Opening Remarks
Opening Remarks from Ismail, CEO
Welcome to World Investment Conference 2026
The World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) has announced that its 30th World Investment Conference (WIC) will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, in collaboration with the Geneva Convention Bureau and the WAIPA Presidency, the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA).
The 30th edition represents both a celebration and a forward-looking platform. Over the past thirty years, IPAs have evolved into strategic institutions — identifying global trends, advising governments, supporting investors across the investment lifecycle, and ensuring that investment translates into jobs, innovation and long-term economic impact.
WAIPA Returns to Geneva: A Vision for Global Investment
The conference returns to Geneva — the birthplace of WAIPA and the seat of its Permanent Secretariat. It was here, in 1995, that WAIPA was established by a coalition of more than 59 Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs), in collaboration with UNCTAD, reflecting a shared commitment to international cooperation in investment promotion.
Three decades later, that founding vision continues to unite a global community of IPAs that play a central role in guiding investment flows, strengthening national competitiveness, and advancing sustainable development
Programme Details
Under the theme “Promoting Investment for Shared Prosperity: Resilient and Sustainable”, WIC 2026 is expected to attract 5,000 participants (broadly in line with attendance at the past three conferences) and feature more than 100 sessions and engagements across six pillars: the Leaders Vision, High-level Panels, Thematic Sessions, Executive Focus, Partnership Exchanges, and Business Engagement. Together, these sessions will address the major issues shaping investment today and tomorrow, from geopolitics and industrial policy to sustainable finance, digital infrastructure, supply chain resilience, responsible business conduct, and domestic value creation
Updated 19 August 2026
- Tuesday 10 Nov 2026
- Wednesday 11 Nov 2026
- Thursday 12 Nov 2026
Tuesday 10 Nov 2026
8:30 am
Registration & Coffee
Delegate registration opens. Coffee served in the foyer.
10:00 am
Grand Opening
Welcome addresses, keynotes, setting the conference agenda.
11:00 am
Global Leaders Platform I: Harnessing Capital for Good
Heads of state and global CEOs examine how investment can drive growth in a new era.
- Where will capital go next?
- How to restore confidence?
12:00 pm
Global Leaders Platform II: The New Investment-Development Compact
Public and private leaders debate a new balance between competitiveness, resilience, and responsibility.
- What should governments facilitate?
- What should investors deliver?
1:00 pm
Lunch Break
Lunch is served for all registered delegates.
2:00 pm
Ministerial Roundtable: The Next Decade of Global Investment
A forward-looking dialogue on how to set investment strategy and promotion over the next ten years.
- What will matter most?
- What must change now?
3:50 pm
Coffee Break
Refreshments served in the foyer.
4:00 pm
Global FDI: Beyond the Headlines
A reality check on what the latest FDI numbers do and do not tell us.
- What is real growth?
- What is statistical noise?
IPA–MNE Matchmaking (1)
Investment agencies and multinational firms meet for targeted pipeline-building.
- Where is investor interest?
- What support is needed?
ITC: Investing in Inclusive Value Chains
Investment at the service of sustainable and inclusive value chains and SME competitiveness.
- How can FDI lift local SMEs rather than displace them?
- What makes supplier linkages sustainable?
Openness and Economic Security
Investment screening and strategic-sector rules are now part of the policy landscape in many economies, raising the question of how to keep attracting investment while addressing security concerns.
- How can screening stay predictable and transparent?
- How do investors plan around it?
Rethinking Investment Incentives
Countries are reassessing tax and non-tax incentives as fiscal pressures and international tax reform reshape investment value propositions.
- What should be reformed?
- How should IPAs adapt?
The New IPA Toolkits
A practical session on data tools, AI tools, and investor intelligence platforms.
- What tools add value?
- How to use new tools effectively?
UNCTAD: Regional Investment Agreements and Investment Facilitation
Regional IIAs can support investment facilitation while improving coherence across fragmented investment frameworks.
- How can IIAs strengthen investment facilitation?
- How can they reduce fragmentation?
4:50 pm
Coffee Break
Refreshments served in the foyer.
5:00 pm
Advanced Manufacturing 2.0
Manufacturing FDI is being reshaped by automation, resilience, and localisation pressures.
- What do firms want now?
- How can countries compete?
Building Productive Capacity
This session focuses on how countries can turn investment into stronger industrial ecosystems.
- What capabilities matter most?
- What gaps must close first?
FAO: Climate-Smart Agribusiness
Agricultural investment must now align with resilience, productivity, and rural inclusion.
- What models scale best?
- What protects small producers?
Geopolitics and Strategic Exposure
This panel looks at how trade friction and security concerns shape investment choices.
- What risks dominate decisions?
- How are firms adapting?
Investor Deal Rooms
Curated meetings connect project sponsors, investors, and public counterparts around live opportunities.
- Which projects are ready?
- Who can move first?
Negotiating with Confidence
Investment officials need practical skills to engage serious investors without overpromising.
- What should be protected?
- Where is flexibility useful?
WAPPP: Infrastructure Through PPPs
This session looks at how to structure partnerships to build lasting infrastructure.
- What makes PPPs credible?
- What improves execution?
7:00 pm
30th-Anniversary Gala Dinner
WAIPA IPA Awards, and WEF-WAIPA Impact Investors Awards.
Wednesday 11 Nov 2026
8:00 am
WAIPA Steering Committee
Members only.
World Economic Forum: Leadership Breakfast — Highlighting Successful FDI
Invite-only. An interactive leadership discussion on how to ensure great FDI speaks for itself.
- What are examples of great FDI?
- How can the FDI story be told?
9:00 am
Aftercare First
Retention and reinvestment are often the quickest route to stronger investment performance.
- Why do firms stay?
- Why do they expand elsewhere?
Critical Minerals, Bigger Value
Resource-rich economies seek more value through processing, refining, and downstream industry.
- How can IPAs promote value-added FDI?
- What partnerships work best?
Energy Transition, Real Deals
Clean energy investment depends on credible projects, strong policy, and bankable structures.
- What makes projects investable?
- What slows financial close?
ILO: Jobs, Skills, Better Outcomes
Investment promotion is shifting from counting jobs to improving job quality and skills, and long-term employability.
- What metrics matter now?
- How are skills pipelines built?
Investing in Sports for a Healthier Future
In partnership with European Football Clubs Foundation: how investment in sports can deliver commercial returns and societal impact.
- What models combine sporting, societal and commercial success?
- How can public and private actors converge around sports?
Project Preparation Clinics
Sponsors receive expert advice on how to make priority projects more investable.
- What weakens bankability?
- What must be fixed now?
WFZO: Smarter SEZs
A new generation of economic zones is focusing on linkages, green industry, and services.
- What separates strong zones?
- How should impact be measured?
9:50 am
Coffee Break
Refreshments served in the foyer.
10:00 am
Health Investment for Resilience
Health systems are emerging as a serious investment frontier in service delivery and infrastructure.
- What opportunities are investable?
- What policy support is needed?
IISD: Water, Land and Investment Risk
Natural resource pressures are becoming material risks in project design and investor screening.
- What must be assessed early?
- How are trade-offs managed?
Industrial Policy Goes Global
A panel on how subsidy races and strategic sectors are redrawing the investment map.
- Which policies attract capital?
- Which create distortion?
Investment in SDG Sectors
This session looks at how to attract capital into sectors with high development returns.
- What makes projects bankable?
- How is impact shown?
Investor Targeting with Precision
This session focuses on how IPAs can identify and pursue the right firms more effectively.
- Who should be targeted?
- What data matters most?
IPA–MNE Matchmaking (2)
Investment agencies and multinational firms meet for targeted pipeline-building.
- Where is investor interest?
- What support is needed?
McKinsey: Investment — Measure of Competitiveness
Investment trends highlight widening competitiveness gaps between Europe, the US, and China.
- What is the investor perspective on these divergent geographies?
- How to strengthen investment cases and rebalance disparities?
10:50 am
Coffee Break
Refreshments served in the foyer.
11:00 am
Digital Infrastructure at Scale
Data centres, fibre, and cloud services are becoming central to investment competitiveness.
- What assets matter most?
- What deters deployment?
Facilitation That Delivers
A hands-on session on making investor journeys simpler, faster, and more predictable.
- What slows approvals most?
- What can be streamlined now?
From FDI to Local Value
The real development payoff comes when foreign investors connect with domestic firms.
- What are the practical tools?
- How are linkages built?
Frontier Market Investor Desk
A structured platform for early conversations on fragile and frontier market opportunities.
- What risk is manageable?
- What capital is available?
ILO: Investment and Decent Work
Labour standards and job quality are increasingly tied to investment quality and legitimacy.
- What do responsible investors expect?
- How can IPAs respond?
ITC: Gender, Inclusion and Investment
How investment can better support women, youth, and excluded groups.
- What outcomes are realistic?
- How should inclusion be tracked?
Supply Chains Redesigned
This session explores how firms are redesigning production networks for resilience and speed.
- What shifts are durable?
- Who gains from them?
11:50 am
Coffee Break
Refreshments served in the foyer.
12:00 pm
Chatham House: Green Industrial Strategies and Investment (tbc)
As economies pursue green industrial strategies, the challenge is to align efforts to attract investment and strengthen trade, rather than compete in isolation.
- How can economies align green industrial strategies?
- What opportunities exist for investment and trade partnerships?
Export-Led Investment
Export-oriented FDI remains one of the fastest ways to diversify and upgrade economies.
- Which sectors travel well?
- How do IPAs and TPOs align?
Investment in the VUCA Era
Investors are rethinking when, where, and how much to commit in a volatile environment.
- Why are firms staging projects?
- How should hosts respond?
Sector Pitch Masterclass
A practical workshop on building concise and convincing sector value propositions.
- What belongs in a pitch?
- What should be cut?
Services as Growth Engines
Producer services such as logistics, ICT, and finance are essential for productive investment.
- Which services unlock growth?
- Where are the biggest gaps?
Tech Infrastructure Investor Hub
Developers, energy providers, and digital investors meet around AI and data infrastructure.
- What assets are required?
- Which markets are prepared?
UNCTAD: Reading FDI Better
A data-focused session on how policymakers should interpret FDI trends and distortions.
- What do headlines miss?
- What should IPAs track?
12:50 pm
Lunch Break
Lunch is served for all registered delegates.
2:00 pm
AfCFTA: From Protocol to Practice
Turning the AfCFTA Protocol on Investment into practical outcomes via effective National Focal Points and coordinated investment facilitation.
- What makes investment facilitation effective?
- How can NFPs and IPAs collaborate?
Ambassadors in Dialogue with IPA Executives
Diplomatic missions and investment promotion agencies are natural partners, yet coordination between them remains inconsistent.
- How can synergies be created between diplomacy and promotion?
- How can impact be maximised?
Grievance Response That Works
Investor grievances require speed, clarity, and institutional authority to avoid escalation.
- What resolves issues fast?
- What damages trust?
Investment Diversion and Beyond
Firms are diversifying footprints, but not always in the ways policymakers assume.
- What is driving relocation?
- What is just hedging?
IPA–MNE Matchmaking (3)
Investment agencies and multinational firms meet for targeted pipeline-building.
- Where is investor interest?
- What support is needed?
IsDB: Regional Blocs, Shared Strategies
Regional economic groupings can coordinate investment promotion and harmonise facilitation to global investors.
- What coordination models deliver better results?
- How can regional FDI be harnessed?
Post-Conflict Investment Recovery
Fragile and post-conflict markets need credible sequencing, safeguards, and early wins.
- What builds first-mover trust?
- Which sectors lead recovery?
2:50 pm
Coffee Break
Refreshments served in the foyer.
3:00 pm
Agribusiness Investment Exchange
Investors and project sponsors connect around food systems, processing, and rural value chains.
