SBCI SME Outlook Survey 2026

SME Outlook Survey 2026

Questions marked with an asterisk * are mandatory and must be completed to proceed through the survey.

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* 1. In what county are you based?

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* 2. In what sector does your business operate?

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* 3. What is the average number of employees in your business?

1 (self-employed)

2-9

10-49

50-99

100-249

250 or more

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* 4. Do you believe that your business' profitability will increase over the next 12 months?

Yes

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* 5. Do you believe that your business will increase the number of employees over the next 12 months?

Yes

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* 6. Do you agree or disagree that the following areas are key risks for your business?

	Strongly agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly disagree
Energy and transport costs	Energy and transport costs Strongly agree	Energy and transport costs Agree	Energy and transport costs Neutral	Energy and transport costs Disagree	Energy and transport costs Strongly disagree
Risk of tariffs	Risk of tariffs Strongly agree	Risk of tariffs Agree	Risk of tariffs Neutral	Risk of tariffs Disagree	Risk of tariffs Strongly disagree
Cost of materials	Cost of materials Strongly agree	Cost of materials Agree	Cost of materials Neutral	Cost of materials Disagree	Cost of materials Strongly disagree
Availability of skilled labour	Availability of skilled labour Strongly agree	Availability of skilled labour Agree	Availability of skilled labour Neutral	Availability of skilled labour Disagree	Availability of skilled labour Strongly disagree
Supply chain issues	Supply chain issues Strongly agree	Supply chain issues Agree	Supply chain issues Neutral	Supply chain issues Disagree	Supply chain issues Strongly disagree
Insurance costs	Insurance costs Strongly agree	Insurance costs Agree	Insurance costs Neutral	Insurance costs Disagree	Insurance costs Strongly disagree
Cost of borrowing	Cost of borrowing Strongly agree	Cost of borrowing Agree	Cost of borrowing Neutral	Cost of borrowing Disagree	Cost of borrowing Strongly disagree
Access to finance	Access to finance Strongly agree	Access to finance Agree	Access to finance Neutral	Access to finance Disagree	Access to finance Strongly disagree

Other (please specify)

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* 7. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about the current position of your business?

	Strongly agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly disagree
Our business has a strong appetite for borrowing	Our business has a strong appetite for borrowing Strongly agree	Our business has a strong appetite for borrowing Agree	Our business has a strong appetite for borrowing Neutral	Our business has a strong appetite for borrowing Disagree	Our business has a strong appetite for borrowing Strongly disagree
Our business currently operates with a high level of certainty	Our business currently operates with a high level of certainty Strongly agree	Our business currently operates with a high level of certainty Agree	Our business currently operates with a high level of certainty Neutral	Our business currently operates with a high level of certainty Disagree	Our business currently operates with a high level of certainty Strongly disagree
Our current investment level is high	Our current investment level is high Strongly agree	Our current investment level is high Agree	Our current investment level is high Neutral	Our current investment level is high Disagree	Our current investment level is high Strongly disagree
We expect to increase investment in the short-term (up to 18 months)	We expect to increase investment in the short-term (up to 18 months) Strongly agree	We expect to increase investment in the short-term (up to 18 months) Agree	We expect to increase investment in the short-term (up to 18 months) Neutral	We expect to increase investment in the short-term (up to 18 months) Disagree	We expect to increase investment in the short-term (up to 18 months) Strongly disagree
We expect to increase investment in the medium-term (18 months to 5 years)	We expect to increase investment in the medium-term (18 months to 5 years) Strongly agree	We expect to increase investment in the medium-term (18 months to 5 years) Agree	We expect to increase investment in the medium-term (18 months to 5 years) Neutral	We expect to increase investment in the medium-term (18 months to 5 years) Disagree	We expect to increase investment in the medium-term (18 months to 5 years) Strongly disagree
We expect to increase investment in the long-term (5 years or longer)	We expect to increase investment in the long-term (5 years or longer) Strongly agree	We expect to increase investment in the long-term (5 years or longer) Agree	We expect to increase investment in the long-term (5 years or longer) Neutral	We expect to increase investment in the long-term (5 years or longer) Disagree	We expect to increase investment in the long-term (5 years or longer) Strongly disagree

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* 8. When investing in your business, please rank the reasons below for obtaining finance?

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* 9. Over the past three years, what percentage of your business' investments have come from the following sources?

