Taiwan small businesses expect stronger growth in 2026, finds survey

More than fractional of Taiwan’s tiny businesses reported maturation successful 2025 and sentiment for 2026 has improved to its strongest level since earlier the pandemic, according to a CPA Australia survey.

The uncovering was portion of the accounting body’s Asia-Pacific Small Business Survey 2025–26.

CPA Australia, which has an bureau successful Taipei, collected responses from 4,166 tiny enterprises crossed 11 Asia-Pacific markets, including Singapore, Chinese Mainland and Australia for the survey. Taiwan’s results were based connected feedback from 311 firms.

According to the survey, 53% of Taiwanese tiny businesses expanded successful 2025.

Although this is somewhat beneath the 57% recorded successful the erstwhile survey, expectations for the twelvemonth up are much optimistic.

For 2026, 63% of respondents expect concern growth.

Confidence successful the home system has besides improved. Some 61% of respondents expect Taiwan’s system to turn successful 2026, the highest level recorded since the marketplace was included successful the survey successful 2018.

The survey besides recovered that tiny and medium-sized enterprises stay cardinal to occupation creation.

In 2025, 31% of SMEs successful Taiwan accrued their headcount, and 44% program to prosecute much unit successful 2026.

CPA Australia Honorary Taiwan Advisor Elic Lam said: “Rising planetary request for semiconductors and AI related chips continues to make opportunities for exporters and suppliers crossed Taiwan’s worth chain.

“While geopolitical tensions and intensifying contention are adding uncertainty, authorities enactment measures for SMEs, including targeted subsidies and taxation incentives, unneurotic with Taiwan’s resilient home demand, are helping to assistance concern confidence.”

Investment successful artificial quality (AI) has go much salient among tiny firms. The survey shows that 33% of businesses identified AI arsenic the exertion they invested successful astir successful 2025, up from 29% a twelvemonth earlier.

The study besides points to a notable simplification successful cyber incidents.

The proportionality of tiny businesses reporting a nonaccomplishment of clip oregon wealth owed to cyber events dropped from 59% successful 2024 to 27% successful 2025, which the survey links to higher consciousness and wider usage of basal cyber information measures.

Only 40% of Taiwanese respondents said their exertion concern successful 2025 led to higher profitability, compared with a survey-wide mean of 56%.

The survey besides indicated that financing conditions improved markedly successful 2025.

Two-thirds of businesses (66%) reported that obtaining outer concern was easy, placing Taiwan among the apical 3 markets surveyed and up sharply from 28% successful 2024. Looking up to 2026, 63% expect entree to concern to stay favourable.