As 2025 continues, businesses will face new challenges and opportunities—reshaped by technology, regulation, and shifting consumer expectations. This year has already proven to be turbulent, demanding agility, strategic foresight, and a willingness to embrace change. Staying up to date is crucial for success in such times.

Key themes we've seen so far in 2025:

• Regulatory shifts & market disruption – Global tax changes, the new EU-UK deal, the UK’s new digital markets regime, including Pillar 2, and the constant changes around US tariffs will redefine competition and profitability for EU businesses.
• ESG: A compliance necessity or a business opportunity? – The regulatory framework for ESG reporting has changed significantly, and companies, especially those in industries with substantial environmental impacts, are now facing heightened scrutiny. The introduction of regulations  in Europe highlights this shift. While many businesses have resisted these demands, arguing that they are unnecessary or overly complex, the reality is that failure to comply with these regulations can expose companies to substantial legal and financial risks.
• AI’s reality check – Beyond the façade AI’s true value will be tested across industries as businesses move from experimentation to implementation. There’s no doubt that 2025 is the year of AI. Yet, public discourse about AI trends often skips over a critical element: the infrastructure that powers it, and the profound environmental implications of this technological foundation.
• Medical and Pharma companies are blooming:  The latest export numbers from the Central Statistics Office shows, that both imports and exports of Medical & Pharmaceutical Products rose in January 2025 compared with January 2024, with exports increasing by €6 billion (+68%) to €14.8 billion and imports rising by €730.7 million (+72.3%) to €1.7 billion.* These statistics are paining a positive picture, however recent changes in taxation may require more agility from the industry.
• Retail & Consumer Evolution – So far, 2025 has been a year of significant change and challenge for retail businesses in the EU. Economic pressures, rising costs, digital transformation, and changing consumer habits require retail businesses to stay agile and adapt to rapidly changing conditions to succeed.
• Resilience in uncertainty – In a world of economic volatility and evolving global risks, adaptability will be the key to long-term success.

Explore these insights in greater detail below and stay informed on the latest developments shaping 2025 and beyond.

*Source: (https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-gei/goodsexportsandimportsjanuary2025)