressures from tariffs, ostentation and rising vigor costs.

The findings are revealed successful the Columbia Bank 2026 Business Barometer, an yearly survey examining the outlook, priorities and decision-making of astir 1,200 tiny and mediate marketplace enterprises crossed the US.

Columbia Bank's 2026 Business Barometer cardinal takeaways

Over the adjacent 12 months, astir businesses judge AI advances will:

• Increase (significantly/somewhat) productivity (96%)

• Increase worker restitution and retention (92%)

• Create the request for much skilled oregon specialized roles (89%)

• Deliver efficiencies truthful employees tin absorption connected higher-level tasks and volition summation headcount arsenic concern grows (63%)

• Strengthen their concern wide (59%)

• AI is present the apical concern precedence and spiked importantly arsenic a interest for some tiny and mediate marketplace businesses, indicating much enterprises spot its fast-emerging capabilities arsenic captious to stay competitive. One successful 10 businesses believes AI advances airs a menace to their viability.

  12-month outlook: Businesses of each sizes prioritise investments implicit cost-cutting

  This year's survey indicates beardown and astir adjacent appetite from some tiny and mediate marketplace businesses to put successful strategical priorities that beforehand efficiency, maturation and fortify their competitory edge. Notwithstanding imaginable delays connected important concern decisions, the numbers beneath correspond the strongest 12-month concern trajectory since the survey began successful 2019.

  Businesses oculus beardown show implicit the adjacent 12 months:

  • 72% expect accrued request

  • 67% expect accrued gross

  • 59% expect accrued profitability

  • As a result, galore are besides preparing to put successful their business:

    • 89% are apt (very/somewhat) to put successful digitizing caller areas

    • 70% are apt to get to put successful enlargement

    • 62% are apt to summation existent property footprint

    • 51% expect expanding the fig of employees

    • 36% are apt to get different concern

    • Cybersecurity and fraud threats beryllium costly, thrust concern priorities

      More businesses are stepping up efforts to support their operations arsenic fraud risks germinate and exposures summation with scale. From blase cyberattacks to regular cheque fraud, businesses are paying the price. In the past 12 months, 7 successful 10 person experienced fiscal nonaccomplishment from fraud, with fake vendor scams and phishing attacks cited arsenic the astir communal schemes.

      • 43% of tiny businesses study losses betwixt $5,000 and $100,000, including 23% with losses exceeding $10,000

      • 22% of mediate marketplace companies study losses successful excess of $50,000

      • Cybersecurity ranks arsenic a apical 3 concern priority, and businesses of each sizes are readying to put successful related fraud safeguards.

        • 44% volition upgrade outgo oregon authentication exertion

        • 42% volition enactment with their slope to instrumentality fraud extortion solutions, specified arsenic affirmative pay, payee affirmative wage and ACH affirmative wage

        • 41% volition instrumentality stricter vendor verification processes

        • "While cybersecurity and fraud prevention are concern priorities for businesses, our probe indicates that fractional oregon less person implemented galore of the astir communal fraud prevention tools specified arsenic stronger authentication safeguards and eliminating carnal checks from their outgo processes," said Kathryn Albright, Head of Global Payments and Deposits astatine Columbia Bank.

          "As companies hole to put successful growth, it's imperative they besides put successful protecting their operations, strengthening outgo systems and enhancing their quality to negociate progressively analyzable fraud risks."

          The biggest tariff impact: Implementation volatility, not terms tag

          While antagonistic tariff impacts skew towards mediate marketplace companies with larger operations, input from leaders successful some segments indicates that the unpredictability of tariff implementation has been much challenging than nonstop tariff costs. Delays, exemptions and shifting percent amounts person made readying difficult. To negociate existent tariff-related costs, businesses person employed galore strategies. Small businesses are much apt than the mediate marketplace to walk increases connected to customers, portion mediate marketplace companies are much apt to screen costs with loans oregon lines of recognition and to hold investments and hiring decisions.

          • 67% of tiny businesses accidental tariffs either had nary interaction (36%) oregon benefited (31%) them

          • 48% of mediate marketplace companies accidental tariffs person been harmful

          • 85% of businesses expect tariff volatility to stay a important origin for astatine slightest 1 year, portion 40% accidental 3 oregon much years

          • 74% of each businesses that person paid tariffs volition question a refund

          • "US Small and Midsize Businesses Poised for Growth, Waiting to Make Significant Moves: 2026 Columbia Bank Business Barometer" was primitively created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand.