Managing Critical Issues & Risks Across Emerging Markets

The Speyside Latin America team provides a strategic perspective on the high ideological stakes of Colombia’s 2026 Election, framed by the tension of One Left, Two Rights. As the country enters a decisive stage, the race is defined by a genuine choice between competing models for the state, the economy, and the energy transition. On the right, the field is split between Paloma Valencia—the standard-bearer for the Gran Consulta por Colombia coalition—and Abelardo de la Espriella, an independent candidate with significant digital reach. Meanwhile, the left advances Iván Cepeda as the successor to the current administration's orientation.

The Speyside Central and Eastern Europe team is closely monitoring the intensifying debate around the European Union’s competitiveness agenda and the emerging concept of “Buy European” or “European preference.” For business, this debate is no longer a distant Brussels policy discussion but an emerging framework that will shape future market access, public funding, regulatory burdens and industrial opportunities across the EU. With the growing focus on economic sovereignty, MNCs may face pressure to localise production and adjust supply chains to align with EU priorities.

The Asia Pacific Speyside team analyzes ASEAN's Energy Transition Realities, assessing how geopolitical Disruption is forcing a pivot toward regional Resilience. With global conflicts disrupting roughly 20% of global oil flows, Southeast Asia is reframing its energy transition as a critical national security imperative rather than solely an emissions-reduction effort. To mitigate reliance on imported fossil fuels, the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) has emerged as an operational and financing priority, aimed at connecting national electricity systems and diversifying power supplies through cross-border renewable energy trade.