By Fernando Arencibia, Founder & CEO of Grupo Habber Tec 

Attempting to imagine what 2023 will bring us in terms of the economy is truly a reckless adventure, especially considering that after enduring the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when we all expected recovery to arrive, we faced a 2022 entirely marked by the war in Ukraine. Naturally, one would think about what new and unexpected circumstance might befall us in 2023, and that’s not a bad perspective. Uncertainty is currently the key element of the economic context and does not seem to be going away anytime soon in the coming year. 

The list of threatening factors is long: the war in Ukraine is far from over, and there is always the risk of it expanding. Meanwhile, a collapse of Russia wouldn’t exactly bring tranquility. China has just gone through tense moments with unrest driven by the COVID-19 Zero policy, and we know the significant impact this has on the global economy and supply chain. The energy crisis continues to fluctuate without signs of being under control; the dollar is proving to be unmanageable, which won’t favor countries with weaker economies. Inflation and rising interest rates are stifling economic growth worldwide, and this is expected to hit particularly hard in the European Union, where several of its largest countries are entering recession. Not to mention the political instability seen in places like the United Kingdom and the United States. A picture to frighten anyone! 

The Good News 

However, there are also positive signals for 2023: The economic crisis anticipated at the end of summer has not manifested as virulently as expected. Spain’s dependence on Russian energy is minimal, and our winters are not comparable to those of Central Europe. We’ll see how interest rates and inflation evolve, but for now, we are one of the few countries in the European Union expected to grow. Additionally, we have two elections coming up, which always brings about significant economic activity. 

Focusing more on our industry, all companies continue to accelerate their digital transformation, which has proven to be the best weapon in the fight to be resilient in the face of uncertainty. This transformation enhances efficiency, improves the speed and accuracy of decision-making and operational execution, and allows for the creation of new products and services, as well as the restructuring of obsolete business models. 

The Evolution of Technologies   

The shift towards the “Smart Company” is unstoppable, and to achieve this, both mature and newly emerging technologies will converge. Their interconnection and support for one another will genuinely measure their value. The identification, digital management, and automation of processes, alongside advanced data analytics, data democratization, artificial intelligence, adoption of cloud architectures, blockchain, and virtual/augmented reality, among others, will be constants in 2023.  

At Habber Tec, with our spirit of innovation, we will continue to face the challenge of helping our clients become that “Smart Company” so they can compete in their markets from an optimal advantage, tackling any turbulence that may arise or maximizing any favorable conditions.