A recent survey of Canadian professionals reveals remarkable levels of optimism around the economy and business performance in the coming year. Conducted on behalf of Plooto, a leading payment automation solution for small-to-midsize businesses (SMBs), the survey asked business owners, accountants, bookkeepers, and finance professionals about their outlook for their business and the economy in 2025, what changes they plan to make, and how they will invest in technology to drive success in the new year.
Key findings of the survey
Canadian businesses are incredibly optimistic about 2025.
A notable 81% of Canadian financial pros expect the nation's economy to improve or remain stable in 2025. The optimism extends to specific areas like expansion and work/life balance, with 51% expecting their business to grow. Nearly half (46%) say they’ll have more free time in 2025, with 30% expecting to have five or more additional hours of free time in the coming year.
Those closest to the numbers are the most confident.
Finance professionals — those arguably the most in the know — displayed the highest confidence in the Canadian economy and their business growth, with 61% of accounting firms and 60% of CFOs anticipating business growth next year.
Businesses are preparing to grow — not cut back — next year.
When asked about their plans for next year, few had plans for reduction in areas like closing locations (7%) or reducing tech spend (9%). Instead, responses point to clear investments in growth levers that will drive expansion, like adopting new technology (49%); investing in marketing (32%); hiring (29%); and purchasing more equipment (22%).
Technology is more valued than ever to enable growth.
Businesses report already using tools like AI to automate the most tedious tasks — like making payments (26%) and financial reconciliation (23%) — because automation removes manual work to free up employees and eliminate time-consuming, error-prone tasks. More than half (60%) of businesses will increase their use of fintech in 2025, illustrating the significant role technology will play in enabling these optimists to focus on the growth-driving areas of their businesses.
Faster payment processing tops the list of tech investments for 2025.
More than two-thirds (77%) will prioritize making real-time payments, and more than half (53%) are likely to switch from traditional payment methods to digital ones. Businesses know that digitizing their manual (but pervasive) processes is an important part of making the most of 2025 and of being poised to attain the success they predict.
“It’s encouraging to see Canada’s finance professionals and business owners display such clear optimism heading into 2025,” John McLane, CEO of Plooto, said. “As our latest survey data shows, adopting new technology will be key for many of these businesses to get past manual, time-consuming blockers and achieve efficient growth. In the new year, our vision is to see more business owners with time and cash flow to put the next phase of their dream into action, and more accounting firms helping their clients succeed by providing accurate, timely financial management with Plooto.”
