Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings famously said that his biggest competitor is sleep.
In 2026, the streaming giant has a formidable rival in Trump’s White House.
From visuals of a deported, handcuffed Maduro wishing onlookers a Happy New Year, to Greenland’s fate hinging on what gets posted on Truth Social, to Maria Corina Machado gifting her Nobel Peace Prize to make peace with Trump, it’s been a riveting, binge-worthy few weeks already
It reminds one of a meme often shared on social media, where Captain Haddock says to Tintin, “What a week, huh?”, and Tintin quips, “Captain, it’s Wednesday.”
When The New York Times recently asked Trump what limits his global power, he said, “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me,” adding, “I don’t need international law.”
It is against this backdrop of chaos and uncertainty that leaders from around the globe will convene at the Swiss ski town of Davos for the 56th World Economic Forum (WEF), under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue”.
As it happens, the WEF has had its own share of drama in the last year, with its octogenarian founder, Klaus Schwab, making an ignominious exit after five decades at the helm, under a cloud of alleged financial misappropriation.
A whole new world
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Countries are bracing for a new world order-power trumps rules (pun intended), there is a shift from a globally integrated marketplace to a geopolitical one, sovereignty isn’t guaranteed, and China’s technological superpower status is on the ascent.
Economists and diplomats increasingly describe an environment where markets are no longer neutral, and trade, technology, and capital flows are shaped as much by power politics as by price signals.
In this context, India’s presence in Switzerland takes on added significance, as the country seeks to position itself as a credible, resilient, and scalable destination for global capital.
India’s Davos pitch
India’s delegation is one of its largest ever at Davos, with ten state governments joining central leaders and top business executives.
Apart from Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Pralhad Joshi, and Kinjarappu Ram Mohan Naidu, there will be delegations from Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala. Barring Andhra which has a separate pavilion, others will be on the same floor in the India pavilion
WEF regular Tamil Nadu is skipping Davos this time due to the upcoming state elections.
India’s show of strength comes weeks ahead of the Global India AI Summit in New Delhi, which top technology leaders and CEOs are expected to attend. Its mandate at Davos is twofold: to project economic opportunity and shape global policy discussions.
State governments are actively promoting investment-ready projects, while central leaders are expected to engage on issues such as managing geo-economic tensions, securing critical minerals, and adopting AI responsibly.
India’s participation is not only about signing deals but also about signalling where it fits in a fractured, geopolitically driven global economy.
Even as negotiations for the much-anticipated Indo-US trade deal are underway, India has been stitching together free trade agreements with Europe and the UK, while also repairing economic ties with China.
The stakes are high.
While India’s headline growth is strong, private consumption-which accounts for about 60% of GDP-lags, and investment remains heavily government-driven. If technological advancements fail to generate enough employment, weak consumption could act as a drag on the economy, even as AI-driven growth in other countries, particularly the US, reshapes global markets.
The World Economic Forum’s January 2026 Chief Economists’ Outlook highlights that while growth prospects in South and East Asia remain strong, uncertainty is elevated as trade and investment policy is now heavily influenced by geopolitics.
Tariffs, export controls, and industrial subsidies have become routine, reshaping global commerce.
Predatory politics are also on the rise, particularly under the influence of a renewed Donald Trump-era US policy. China’s rise as a technological superpower, meanwhile, is creating trade imbalances and fuelling concerns about industrial displacement. Its dominance in advanced manufacturing, EVs, batteries, AI hardware, and clean-tech supply chains underscores the need for countries like India to offer alternative manufacturing and innovation hubs.
Overlaying these dynamics is a scramble for critical resources, including rare earths and energy-transition materials, which are increasingly central to industrial strategy and national security.
According to the WEF’s Global Risks Report 2026, geo-economic confrontation is now the top near-term risk, overtaking armed conflict and environmental threats. Around 50% of respondents expect a turbulent global environment over 2026–28.
For India, risks include cyber insecurity, widening income inequality, public service gaps, and exposure to global economic downturns-emphasising the importance of digital resilience and inclusive growth.
The 56th edition of WEF in Davos-Klosters, from January 19 to 23, will bring together nearly 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries, including 400 top political leaders and 850 CEOs.
Donald Trump, President of the United States; Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada; Emmanuel Macron, President of France; Friedrich Merz, Federal Chancellor of Germany; Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; He Lifeng, Vice-Premier of the People’s Republic of China; Javier Milei, President of Argentina; Prabowo Subianto, President of Indonesia; and Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, are among the heads of state in attendance.
Top AI leaders such as Jensen Huang, Satya Nadella, Demis Hassabis, and Dario Amodei, among others, will also be present.
Moneycontrol will be on the ground with a raft of insightful interviews and conversations. Stay tuned.