Investors Back Technology but Demand Greater AI Transparency: PwC 2025 Survey

Investors prioritise technology, with 61% expecting it to attract the most investment and 92% urging higher spending on tech transformation and cybersecurity. AI is delivering productivity, profitability, and revenue gains, but only 37% feel companies disclose enough about AI strategies. Investors want clearer reporting on AI investments, returns, and innovation, while resilience, agility, and sustainability remain key expectations.

PwC’s 2025 Global Investor Survey reports a strong shift in investment priorities, with technology emerging as the leading sector for future capital allocation. At the same time, investors are calling for clearer information on companies’ AI strategies, governance, and measurable outcomes.

The findings reflect a market environment that links growth with technological transformation, while also highlighting the importance of resilience and transparent reporting.

Technology becomes the dominant investment focus

More than three-fifths (61%) of surveyed investors expect the technology sector to attract the highest level of investment over the next three years. Technology ranks two to three times higher than asset and wealth management (25%), power and utilities (24%), and banking and capital markets (19%). The survey covers the views of 1,074 investment professionals across 26 countries and territories.

Alongside sector preference, 92% of investors want companies to increase capital allocation to technological transformation, and 88% support higher spending on cybersecurity. Investors cite evidence of productivity improvements (86%), profitability gains (71%), and revenue growth (66%) from AI adoption over the past year. As a result, 78% indicate they would moderately or significantly increase investment in companies pursuing enterprise-wide AI transformation.

Kazi Islam, Global Assurance Strategy and Growth Leader, PwC US, states: “Investors are beginning to see tangible evidence of operational and financial gains from AI. While investors understand AI returns require upfront capital, they expect discipline: decision-useful metrics, credible governance, and evidence that AI reshapes cost curves, productivity, and revenue safely and repeatably.”

Transparency on AI strategies emerges as a key expectation

While investor confidence in technology grows, expectations around reporting increase as well. Only 37% of respondents believe companies currently disclose sufficient information on their AI strategies and policies. More than two-fifths want clearer disclosures on AI-related investments (42%), AI returns and cost savings (42%), and innovation strategies (47%). Investors also seek more visibility on competitive position (37%) and resilience planning (29%).

The call for transparency aligns with broader concerns about the risk landscape. Over half of respondents (55%) describe high or extreme cyber exposure in the companies they invest in, while 53% highlight disruption risk from new technologies. Inflation (44%), macroeconomic volatility (43%), and geopolitical tensions (42%) also influence investor sentiment.

Growth expectations remain cautious despite tech optimism

Despite strong support for technology investment, expectations for global economic improvement remain restrained. Only 28% of respondents expect moderate to significant improvement in global growth over the next year.

In terms of geography, the United States is seen as the most attractive investment destination over the next three years (67%), followed by India (45%), Chinese Mainland (32%), the United Kingdom (26%), and the United Arab Emirates (26%). Interestingly, US-based investors are less optimistic about global growth than investors elsewhere, reflecting varied assessments of market conditions.

Resilience, business model agility, and sustainability gain priority

Investors continue to support measures that reinforce resilience in an uncertain environment. They encourage higher investment in cybersecurity (88%), business model agility (73%), regulatory compliance (66%), and supply chain management (64%).

Three-fourths (74%) expect higher growth from companies that pursue opportunities across traditional sector boundaries, while 65% believe companies face higher disruption risk if they fail to do so.

Sustainability also remains relevant to investment decisions. A majority (84%) believe companies should maintain or increase spending on climate adaptation. Meanwhile, 61% say they would increase their own investment in companies that use sustainability data to improve efficiency and performance.

Nadja Picard, Global Reporting Leader, PwC Germany, notes: “The message from investors is clear – technology transformation remains the highway for growth, but resilience and transparency are the guardrails. Investors are rewarding companies that can scale innovation responsibly, with clear governance, measurable outcomes and credible plans to turn technology into lasting value.”

PwC 2025 Global Investor Survey

PwC’s 2025 Global Investor Survey was designed to capture the perspectives of investment professionals worldwide on the evolving landscape of risk, opportunity, and decision-making in a time of rapid change. Conducted between 1 September and 6 October 2025, the survey reflects the views of 1,074 investment professionals across 26 countries and territories, drawn from investment firms, banks, private equity and venture capital groups, hedge funds, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and other financial institutions. Over half of respondents’ organisations manage more than US$50 billion in assets.