What it’s about
Financial Times reports that Larry Fink, the interim co-chair of the World Economic Forum, is exploring the possibility of moving some meetings out of Davos to other cities on a rotational basis — Detroit, Dublin, Jakarta and Buenos Aires are mentioned.
In private conversations cited by the paper, options for changing the location of the forum’s main meeting were discussed. Bloomberg warns this would be a blow to Switzerland as a centre of global diplomacy and business negotiations.
What Fink said
"For 56 years the World Economic Forum has been synonymous with Davos. And, most likely, it will remain so for some time. But we should expect the WEF to start doing something new: to appear — and to listen — where the modern world is actually being made. Davos — yes. But there are places like Detroit and Dublin, as well as cities such as Jakarta and Buenos Aires. The mountain will come down to earth."
— Larry Fink, interim co‑chair of the WEF (LinkedIn)
Why this matters
This decision is not about the beauty of the location or "tourism" for elites. Rotating venues change access — who and where can conduct negotiations, which topics are pushed to the forefront, and which regions gain a direct channel to global investors and thought leaders.
History shows: the WEF in Davos during the 1970s–2020s helped build consensus between governments and business. Shifting some activities could reorient the agenda toward issues important for new geographic hubs — industrialization, technological transformation, regional investment.
Economic consequences for Davos and Switzerland
According to the University of St. Gallen, the 2017 meeting brought the town about 60 million Swiss francs in revenue and approximately 2 million Swiss francs in taxes. Bloomberg notes that losing the WEF’s monopoly status would be felt by the local economy and by Switzerland’s role as a platform for neutral negotiations.
What this means for Ukraine
For Ukrainian diplomacy and business, a potential rotation is both a risk and an opportunity. Risk: reduced concentration of attention in Davos could weaken involvement in the traditional bilateral meetings where security and financing issues have historically been decided.
Opportunity: if the forum takes place more often closer to industrial or financial hubs, it opens new channels for presenting Ukrainian projects to investors and partners, especially in reconstruction, energy and technology. In other words, form affects access to resources — and Ukraine must be ready to take advantage of that.
Authoritative sources and precedents
FT cites informed sources, and the pandemic experience showed the WEF has previously considered alternative venues (Singapore in 2020–21). In 2002 the forum was moved to New York after September 11 — a precedent where geopolitical events affected the meeting’s format.
Brief forecast
The WEF’s decision is not an immediate relocation but a discussion about strategic adaptation. The task for Ukraine now is to preserve access to centres of influence, work more actively with local hubs and use any rotation to advance security and reconstruction interests. Whether partners will turn the idea of rotation into concrete steps is a question for the coming months.
