Amid the rapid developments the world is witnessing due to ongoing geopolitical conflicts and the impact of natural disasters and extreme weather events, and despite the technological advancements and AI revolution that bode well for significant changes and novel opportunities, the uncertainty arising from these reactions still leaves an impact on the global economic environment.As such, these implications have kept the burden of massive costs on the macro-economy ongoing in many countries. In its latest reports, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has once again raised its global growth forecast for 2026, reflecting the adaptation of companies and economies to lower tariffs in recent months, as well as the ongoing investment boom in AI, which has boosted asset wealth and productivity prospects.In its World Economic Outlook report, IMF projected global GDP growth of 3.3 percent in 2026, an increase of 0.2 percentage points over its previous estimate in October, matching the same level expected for 2025. Meanwhile, it kept its 2027 growth forecast unchanged at 3.2 percent.The report attributed the improvement in growth prospects to trade deals that lowered tariffs, the ability of firms to redirect supply chains, and the continuation of AI-related investments.In this context, and regarding the report’s projections for major economies, the IMF predicted in its annual World Economic Outlook that China’s growth in 2026 is expected to reach 4.5 percent, lower than its outperformance in 2025 at 5 percent, but 0.3 percentage points higher than the October estimate.Meanwhile, the IMF estimated US economic growth in 2026 at 2.4 percent, an increase of 0.3 percentage points from the October forecast, undergirded by investment in AI infrastructure.At the same time, the IMF lowered its US 2027 growth forecast by 0.1 percentage points to 2.0 percent, attributing the rebound in Spain’s economy to technology investment and raising its forecast for Spanish GDP growth in 2026 by 0.3 percentage points to 2.3 percent.As for the United Kingdom, the IMF kept its 2026 growth forecast unchanged at 1.3 percent.Similarly, the IMF elucidated that AI represents a significant opportunity for global economic growth, should the upsurge in investments trigger the fast adoption of this technology, which openly increases productivity and bolsters business mechanisms and innovations.Commenting on the report projections, Rajab Abdulla al-Esmail, Professor of Accounting at the College of Business and Economics at Qatar University (QU), told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that dipping into the report indicators underscores relative stability, not a strong recovery, outlining that raising expectations by 0.2 percentage points implies a limited improvement in morale and commercial conditions, with a slight reduction to 3.2 percent in 2027.This implies that the global economy is stuck on a path of moderate growth with low momentum, due to structural constraints, debt, and geopolitical tensions, Prof al-Esmail highlighted. He elaborated that the IMF points to a qualitative improvement in adaptation mechanisms rather than a quantitative upsurge in demand, and that tariff reductions through trade deals have eased trade costs.He went on to clarify that companies have demonstrated a greater capability to reorient supply chains and reduce risk, adding that AI supports investment and productivity in advanced economies, but it has yet to morph into an overall driver of international growth, whose impact still remains sectorial and selective.Prof al-Esmail sees that the anticipation of a US tariffs reduction to 18.5 percent is a drop that reflects a pragmatic shift in US commercial policy under the pressure of inflation and protection costs. This drop will partially mitigate the distortions of international trade and support growth, but this doesn’t mean the end of protectionism, rather its easing; therefore, the impact will be positive, yet limited in duration and contingent on domestic political stability, al-Esmail stressed.He pointed out that US administration trade policies have a significant impact on the global economy due to economic decisions that have caused major volatility and shocks, particularly in capital markets, stocks, and bonds. Consequently, it is difficult to predict global growth rates in the coming years — or at least for the current and next year — especially for oil prices, equities, and bonds, which in turn affect the world economy broadly, since many national budgets rely on the oil sector and energy prices, al-Esmail noted.Al-Esmail clarified that the US-China trade tensions, as well as the US-Europe geopolitical tensions, could have further implications for global economic growth. He suggested that the possibility of seeing global inflation decelerating is a likely scenario, but this is conditional, since the IMF has built its predictions on persistent measured monetary tightening without triggering a recession, supply shocks in energy and food have eased, and supply chains have improved.However, any geopolitical escalation or return to protectionism could disrupt this path. Therefore, a decline in global inflation is statistically likely but politically fragile, al-Esmail outlined.He further indicated that China’s slowdown to 4.5 percent reflects its transition toward more balanced growth with reduced reliance on real estate, while the US economy is poised for moderate growth driven by consumption and innovation, yet exposed to debt and deficit risks.Meanwhile, the UK and Germany face structural weakness in industry, energy, and demand, making their contribution to global growth lower compared with the US and Asia, al-Esmail continued. Having addressed the stability in global economic growth rates, Prof al-Esmail recalled that the Qatari economy is one of the most stable in the region, suggesting that during this mid-year it is anticipated that production is poised to commence from expansion operations in gas fields, boding well for higher gas output – something that would drive a positive impact in terms of the projected returns of the Qatari economy and an increase in LNG production.Finally, Prof al-Esmail clarified that the challenge facing the global economy today is not a shortage of liquidity, but rather a lack of co-ordination, trust, and long-term structural reforms.To elevate global growth rates, he said, it is essential to reform the trade system and reduce protectionism, direct investment toward boosting productivity rather than temporary stimulus, extend the benefits of digital transformation and AI to developing economies, address debt crises, and reinforce geopolitical stability.In essence, there is unanimity among economists that the upsurge in global growth for the required rates hinges on further practical efforts, as the energised efforts of governments on the domestic stage are not enough unless they are consistent with the efforts being marshalled on the global stage to establish a stable and clear commercial environment.Alongside facilitating debt restructuring and addressing shared challenges, these economists emphasise that every country must implement transformative reforms aimed at boosting productivity and strengthening growth as an imperative. This includes reducing federal bureaucracy, eliminating anti-competitive regulatory barriers, promoting entrepreneurship, deepening capital markets, adopting a simpler and more consistent tax system, improving digital financial technology frameworks, and increasing levels of economic participation.