June 23, 2026
From around-the-clock trading and AI-driven investing to shifting disclosure expectations and evolving activist tactics, the 2026 National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) Annual Conference in June highlighted how quickly the public company landscape is changing. Here are eight developments investor relations, legal, communications and executive teams at public companies should be watching.
Artificial intelligence: AI figured prominently in approximately half of the NIRI sessions and nearly every vendor in the exhibit area had one or more AI-driven solutions or enhancements. AI is rapidly becoming part of both sides of the investment equation. Investors are using it to evaluate companies faster and challenge their assumptions, while IR teams’ use cases include earnings call preparation, benchmarking research, first drafts of responses to investor inquiries, workflow notifications, and analysis of how financial performance is likely to impact earnings estimates and stock price.
Around-the-clock stock trading: Stock markets in the U.S. and around the world are moving inevitably toward 23/5 stock trading (23 hours a day, 5 days a week). Even 24/7 trading is not out of the realm of possibility. Always-on markets will be heavily influenced by investors from across the world in every time zone, geopolitical events, after-hours industry news and so on. Thanks to the tokenization of securities, transactions can happen within nanoseconds.
Shareholder activism: Even though there are several high-profile shareholder activism groups, approximately 60% of activist campaigns come from first-time activists. Know with whom you are talking and take note of what they’re interested in. If the line of questioning focuses on strategic planning, operational effectiveness, capital allocation and/or Board composition (targeting the perceived weakest Directors), they may be thinking about activist action.
Semiannual reporting: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is pursuing rulemaking to allow U.S. public companies to move to semiannual financial reporting (although quarterly reporting will likely continue to be an option). NIRI reports that 50% of its members are currently unsure what to do if the proposed rule goes into effect later this year. The most likely scenario is that most companies will stay with the status quo. At least for the time being, unless and until major peers, customers, suppliers or influencers change their reporting frequency. Depending on who the early adopters are, there could be a domino effect on companies. The EU, U.K., Australia and Singapore currently allow semiannual reporting.
Risk and reputation: One discussion reinforced a point we often see with clients: regulatory, operational and reputational risks rarely stay in their lanes. The organizations that identify weak signals early – and understand how different stakeholder groups may react – are better positioned to prevent issues from escalating into crises. The consensus was that managing risk and reputation requires a multidisciplinary effort, no matter which function officially owns these topics. (Want more insight about how to identify the early warning signs of regulatory and reputational risk, and how stakeholders might react? Ask me about our horizon scanning and stakeholder simulation capabilities.)
ESG: While ESG received far less attention than in recent years, many of the underlying issues – climate risk, human capital management, governance and supply chain resilience – remain relevant. The difference is that companies are increasingly discussing them through the lens of business performance and risk management rather than ESG frameworks. At least for now, investors could best be described as a “quiet” or “dormant” stakeholder group for ESG/sustainability issues.
Generational shift: There seems to be a new generation of IR professionals who are poised to move into more senior roles. A panel discussion about being prepared to elevate to a senior role included tips such as: be the voice of calm and reason during pressure situations; think like a “chief intelligence officer” by continuing to ask probing questions of the management team and investors; and look around corners and over the horizon for early signs of what’s to come. That’s good advice for all of us!
Change at NIRI: Just after the conference ended, NIRI announced that Matt Brusch, the association’s president and CEO for nearly the past five years, is retiring at the end of the year and a national search will be conducted.
Taken together, these developments point to a common theme: the pace of change affecting public companies continues to accelerate. The organizations that anticipate change and prepare accordingly, not simply react to it in the moment, will be best positioned to earn investor confidence in the years ahead.
