In 2025, the threats to companies will go far beyond traditional management and operational challenges, encompassing factors such as geopolitical instability, advances in cybercrime and fluctuations in consumer spending.
Logistical delays, difficulties in attracting customers and payment challenges continue to threaten the smooth running of companies, now in a more complex and unpredictable context, aggravated by external factors such as the political and economic climate and computer hacking, which jeopardise both business operations and the customer data security.
In fact, for the Portuguese business community, the biggest threat, according to the Control Risk's Risk Rating batometerIn fact, it comes from the geopolitical and macroeconomic context, with a percentage of 83%.
Threats to businesses in 2025: what are the most worrying?
As we've mentioned, the geopolitical and macroeconomic context is among the threats to a company that most alarm national managers, and it's with it that we begin this ranking of risks for 2025:
Geopolitical and Macroeconomic Context
The wars in Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Middle East (Palestine and Yemen), and their impact on the price and transport of raw materials, have left the companies surveyed fearful that production costs could escalate and jeopardise their growth expectations.
Added to this is the instability on the other side of the Atlantic with the election of Trump and his protectionist policies, which could jeopardise transatlantic trade between the European Union and the US.
If the geopolitical and macroeconomic context makes national entrepreneurs apprehensive, cybersecurity is not far behind.
Cybersecurity
Among the respondents who show a high level of concern about cybersecurity and those who consider that this risk has already reached a critical level, we find 62% of Portuguese managers.
A high rate that reflects the increasing digital dependence of companies in a business ecosystem where, for example, e-commerce is reaching unprecedented levels of growth.
In addition to the importance of sensitive data related to management, there is the threat of hackers appropriating customers' personal and financial information, especially with regard to payments.
In this area in particular, Portuguese businesses selling online can find REDUNIQ, the only Portuguese acquirer with PCI-DSS certificationThis is an international security standard that guarantees that a payment company follows the safety standards and good practices, two secure online payment solutionsWe're able to provide you with fast and appropriate solutions for your digital business and the needs of your customers.
The case of REDUNIQ@E-Commerce (for those who sell through their own website) and the REDUNIQ@Payments (aimed at those who sell online without a website, with link payments).
Knowing what consumers want and being able to captivate them despite inflation are the threats that complete the podium for 2025.
Demand, consumer trends and inflation
Inflation, a high-impact threat for 48% of the managers surveyed due to its ability to compromise consumers' purchasing power and hamper organisations' economic growth, is joined by the change in consumption patterns as a result of the pandemicTechnological innovation and market volatility are risks that reinforce the need for companies to create more agile and resilient business strategies.
Looking more closely at the new patterns of consumption, it can be seen that there is a greater preference for shopping experiences that offer customers greater speed, convenience and simplicity at all stages.
In the case of payments, this involves integrating payment methods based on the contactless technologysince this is, according to REDUNIQ InsightsREDUNIQ is responsible for 81% of total transactions and 63% of invoicing for businesses served by the REDUNIQ transactional system.
The financial liquidity of organisations is undoubtedly one of the threats to a company in 2025 that most worries entrepreneurs, if not let's take a look at the fourth place in this ranking.
Financial and Financial Liquidity
The prolonged period of time over which inflation and high interest rates have been occurring are, according to the Control Risk report, leading to
"intensify liquidity and insolvency risks, especially in sectors already weakened by the pandemic and macroeconomic volatility"
As well as severely limiting access to capital, this whole situation brings great unpredictability to investment strategies and exposes companies to fluctuations in asset prices.
Lack of liquidity turns out to be related to one of the worst threats a company can suffer these days: the inability to retain talent.
Human Resources and Talent Management
Wages below the European average and labour shortages mean that it is increasingly difficult for national companies to hire and retain workers. retain the human capital needed to maintain competitiveness and innovation in a highly competitive global market.
To this challenge, we can add another that is having a major impact on human resources management: the new working dynamics which, among other things, include aspects such as creating more inclusive workspaces and organisational polarisation, something that can impact internal cohesion.
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