Montreal, QC (June 24, 2026) \u2013 Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could unlock nearly $350 billion in economic growth if more firms reached the digital and AI maturity of the country\u2019s top-performing SMEs, according to a new study from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).<\/p>\n
Digital maturity reflects a business\u2019s overall ability to turn technology, data and processes into performance, while AI maturity refers more specifically to how effectively it embeds and scales AI in day-to-day operations.<\/p>\n
The estimate models a scenario in which 92% of SMEs reach the digital maturity of today\u2019s top-performing 8%, highlighting the scale of the gap between leaders and the broader market.<\/p>\n
The challenge is no longer awareness\u2014it\u2019s execution. Moving from adoption to results now separates leading economies. For Canada, accelerating digital maturity is also a question of sovereignty, tied to the ability to build domestic capability and capture value at scale.<\/p>\n
The study found the digitization of Canadian businesses is accelerating, with 96% of SMEs investing in\u202fdigital technologies in 2025 versus 91% in 2021. However, while adoption is widespread, the report shows that outcomes remain uneven: SME productivity could increase by up to 38% if all businesses reached top-tier levels of digital maturity.<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s GDP could grow by nearly 14%\u2014or $350 billion\u2014over time if all SMEs operated at a mature level. Yet only 30% of SMEs currently use generative AI\u2014even though those that do are 24% more productive.<\/p>\n
To measure digital maturity, BDC\u2019s Economic Research team developed a score out of 100 that takes into account the level of technology, corporate culture, data management and intensity of AI use.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of the obstacles to AI adoption aren\u2019t technical\u2014they\u2019re based on myths,\u201d said Jean\u2011S\u00e9bastien Charest, Chief Information Officer at BDC. \u201cThat AI is only for big companies, that it\u2019s too complex, or that it can wait. The companies pulling ahead are the ones moving past those assumptions\u2014starting small, integrating AI into their operations, and using it to make faster, better decisions every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada is not behind on adopting technology\u2014but we are behind on extracting its full value,\u201d said Pierre Cl\u00e9roux, Chief Economist at BDC. \u201cThe risk is no longer just slower productivity growth. It\u2019s that the economic value created by AI and data is captured elsewhere. In a world where data and systems underpin every sector, how and where we use these technologies has become a question of economic sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s productivity challenge underscores the urgency. The country ranks near the bottom of the G7 in output per hour worked\u2014trailing all but Japan and significantly behind leaders such as the United States and Germany. Closing this gap will require meaningful productivity gains to reach the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average.<\/p>\n
The Digital Transformation & AI Study (SMEs) 2026<\/strong><\/a> is based on a survey of 1,500 Canadian business owners and decision makers conducted in February 2026 using Forum Research\u2019s online panel. Results were weighted by region and firm size. The study also draws on a comparable 2021 BDC survey. As both surveys are based on non-probability samples, results are not statistically projectable, and no margin of error can be assigned. Analysis was conducted by BDC\u2019s Research and Economic Analysis team.<\/p>\n BDC focuses on small- and medium-sized business owners, providing them financing, investment, and\u202fadvice. As Canada\u2019s development bank, we also support entrepreneurs who don\u2019t fit the traditional mold working with a network of partners and help develop underserved\u202fmarkets to unlock economic potential. Our mission is to build strong, resilient businesses that drive Canada\u2019s economic growth. BDC is a perennial Canada\u2019s Top 100 Employer<\/em> and\u202fB Corp certified. For more information, visit www.bdc.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n Source: Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)<\/em><\/p>\n Tags: Artificial Intelligence (AI)<\/a>, Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)<\/a>, Digital Innovation<\/a>, growth<\/a>, small business<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A $350-billion opportunity: Digital maturity\u2014not just adoption\u2014is now the key challenge, with execution emerging as the primary barrier to growth Montreal, QC (June 24, 2026) \u2013 Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could unlock nearly...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1],"class_list":["post-25153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25153\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}About BDC<\/b><\/h4>\n