The picture outlined by the report is clear: there is no alarmism, but the awareness that global risks are multiplying and they overlap, while traditional points of reference are no longer sufficient to interpret an increasingly complex reality. A reality characterized by intensifying competition between states, geopolitical blocs, and industrial sectors.
In other words, we have entered what WEF experts call the “Age of Competition.”
Multilateralism is retreating, while regional blocs with divergent and often conflicting interests are advancing. It's therefore not surprising that about half of the 1.300 global leaders consulted are preparing for a two-year period of "turbulent or stormy" events, a level of unease that is further heightened when projected over a ten-year horizon.
In this context, geoeconomic conflict emerges as the main source of complexity for businesses and investors. Tariffs on semiconductors, restrictions on rare earths, and targeted sanctions are progressively reshaping global value chains, with direct impacts on industrial strategies.
The impression is that of a global economy undergoing a true "forced re-engineering", in which every political decision directly affects costs, supplies and industrial planning.
The financial context no longer appears reassuring: high volatility and persistent inflation are accompanied by forecasts of weak growth and the risk of new speculative bubbles.
The combination of these factors leads to a finding that threatens the stability of the international economic system: total global debt has reached 235% of global GDP. Put simply, the burden of global finance now exceeds the wealth produced annually by the world's economies by 2,35 times.
Further complicating the situation is misinformation, which undermines consumer trust and damages corporate reputations. With over half of digital users unable to distinguish truth from fiction, and with deepfakes rapidly spreading, corporate communication becomes a strategic factor as crucial as it is potentially destabilizing. Driven by digital platforms, the decline in trust in traditional media—currently at 44%—is a signal that calls for increased investment in communications and reputational risk management.
On the front macroeconomic The challenges are no less significant: by 2027, nearly half of the sovereign debt of OECD countries, the major advanced economies, will need to be refinanced. At the same time, global investments in artificial intelligence and data centers will reach $525 billion by 2032. In this scenario, AI is not only consolidating as a strategic factor, but also emerging as a new source of risk: over a ten-year period, concerns about its negative impacts jump from 30th to 5th place in the ranking of perceived risks.
Businesses, too, are faced with a dual priority. On the one hand, exploiting the opportunities offered by technological innovation; on the other, managing its growing ethical, operational, and legal impact. Finally, environmental risks are returning to the forefront, as critical infrastructure—energy, logistics, and digital networks—are now more vulnerable not only to cyberattacks but also to extreme weather events.
Translating these assessments into a synthetic indicator, the Global risks report 2026 It points out that only 1% of experts predict a stable future. This isn't a call for pessimism, but rather for preparation.
For the business world, this translates into strengthening resilience, diversifying supply chains, and investing in enhanced risk management strategies.
Finally, the report calls for the mobilization of a "coalition of the willing," an alliance between governments and businesses aimed at improving digital transparency, strengthening infrastructure, and increasing the coordination and coherence of tax policies.
The WEF scholars' appeal is therefore to build shared strategies and to overcome the emergency logic that has characterised the start of the current decade.
The final message is simple and direct: in a world entering the "Age of Competition," the ability to anticipate risks, interpret geoeconomic dynamics, and transform uncertainty into opportunities will represent the true competitive advantage in addressing the challenges outlined by analysts.
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©2026 Copyright World Economic Forum Kamal Kimaoui
Ticino gastronomy will be the star of the show at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos.