- Where are scalable deals?
- How are risks reduced?
Cities as Investment Platforms
Urban infrastructure, governance, and service quality are shaping subnational investment competition.
- Which city factors matter most?
- How can local agencies compete?
Consortium of Think Tanks
The Consortium will collectively shape the future Investment Policymaking Agenda in the new era of the global economy.
- What are the key emerging issues?
- How should they be addressed?
ITC: Investment Facilitation in Practice
Investment facilitation commitments can be translated into domestic reform.
- What capacity is missing?
- What can be done?
McKinsey: FDI Reshaping Industry and Trade
Investment increasingly flows along geopolitical lines and into future-shaping industries, reconfiguring trade networks.
- What do the investment patterns reveal?
- How do they change global trade?
Non-Equity Modes, New Entry Points
Licensing, franchising, and contract manufacturing can open new pathways into global production systems.
- What value can countries capture?
- How do firms upgrade?
3:50 pm
Coffee Break
Refreshments served in the foyer.
4:00 pm
Boardroom Meets Cabinet Room
Senior leaders discuss how states and firms can manage risk without losing speed and ambition.
- Where do interests align?
- Where do they clash?
FAO: Food Security as Investment
Agriculture and food processing are rising as strategic sectors for resilience and growth.
- Where are the investable gaps?
- How are risks reduced?
ILO: Talent Without Borders
Visa regimes, work permit systems, and talent mobility policies are often the binding constraint on technology, R&D, and professional services investment.
- What do mobility barriers cost countries in investment?
- Which reforms move fastest?
ITU: Governing AI, Attracting Capital
AI regulatory frameworks, safety standards, and liability rules are becoming a new layer of investment location competition.
- Which governance models attract AI investment?
- How can AI be harnessed to transform business?
UNECE: Circular Systems, New Returns
Waste-to-value processing, industrial symbiosis, and product life-extension services are generating investable pipelines across multiple sectors.
- Where does circularity create commercial value?
- What policy drives scale?
WAIPA Institutional Events
16:00 – 18:30. General Assembly (membership only).
6:30 pm
Networking Reception
Evening networking reception for all delegates.
Thursday 12 Nov 2026
9:00 am
Advanced Manufacturing Connect
Manufacturing investors meet locations offering skills, logistics, and ecosystem depth.
- What capabilities stand out?
- What are investors missing?
Building IPA Resilience
IPAs need stronger governance, talent, and funding models to manage volatility.
- What capabilities are essential?
- What weakens resilience?
ITC: Export Competitiveness by Design
Investment and trade promotion can work together to build stronger export platforms.
- What coordination works best?
- Which sectors are ready?
OACPS & IsDB: South-South Investment
Outward FDI from emerging economies is growing faster than traditional FDI, following different logics and structures.
- What drives South-South investment decisions?
- How can South-South FDI be promoted and facilitated?
Regional Value Chains, Regional Growth
Regional integration is changing how countries position themselves in production networks.
- What roles are most viable?
- How can neighbours collaborate?
Sustainable Investment, Real Accountability
This session addresses how to balance investment attraction with environmental and social protection.
- What proves responsible investment?
- How is impact measured?
Winning High-Value Investment
Leaders assess how countries can attract high-value investment in an era of industrial policy.
- What signals seriousness?
- What turns investors away?
9:50 am
Coffee Break
Refreshments served in the foyer.
10:00 am
B2B Matchmaking Session
Structured business-to-business matchmaking.
Data for Decision-Making
Better data can improve targeting, aftercare, and policy advocacy inside IPAs.
- What should be tracked?
- How is insight turned into action?
Diaspora Capital, Homeland Returns
Diaspora populations represent an underexploited source of investment and knowledge transfer for home economies.
- What structures mobilise diaspora capital?
- How are networks activated?
Financing the Sustainable Transition
A plenary on turning climate and SDG ambition into real capital flows and investment projects.
- What unlocks deployment?
- Where are the bottlenecks?
