Business Leaders Brace for Severe Global Disruptions
A KPMG report finds most global business leaders expect external disruptions to sharply affect their operations, costs and performance over the next three to five years.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Transportation
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KPMG International released a report on global business leaders' expectations of external disruptions. Of the respondents, 56 percent expect external disruptions to severely affect their organisations' operations, costs and performance over the next three to five years.
Why it matters
Seventy percent of leaders reported increased risk exposure over the past two years, and disruptions to critical shipping routes can spread to freight, insurance, financing and industrial production. The findings suggest supply-chain shocks may reach well beyond transportation itself.
Survey respondents identified the most exposed stages of supply chains as technology and digital dependencies (46 percent), delivered costs and price volatility (39 percent), and shipping and logistics (33 percent). Forty-nine percent are prioritising AI and predictive analytics to improve resilience.
The players
KPMG International
KPMG International is a global network of professional services firms providing audit, tax and advisory services.
The details
Risks such as geopolitical tensions, technological disruptions, cyberattacks and resource scarcity can reinforce one another and trigger cascading effects across global supply chains. Geopolitical conflict (58 percent) and macroeconomic uncertainty (48 percent) were also widely cited as concerns.
Timeline
Over the past two years, organisations reported increased risk exposure.
Over the next two years, technology and AI disruption is expected to be the biggest concern.
Over the next three to five years, leaders expect severe external disruptions to operations, costs and performance.
Market Landscape
Disruption risk tied to chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz has become a recurring concern for global shipping. The survey's findings extend that concern from transportation into the wider cost structure of global commerce.
Shoppers may see the effects of these disruptions through delivered costs and price volatility, which 39 percent of respondents flagged as an exposed stage. Businesses that depend on shipping and logistics face added exposure, with 33 percent citing it as vulnerable.
The takeaway
Leaders are prioritising AI-driven predictive analytics (49 percent) and scenario planning and stress testing (44 percent) to build supply-chain resilience. Tracking these tools can help readers judge how well their own suppliers are preparing for disruption.
Further reading
For more on how shipping and logistics networks absorb these pressures, see Transportation.
Live Poll
Do you expect prices for everyday goods to rise over the next year?