	0%	1-25%	26-50%	51-75%	76% and above
Internal Financial Resources	Internal Financial Resources 0%	Internal Financial Resources 1-25%	Internal Financial Resources 26-50%	Internal Financial Resources 51-75%	Internal Financial Resources 76% and above
External Financial Resources	External Financial Resources 0%	External Financial Resources 1-25%	External Financial Resources 26-50%	External Financial Resources 51-75%	External Financial Resources 76% and above

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* 10. How many lending institutions does your business currently deal with?

	0	1	2	3
Banks	Banks 0	Banks 1	Banks 2	Banks 3
Non Banks	Non Banks 0	Non Banks 1	Non Banks 2	Non Banks 3
Credit Unions	Credit Unions 0	Credit Unions 1	Credit Unions 2	Credit Unions 3

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* 11. Which of the following financing options has your business applied for within the last three years? Select all that apply.

Short-term loans (less than 18 months)

Medium-term loans (more than 18 months and less than 5 years)

Long-term loans (more than 5 years)

Credit lines, bank overdraft or credit card

Leasing of agricultural equipment or machinery

Private resources (for example, family/ friends)

Other (please specify)

None of the above

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* 12. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements as barriers to finance for your business?

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Requirement to provide detailed information	Requirement to provide detailed information Strongly Agree	Requirement to provide detailed information Agree	Requirement to provide detailed information Neutral	Requirement to provide detailed information Disagree	Requirement to provide detailed information Strongly Disagree
Need to provide personal guarantees	Need to provide personal guarantees Strongly Agree	Need to provide personal guarantees Agree	Need to provide personal guarantees Neutral	Need to provide personal guarantees Disagree	Need to provide personal guarantees Strongly Disagree
High proportion of business assets are intangible	High proportion of business assets are intangible Strongly Agree	High proportion of business assets are intangible Agree	High proportion of business assets are intangible Neutral	High proportion of business assets are intangible Disagree	High proportion of business assets are intangible Strongly Disagree
Inadequate collateral	Inadequate collateral Strongly Agree	Inadequate collateral Agree	Inadequate collateral Neutral	Inadequate collateral Disagree	Inadequate collateral Strongly Disagree
Cost of credit	Cost of credit Strongly Agree	Cost of credit Agree	Cost of credit Neutral	Cost of credit Disagree	Cost of credit Strongly Disagree
Time and effort involved in the application process	Time and effort involved in the application process Strongly Agree	Time and effort involved in the application process Agree	Time and effort involved in the application process Neutral	Time and effort involved in the application process Disagree	Time and effort involved in the application process Strongly Disagree
Previous negative experience	Previous negative experience Strongly Agree	Previous negative experience Agree	Previous negative experience Neutral	Previous negative experience Disagree	Previous negative experience Strongly Disagree

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* 13. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements regarding your business' environmental plan?

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
Our business currently has an environmental plan with clear commitments and targets to reduce our environmental footprint.	Our business currently has an environmental plan with clear commitments and targets to reduce our environmental footprint. Strongly Agree	Our business currently has an environmental plan with clear commitments and targets to reduce our environmental footprint. Agree	Our business currently has an environmental plan with clear commitments and targets to reduce our environmental footprint. Neutral	Our business currently has an environmental plan with clear commitments and targets to reduce our environmental footprint. Disagree	Our business currently has an environmental plan with clear commitments and targets to reduce our environmental footprint. Strongly Disagree
Our business plans to integrate an environmental plan with clear commitments and targets to reduce our environmental footprint within the next 12 months.	Our business plans to integrate an environmental plan with clear commitments and targets to reduce our environmental footprint within the next 12 months. Strongly Agree	Our business plans to integrate an environmental plan with clear commitments and targets to reduce our environmental footprint within the next 12 months. Agree	Our business plans to integrate an environmental plan with clear commitments and targets to reduce our environmental footprint within the next 12 months. Neutral	Our business plans to integrate an environmental plan with clear commitments and targets to reduce our environmental footprint within the next 12 months. Disagree	Our business plans to integrate an environmental plan with clear commitments and targets to reduce our environmental footprint within the next 12 months. Strongly Disagree

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* 14. Have you taken any steps to tackle the impact of climate change and to reduce carbon emissions through investments in your business?