IP, Innovation and Investment
Intellectual property frameworks can shape the credibility of knowledge-based investment ecosystems.
- What gives investors confidence?
- How is value protected?
Logistics as Location Advantage
Port capacity, warehousing, cold chain, and freight connectivity are increasingly decisive in FDI decisions.
- What logistics gaps cost countries investment?
- Which upgrades move the needle?
UNIDO: Industrial Upgrading Through FDI
This session looks at how FDI can deepen productive capabilities and supplier ecosystems.
- How is upgrading accelerated?
- What support is needed?
10:50 am
Coffee Break
Refreshments served in the foyer.
11:00 am
From Quantity to Quality
Investors, governments, and agencies are shifting focus from how much FDI is attracted to what it delivers for productivity, innovation, skills, and the green transition.
- What defines high-quality FDI?
- How is real impact measured?
Life Sciences, Local Production
Pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotech, and vaccine production are emerging as strategic investment priorities for health security and industrial upgrading.
- Where are production gaps most acute?
- What policy support unlocks investment?
Longevity, Silver Economies
Ageing populations in dozens of countries are creating investment opportunities in eldercare, health tech, assisted living, and pension-linked services.
- Which markets are moving first?
- What regulatory frameworks enable scale?
SEZ and Cluster Marketplace
Zone authorities and cluster managers present ready-made platforms for industry and services.
- What makes zones competitive?
- How are linkages built?
Supply Chain Opportunities for Emerging Locations
Supply chain diversification is creating opportunities for agile and investment-ready locations.
- Who can absorb redirected demand?
- What capacity is missing?
UNCTAD: Impact of Geopolitics on Investment Promotion and Facilitation
Investment promotion agencies are dealing with uncertainties created by geopolitical dynamics.
- What is the main impact on investment promotion and facilitation?
- What are IPAs' best practices?
WorldFZO: The Future of Free Zones
Free zones are evolving from enclaves into platforms for logistics, services, and green industry.
- What models are winning?
- What needs reform?
11:50 am
Coffee Break
Refreshments served in the foyer.
12:00 pm
Creative Capital
Film, gaming, design, music, and digital content industries are attracting growing FDI through production incentives, IP frameworks, and creative zones.
- What locations are winning creative investment?
- How is value retained locally?
Financing Innovation Ecosystems
Investment in start-ups, tech hubs, and R&D is becoming a core competitiveness issue.
- What makes ecosystems credible?
- How are scale-ups supported?
IPA–MNE Matchmaking (4)
Investment agencies and multinational firms meet for targeted pipeline-building.
- Where is investor interest?
- What support is needed?
Selling the Location
Investment marketing now requires sharper stories, better proof points, and stronger segmentation.
- What messages work best?
- What weakens credibility?
Sovereign Capital, Strategic Choices
Sovereign wealth funds are deploying $12 trillion across borders, reshaping how countries compete for patient, large-scale capital.
- What do sovereign investors prioritise?
- How should IPAs engage them differently?
UN Tourism: Tourism with Long-Term Value
Tourism investment can be more resilient and inclusive when governance is strong.
- What makes tourism sustainable?
- How are local benefits secured?
World Bank: De-risking That Works
A practical discussion on guarantees, blended finance, and project preparation tools.
- Which instruments mobilise capital?
- Where do gaps remain?
12:50 pm
Lunch Break
Lunch is served for all registered delegates.
2:00 pm
AI, Power and the New Infrastructure Race
The buildout of AI is driving a fresh contest for energy, land, connectivity, and computing capacity.
- What do investors need first?
- Which locations are ready?
Blue Economy, Deep Value
Marine resources, sustainable fisheries, ocean energy, port infrastructure, and maritime logistics represent a growing but underdeveloped investment frontier.
- What makes ocean projects bankable?
- How are environmental safeguards built in?
Digital Readiness for Investors
Digital infrastructure and regulatory readiness are becoming critical factors in investment attraction.
- What readiness matters most?
- How can gaps be closed?
Health as an Investment Frontier
Healthcare, biotech, and health infrastructure are emerging as strategic investment opportunities.
