There are reports that document what is happening. And there are reports that help make decisions about what is to come. Approaching the Future was created with that second ambition: not to limit itself to describing trends, but to offer those who lead organisations an in-depth, rigorous and actionable overview of intangible assets and resources so that they can anticipate, decide better and create value in a sustained way over time.

Today, eleven editions later, not only does that purpose remain but it is more necessary than ever. Because the environment in which organisations operate in 2026 is not simply complex; it is structurally unstable. The speed of technological change, the fragmentation of the geopolitical order, the erosion of trust and the pressure to attract and manage talent have ceased to be isolated phenomena and have become the everyday reality for those who manage companies. In this context, the excellent management of intangibles such as reputation, communication, leadership, purpose, brand, talent, sustainability or public affairs is absolutely necessary for all organisations. It is the infrastructure on which trust is built, the social licence to operate is sustained and business value is generated and protected in the short, medium and long term.

Over these eleven years, Approaching the Future has established itself as a reliable compass for navigating the economy of reputation and intangibles: a space for rigorous analysis that has been able to evolve with trends, incorporate new perspectives and offer practical guidance for decisionmaking. And in each edition, the report has grown, because the field it analyses has also grown: the management of intangibles is no longer a specialised function within organisations. It has become a senior leadership responsibility that cuts across functions, requires an integrated approach and carries growing importance and influence within organisations.

The 2026 edition arrives at a time that leaves no room for ambiguity. Artificial intelligence has ceased to be a trend to watch and has become the new context in which everything happens: it conditions how we communicate, how we lead, how we manage talent, how we build relationships, how we innovate in products, services and processes and, above all, how corporate reputation is built and protected. Geopolitics has entered value chains and strategic plans. Society demands greater consistency between what organisations say and what they do, scrutinising their actions more closely and showing less tolerance for inconsistency. This is not a transitional environment: it is an environment of structural reconfiguration. Of disruptive metamorphosis. And in this scenario, managing intangibles excellently is not only a competitive advantage; it is a condition for growing, differentiating in a lasting way, strengthening the social licence to operate and achieving the strategic and business objectives that allow them to become reputation leaders in the sector in which they operate.

The eleventh edition incorporates two innovations that reinforce the practical and actionable dimension of the report. The first innovation is that the analysis of context and vectors of change, which in previous editions was based on external sources and global benchmark reports, incorporates for the first time the direct voice of the 2,120 professionals surveyed. They are the ones who identify the forces of change that are most conditioning business and intangible management in Spain and Latin America. The result is a more direct assessment reflecting a broader range of perspectives, a useful roadmap that makes it possible to understand how the context determines decision-making.

The second innovation is the incorporation of a specific analysis of metrics and integrated management of intangibles. A section that answers the question that more and more executives are asking themselves: not only what is important, what we devote resources and efforts to, but how it is really being measured and managed. The data show progress —8 out of 10 organisations already have mechanisms to measure their reputation— but also persistent gaps in the methodologies used and the lack of connection with remuneration or compensation mechanisms.

The overall results for 2026 outline an Ibero-American agenda with one clear leading priority and multiple dimensions. Artificial intelligence ranks first in importance in the overall Ibero-American results, while corporate communication remains the area receiving the most resources and effort overall. Alongside it, talent management and new work models show the biggest jump in the ranking compared to the previous edition: the clearest sign that technology and people are inseparable.

For the fourth consecutive year, corporate communication remains a key operational capability, while reputation and reputational risk are particularly prominent in Latin America. On the other hand, public affairs are incorporated into the trends map for the first time, reflecting companies’ growing exposure to the institutional, regulatory and geopolitical environment.

The factors that most shape that agenda are also revealing. In Spain, AI, geopolitics and talent management shape an agenda focused on transformation and competitiveness. In Latin America, by contrast, institutional mistrust, social polarisation and reputational risks carry more weight, an agenda where corporate legitimacy is at stake in a more complex and fragile environment. Two geographies, one single study and two interpretations that this report analyses in detail.

All of this is based on a methodology that this year places direct consultation with professionals at the centre as the main source of knowledge, complemented by comparative analyses between Spain and Latin America and a specific focus on senior management and large companies. Likewise, at the end of each chapter there is a strategic summary that identifies challenges and opportunities to facilitate decision-making. In this way, Approaching the Future moves forward in its consolidation as a tool or strategic compass by seeking not only to explain what is happening, but also to help professionals and organisations develop an in-depth understanding of the context, think about what they should and could do, and inspire them to carry out that action.

This work is possible thanks to the commitment of the trustees, companies and supporters of Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership, who fund and make each edition possible. And thanks also to the collaboration of CANVAS Estrategias Sostenibles, to the support of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management as worldwide partner, and to the broad network of partner organisations and Ibero-American professional associations that give the report its collective dimension. Without that community, this map would not be possible.

Thank you for trusting this study and for continuing to make it possible. For being part of a community that understands that reputation and intangibles are the strategic core of companies. And that only from there is real value created, social legitimacy built and leadership sustained over time. Eleven editions confirm it.

In 2026, managing intangibles well is no longer about recognising their importance. The challenge is to turn them into real capabilities, indicators, decision systems and management criteria that connect with the business and with longterm value creation. The company that will be relevant in the future is the one that is already building in that direction today.

Change does not wait. Change is led.

Here is your map.

Eleven editions mapping the present and future of intangibles