Will Coolers Dominate Davos WEF 2026?

I’ve been going to the World Economic Forum since 2009, a young Squawk Box Europe news assistant, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Then and now, it’s CNBC International’s biggest foreign coverage of the year, and it’s still fun to be a part of.

The incredible combination of world leaders, the most powerful players in business and a sprinkling of celebrities – all navigating the snowy streets of Davos Ski Resort – makes for a unique experience.

Over the years, I’ve seen many versions of Davos: the fallout from the Great Financial Crisis and the European debt crisis; a trade scandal rocked the French banking giant Societe Generale; the outbreak of the Arab Spring; The rise and fall of Russia; The spread of the Covid-19 epidemic and the disruption of world order that has now occurred since the end of World War II.

Everyone has their own opinion about this meeting, but one fact is that it is never boring. And 2026 will definitely not be different.

The tension between the countries that call themselves allies is clearly visible in this meeting.

US President Donald Trump began 2026 by shocking the international community with a series of actions challenging sovereignty and decades-old alliances.

He will address the forum on Wednesday as the world community tries to assess the impact of his actions in Venezuela, his tough stance on Iran, progress in Greenland and progress on a peace deal for Ukraine.

The World Economic Forum has called this year the “Spirit of Dialogue,” but the organization itself warned in its latest Global Risk Report that “rules and institutions that have long supported stability are under siege in a new era in which trade, finance and technology are used as weapons of influence.”

Ahead of Trump’s speech, we’ll hear from a number of other world leaders on the first full day of the Forum.

Among them are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. All three underscore the importance of NATO’s role as it faces its most significant challenge since its inception.

President Trump’s threats of military force in Greenland have put the previously unthinkable – the end of the NATO alliance – on the table. Reports suggest the G7 may meet on the sidelines of the event to promote a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, but tensions with NATO will certainly be discussed.

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will also speak on Tuesday, as a tentative trade deal with Washington appears to have been reached despite recent data showing China will post the world’s largest trade surplus for 2025, topping $1 trillion. Corporate leaders with significant interests in China, such as Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, will also speak at the forum as they look to navigate the political business landscape.

Beyond geopolitics, central bank independence debates heat up the frosty summits of Davos. Central bankers around the world were outraged by the Justice Department’s announcement of criminal charges against Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Jerome Powell.

Powell said in a statement that “the question is whether the Fed can continue to set interest rates … or whether monetary policy will be guided by political pressure or intimidation.”

His peers from all over the world posted a shocking letter of supportSignatures of ECB President Christine Lagarde and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, among others. Former ECB chief Jean-Claude Trichet told Squawk Box Europe that markets are not taking the threat seriously, calling the situation “very serious”.

If I had told my 20-something self in 2009 that 2026 would be the big debate for Davos, I wouldn’t have believed it.

Today, the influence of the G20 and G7 has been tested, making the World Economic Forum an even rarer occasion for face-to-face diplomacy. As someone who values ​​diplomacy in all aspects of my life—at work, at home, in the content I consume, and in the people who influence me—I hope that cool heads prevail in the Alps.

Tuesday: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, French President Emmanuel Macron

Wednesday: US President Donald Trump

Thursday: Israeli President Isaac Herzog; Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz