How businesses can prepare today for any scenario The future of the global economy will be shaped by the decisions made today.4 The four scenarios presented in this report are not predetermined trajectories. They set out stylized storylines for a complex outlook shaped by the decisions made today. As uncertainty continues to cloud the global economic landscape, informed, anticipatory and agile approaches can help businesses not only adapt to these futures, but shape them too. Drawing on a series of workshops and consultations with chief strategy officers and experts, the following strategies have emerged as potential “no-regret” moves that could help businesses prepare today for any scenario. These strategy considerations do not represent an exhaustive action plan. Instead, they outline key areas of focus that can help businesses mitigate risks, capture new opportunities and harness the potential trajectories of geopolitical and technology trends regardless of which future emerges. Strengthen core operations. A strong and stable baseline provides financial and operational bandwidth to invest, adapt and respond to shocks amid heightened volatility. In practice, this means focusing on core operations and long- term priorities, streamlining cost structures and workflows, and improving financial health and risk management. Develop geopolitical function and intelligence. Geopolitical strategy has become a core business competency. Businesses that develop a dedicated function to analyse geopolitical risks, supply chain exposure, regulatory fragmentation and market access constraints are better positioned to decipher and adjust to shifting geopolitical faultlines. Strengthen foresight- and data-driven decision-making. The use of foresight tools and scenario planning can help anticipate change and seize emerging opportunities. Establish a foresight function with a related data infrastructure and agile governance, and harness big data, predictive analytics and real-time feedback loops to interpret early signals and enable iterative and forward- looking strategy design. Invest in supply chain resilience and agility. Balanced supply chain localization and diversification strategies, omnishoring and nearshoring of critical supply chains to limit key dependencies and mitigate supply chain disruptions across the alternative futures. Investing in real-time monitoring, digital twins and AI-enabled optimization can help increase efficiency and build modular, agile and resilient supply chain strategies. 17 Four Futures for the New Economy: Geoeconomics and Technology in 2030

Four Futures for the New Economy Geoeconomics and Technology in 2030 2025