Did not invest and do not plan to invest this year

Did not invest but plan to invest this year

Would like to invest but unsure on the best approach

Already invested but no plan to invest more this year

Already invested and plan to invest more this year

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* 15. What are the main reasons why you might not invest in sustainable options for your business? Please select all that apply

Too expensive

Payback period is too long

Unsure about the benefits

Do not want to borrow for that purpose

Prefer to invest in other business areas

Not a priority

Not needed for my business

Other (please specify)

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* 16. Among the following options (scroll or swipe to view all), what are the top two reasons for investing in sustainable options for your business?

Rank 1	Rank 2
Reasons for investing in sustainable options
Reasons for investing in sustainable options Rank 1 menu	Reasons for investing in sustainable options Rank 2 menu

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* 17. Which of the following do you plan to invest in over the next three years? Please select all options that apply.

Electric Vehicle

Solar panels

Heating system

Cooling and ventilation system

Lighting

Insulation

Electric vehicle recharging infrastructure

Other (please specify)

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* 18. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements about your customer base?

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
We sell to a large local customer base	We sell to a large local customer base Strongly Agree	We sell to a large local customer base Agree	We sell to a large local customer base Neutral	We sell to a large local customer base Disagree	We sell to a large local customer base Strongly Disagree
We sell to a large regional customer base.	We sell to a large regional customer base. Strongly Agree	We sell to a large regional customer base. Agree	We sell to a large regional customer base. Neutral	We sell to a large regional customer base. Disagree	We sell to a large regional customer base. Strongly Disagree
We sell to a large national customer base.	We sell to a large national customer base. Strongly Agree	We sell to a large national customer base. Agree	We sell to a large national customer base. Neutral	We sell to a large national customer base. Disagree	We sell to a large national customer base. Strongly Disagree
We sell to international markets (less than five countries).	We sell to international markets (less than five countries). Strongly Agree	We sell to international markets (less than five countries). Agree	We sell to international markets (less than five countries). Neutral	We sell to international markets (less than five countries). Disagree	We sell to international markets (less than five countries). Strongly Disagree
We sell to international markets (five or more countries)	We sell to international markets (five or more countries) Strongly Agree	We sell to international markets (five or more countries) Agree	We sell to international markets (five or more countries) Neutral	We sell to international markets (five or more countries) Disagree	We sell to international markets (five or more countries) Strongly Disagree

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* 19. What percentage of your business revenue is generated from contracts or partnerships with multinational corporations (MNCs)?

0-10%

11-25%

26-50%

51-75%

76-100%

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* 20. What percentage of your business revenue is generated through exports?

0-10%

11-25%

26-50%

51-75%

76-100%

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* 21. If your business trades in a foreign market, please select from the list below what jurisdictions you currently trade with apart from Ireland? Note: please skip this question if your firm does not trade in a foreign market.

USA

Northern Ireland

Great Britain

Other (please specify)

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* 22. Please select if your business is developing the following product or service innovations over the next 12 months?

New to your market: Your business will launch new or significantly improved goods or services into the market before your competitors (may already be available in other markets)

New to your business: Your business will introduce new or significantly improved goods or services that are already available from your competitors in the market

Entering a new market: Your business will launch new or significantly improved goods or services into a new market

Other (please specify)

None of the above

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* 23. To what extent do you agree with the following statements?

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
I am directly or indirectly exposed to the multinational corporation (MNC) sector in my business.	I am directly or indirectly exposed to the multinational corporation (MNC) sector in my business. Strongly Agree	I am directly or indirectly exposed to the multinational corporation (MNC) sector in my business. Agree	I am directly or indirectly exposed to the multinational corporation (MNC) sector in my business. Neutral	I am directly or indirectly exposed to the multinational corporation (MNC) sector in my business. Disagree	I am directly or indirectly exposed to the multinational corporation (MNC) sector in my business. Strongly Disagree
Digitalisation is a central component of my business' corporate strategy.	Digitalisation is a central component of my business' corporate strategy. Strongly Agree	Digitalisation is a central component of my business' corporate strategy. Agree	Digitalisation is a central component of my business' corporate strategy. Neutral	Digitalisation is a central component of my business' corporate strategy. Disagree	Digitalisation is a central component of my business' corporate strategy. Strongly Disagree
Measurable goals have been defined for the digital transformation of my business.	Measurable goals have been defined for the digital transformation of my business. Strongly Agree	Measurable goals have been defined for the digital transformation of my business. Agree	Measurable goals have been defined for the digital transformation of my business. Neutral	Measurable goals have been defined for the digital transformation of my business. Disagree	Measurable goals have been defined for the digital transformation of my business. Strongly Disagree

