The State of Investor Relations in 2026: What You Need to Know

Irwin’s “State of Investor Relations 2026” report surveyed more than 200 IR professionals around the world. Its findings are relevant to any Investor Relations team, including those operating in the Mexican market. Here are the key takeaways and what they mean in practice: 

AI Is No Longer Optional 

The active use of artificial intelligence among IR teams jumped from 6% to 42% between 2025 and 2026. The most common use cases are analyzing quarterly call transcripts (35%), drafting investor communications (27%), and preparing for meetings (20%).  

In Mexico, where most IR teams are relatively small, these tools offer a concrete and effective way to do more with less. The challenge isn’t whether to adopt AI, but how to do so in an orderly manner: by establishing baselines before implementation, validating outputs, protecting information, and measuring actual time savings. 

The Return to In-Person Meetings 

52% of teams plan to increase their in-person meetings with investors by 2026, with only 2% planning to reduce them. It would appear that the post-pandemic virtual world has come to an end: technology is useful for preparation and follow-up, but relationships are built in person.  

For IROs, this reinforces the value of roadshows, conferences, and direct contact with the local and international buy-side. 

ESG in IR: Recalibration, Not Disappearance 

No area experienced such a drastic change as ESG communication. The net trend was -40 percentage points, the largest decline of any category. Two factors are behind this: regulatory uncertainty (68% describe the ESG landscape as confusing or unstable) and waning investor interest (52% say that ESG is no longer a key factor in their investors’ decisions).  

However, in the Mexican context, where CNBV regulations already require sustainability reports aligned with the ISSB, this is not what we are seeing. The importance of sustainability disclosures, both due to regulation and the interest of AFOREs, remains strong. The emphasis in IR should be on the financial materiality and measurement of ESG risks and opportunities, rather than on general reputational discourse. 

The C-Suite Gap: A Conversation Yet to Be Had 

The report shows that C-suite executives and IR teams do not always share the same priorities. Executives are more concerned with attracting new investors (67% vs. 52%), (ie, results) while IR teams place greater emphasis on adopting AI in reporting and communication processes (ie, process).  

We suggest ensuring that, despite differing priorities reflecting differences in what each team does, external messaging remains aligned. 

The Opportunity of Storytelling 

In the mid-cap segment, storytelling surpassed targeting as the main challenge (50% vs. 40%). The case lies in telling a distinctive story.  

In a market like Mexico, where large-caps dominate institutional and foreign attention, mid-cap companies gain an edge by clearly positioning themselves, rather than by making additional efforts to knock on new doors. 

 It is clear that the work of IR teams is evolving from reactive communication toward a proactive strategy. We believe that, with the release of 2Q26 results, now is the perfect time to reflect and assess how they might adopt some of these ideas in the second half of the year. That transition is exactly where Miranda IR can help.