- Where is demand strongest?
- What makes projects credible?
Urban and Real Estate Investor Exchange
Developers, sovereign funds, and city authorities connect around commercial, mixed-use, and urban regeneration investment opportunities.
- Which city projects are ready?
- What governance builds investor confidence?
WIDA: Multilateral Roundtable — Joint Investment Endeavour
International organisations discuss how their tools can support a smoother and more coherent investment process.
- Where is support fragmented?
- How can delivery be joined up?
Winning Reinvestment Decisions
Reinvestment choices are often made quietly long before projects are announced.
- What signals expansion?
- What triggers hesitation?
2:50 pm
Coffee Break
Refreshments served in the foyer.
3:00 pm
Automation, Demographics and the Investment Trade-Off
The case for automation-led investment looks very different depending on whether a country has an ageing workforce or a young, growing one.
- When does automation serve development goals?
- When does it foreclose them?
OECD: Proving Sustainable Investment
As sustainability claims face growing scrutiny, investors and project sponsors are being asked not just to commit but to demonstrate real, verified impact.
- What are investors held to today?
- How is genuine impact proven?
Technology Diffusion Beyond Borders
The development impact of FDI depends on whether technologies transfer to local firms, institutions, and workers, not just whether they arrive.
- What accelerates diffusion?
- What keeps technology locked inside foreign firms?
The New Rules of Engagement
Governments and investors discuss how strategic dialogue can stay transparent and effective.
- What does good engagement look like?
- How is trust preserved?
Trade and Investment Location Choice
Trade policy is now a core variable in site selection and investor planning.
- What moves the shortlist?
- What creates hesitation?
WAIPA Regional IPA Networks Session
Parallel regional IPA network meetings.
3:50 pm
Coffee Break
Refreshments served in the foyer.
4:00 pm
Closing Ceremony
Presentation of the outcomes by the Co-Chairs of the Conference. Closing statements by the WAIPA leadership.
The Executive Board of WIC
The Executive Board guide every aspect of the conference—from agenda-setting to launching global initiatives—ensuring that WIC reflects WAIPA’s mission of fostering sustainable investments and strengthening collaboration among IPAs, for more information view The Executive Board page.
Centre International de Conférences Genève (CICG)
The World Investment Conference 2026 will take place at the Centre International de Conférences Genève (CICG), a world-class venue in the heart of Geneva, Switzerland. Renowned for its cutting-edge facilities, sustainable design, and prime location near the United Nations, the CICG provides an ideal setting for global dialogue and collaboration. With its modern infrastructure and expert services, the CICG ensures a seamless experience for attendees, fostering innovation and connection.
International Conference Center Geneva
17 Rue de Varembé
CH – 1202 Geneva
Getting to CICG from the City
Bus 8: 15 minutes – Depart from Métropole and get off at the Motta stop.
On foot: About 45 minutes.
By taxi: About 10 minutes (depending on traffic).
Getting to CICG from the Train Station
Bus 5: Depart from Cornavin Station and get off at the Vermont stop.
Bus 8: Depart from Cornavin Station and get off at the Motta stop.
Tram 15: Depart from Cornavin Station and get off at the Sismondi stop.
On foot: About 20 minutes.
Getting to CICG from the Airport
Bus 5: Depart from the airport and get off at the Vermont stop.
By taxi: About 15 minutes (depending on traffic).
A Platform for Dialogue, Cooperation and Results
Since its inception, the WIC has served as the premier global forum for investment promotion and cooperation. It brings together IPAs, ministers, policymakers, business leaders, international institutions and distinguished thought leaders — including Nobel laureates — to shape responses to evolving global investment dynamics.
In recent years, the WIC has increasingly delivered tangible outcomes. Dedicated B2B meetings at recent editions have generated more than US$ 1 billion in combined investment opportunities.
The 30th edition will address the profound transformations reshaping global investment flows — from digital transformation and sustainability transitions to supply chain realignment and geopolitical shifts — and explore how investment promotion agencies can adapt and lead in this evolving landscape.