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* 24. Which digital changes will most affect your business over the short, medium and long term

Short Term : Up to 18 months
Medium Term : 18 months to 5 years
Long Term : More than 5 years

	Adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) (e.g. automation, analytics)	Expansion of e‑commerce and digital sales channels (online sales,digital marketing)	Availability of digital skills within the business (staff capability, training,recruitment)	Cybersecurity and data protection requirements
Short Term : Up to 18 months	Short Term : Up to 18 months Adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) (e.g. automation, analytics)	Short Term : Up to 18 months Expansion of e‑commerce and digital sales channels (online sales,digital marketing)	Short Term : Up to 18 months Availability of digital skills within the business (staff capability, training,recruitment)	Short Term : Up to 18 months Cybersecurity and data protection requirements
Medium Term : 18 months to 5 years	Medium Term : 18 months to 5 years Adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) (e.g. automation, analytics)	Medium Term : 18 months to 5 years Expansion of e‑commerce and digital sales channels (online sales,digital marketing)	Medium Term : 18 months to 5 years Availability of digital skills within the business (staff capability, training,recruitment)	Medium Term : 18 months to 5 years Cybersecurity and data protection requirements
Long Term : More than 5 years	Long Term : More than 5 years Adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) (e.g. automation, analytics)	Long Term : More than 5 years Expansion of e‑commerce and digital sales channels (online sales,digital marketing)	Long Term : More than 5 years Availability of digital skills within the business (staff capability, training,recruitment)	Long Term : More than 5 years Cybersecurity and data protection requirements

Other (please specify)

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* 25. Which of the following areas do you plan to invest in over the next three years? Please select all that apply

Artificial Intelligence (AI) (e.g. automation, analytics, customer support tools)

E‑commerce and digital sales channels (online sales, digital marketing, customer engagement)

Digital skills within the business (staff capability, training, recruitment)

Cybersecurity and data protection

Other (please specify)

None of the above

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* 26. To show our appreciation all participants will be entered into a draw with one participant randomly selected to win a €200 gift card. Please enter your email id below to participate in this draw.

SBCI SME Outlook Survey 2026

SME Outlook Survey 2026

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* 1. In what county are you based?

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* 2. In what sector does your business operate?

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* 3. What is the average number of employees in your business?

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* 4. Do you believe that your business' profitability will increase over the next 12 months?

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* 5. Do you believe that your business will increase the number of employees over the next 12 months?

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* 6. Do you agree or disagree that the following areas are key risks for your business?

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* 7. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about the current position of your business?

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* 8. When investing in your business, please rank the reasons below for obtaining finance?

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* 9. Over the past three years, what percentage of your business' investments have come from the following sources?

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* 10. How many lending institutions does your business currently deal with?

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* 11. Which of the following financing options has your business applied for within the last three years? Select all that apply.

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* 12. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements as barriers to finance for your business?

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* 13. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements regarding your business' environmental plan?

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* 14. Have you taken any steps to tackle the impact of climate change and to reduce carbon emissions through investments in your business?

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* 15. What are the main reasons why you might not invest in sustainable options for your business? Please select all that apply

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* 16. Among the following options (scroll or swipe to view all), what are the top two reasons for investing in sustainable options for your business?

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* 17. Which of the following do you plan to invest in over the next three years? Please select all options that apply.

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* 18. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements about your customer base?

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* 19. What percentage of your business revenue is generated from contracts or partnerships with multinational corporations (MNCs)?

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* 20. What percentage of your business revenue is generated through exports?

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* 21. If your business trades in a foreign market, please select from the list below what jurisdictions you currently trade with apart from Ireland? Note: please skip this question if your firm does not trade in a foreign market.

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* 22. Please select if your business is developing the following product or service innovations over the next 12 months?

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* 23. To what extent do you agree with the following statements?

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* 24. Which digital changes will most affect your business over the short, medium and long termShort Term : Up to 18 months Medium Term : 18 months to 5 yearsLong Term : More than 5 years

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* 25. Which of the following areas do you plan to invest in over the next three years? Please select all that apply

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* 26. To show our appreciation all participants will be entered into a draw with one participant randomly selected to win a €200 gift card. Please enter your email id below to participate in this draw.

* 24. Which digital changes will most affect your business over the short, medium and long term

Short Term : Up to 18 months
Medium Term : 18 months to 5 years
Long Term : More than 5 years