Global Risks 2026: Why Tariffs, AI and Geopolitics Are Redrawing the Business Landscape
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GUEST: Spiros Fatouros, CEO of Marsh Africa and South Africa
The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026 paints a sobering picture of a world entering an “age of competition”, where economic rivalry, tariffs and the unintended consequences of artificial intelligence pose the most immediate threats to global business.
Based on insights from more than 1,300 leaders worldwide, the report finds that geoeconomic confrontation has overtaken armed conflict as the top near-term risk, with growing fears that trade tools such as tariffs, supply-chain restrictions and capital controls could trigger a sharp contraction in global trade.
The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026 paints a sobering picture of a world entering an “age of competition”, where economic rivalry, tariffs and the unintended consequences of artificial intelligence pose the most immediate threats to global business.
Based on insights from more than 1,300 leaders worldwide, the report finds that geoeconomic confrontation has overtaken armed conflict as the top near-term risk, with growing fears that trade tools such as tariffs, supply-chain restrictions and capital controls could trigger a sharp contraction in global trade.