A Platform for Dialogue, Cooperation and Results
Since its inception, the WIC has served as the premier global forum for investment promotion and cooperation. It brings together IPAs, ministers, policymakers, business leaders, international institutions and distinguished thought leaders — including Nobel laureates — to shape responses to evolving global investment dynamics.
In recent years, the WIC has increasingly delivered tangible outcomes. Dedicated B2B meetings at recent editions have generated more than US$ 1 billion in combined investment opportunities.
The 30th edition will address the profound transformations reshaping global investment flows — from digital transformation and sustainability transitions to supply chain realignment and geopolitical shifts — and explore how investment promotion agencies can adapt and lead in this evolving landscape.
Celebrating 30 Years — And Looking Ahead
The 30th WIC will reflect on three decades of achievement while setting the strategic direction for the future.
In a rapidly evolving global economy, IPAs remain essential bridges between governments and investors — aligning capital with national development priorities, enhancing competitiveness and contributing to sustainable and inclusive growth. As global investment patterns continue to shift, the event will serve as a moment of reflection, renewal and strategic direction for the international investment community.
Global investment has entered a new structural era. International production is being reshaped as supply chains reorganize and new industrial clusters emerge. With global FDI stock reaching 45 trillion dollars in 2025, over 39% of world GDP, the defining task ahead is to turn this enormous industrial capacity into resilient growth amid rising uncertainty. As we return to Geneva for the Conference’s 30th anniversary, our focus is to ensure that global capital flows advance sustainable development and shared prosperity.
James X. Zhan, Chairman of the Executive Board of WIC
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Global investment has entered a new structural era. International production is being reshaped as supply chains reorganize and new industrial clusters emerge. With global FDI stock reaching 45 trillion dollars in 2025, over 39% of world GDP, the defining task ahead is to turn this enormous industrial capacity into resilient growth amid rising uncertainty. As we return to Geneva for the Conference’s 30th anniversary, our focus is to ensure that global capital flows advance sustainable development and shared prosperity.
James X. Zhan, Chairman of the Executive Board of WIC
”
Global investment has entered a new structural era. International production is being reshaped as supply chains reorganize and new industrial clusters emerge. With global FDI stock reaching 45 trillion dollars in 2025, over 39% of world GDP, the defining task ahead is to turn this enormous industrial capacity into resilient growth amid rising uncertainty. As we return to Geneva for the Conference’s 30th anniversary, our focus is to ensure that global capital flows advance sustainable development and shared prosperity.
James X. Zhan, Chairman of the Executive Board of WIC
WIC2026 Partners
Consultative Committee
Global Partners
Media Partners
Exhibit at WIC2026
Showcase your organization at the world’s premier investment conference.
Your booth becomes your meeting point throughout the conference, a professional platform to engage clients, showcase projects, develop partnerships and connect with the global investment community.
Booths are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. WAIPA members benefit from a substantial discount.
For pricing, availability and booking, please contact [email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions
Geneva: A Timely Setting for Multilateral Cooperation
As a global hub for diplomacy, finance and multilateral engagement, Geneva provides a uniquely relevant setting for this milestone.
At a time when multilateral cooperation is being tested, Geneva remains a trusted space for dialogue, neutrality and collective problem-solving. Home to major international organizations, UN agencies and global institutions, the city continues to play a vital role in shaping coordinated responses to shared economic challenges.
Hosting the 30th WIC in Geneva reaffirms the importance of cooperation and coordinated approaches in strengthening investment ecosystems and promoting inclusive and resilient growth
About World Investment Conference
Hosted since 1995, the WAIPA World Investment Conference (WIC) is a forum where IPAs convene to address current economic and social issues that may affect global investment flows and other strategic and policy considerations. The Conference includes formal panel presentations, ample networking opportunities and social events for the members. Past panelists include global and business leaders, along with other influencers like economists and members of academia. The topics of the panels are selected based on current events and trends.
For more information check out our previous legacy: