An exciting day full of insights and discussions on the current geopolitical and economic changes.

Some key takeaways from the contributions of our distinguished speakers:

Trump 2.0 in the first year – Prof. Christoph Frei – began with a reflection on what we are losing in this time. The traditional dominance of European and US societies is being relativized by the continuing emancipation of the Global South. Globalization processes have accelerated the diffusion of knowledge, skills, and technologies. The rest of the world is catching up. Yet today, the greatest challenge does not come from outside but from within the open society itself. Globalization does not produce only winners. Populists promise security – “my country first.” Donald Trump is both a symptom and a cause.

Between AI hype, tariffs & rate cuts – Markus Koch took us behind the headlines and showed what really drives the markets. The AI boom is only just beginning; stock markets are being fueled by earnings growth in the technology sector and interest rate cuts.

From problem-awareness to challenge-awareness – Karl-Theodor (KT) zu Guttenberg highlighted the differences in mentality between Europe and the US and called for greater determination to shape the future in Europe.

The five D-megatrends – Dr. Daniel Kalt explained how deglobalization, demographics, decarbonization, digitalization, and debt will shape our future. Tax cuts, deregulation, stricter migration policies, tariffs, and the “Big Beautiful Bill”: the Trump administration’s program supports short-term economic growth but reinforces inflationary pressures. Demographics remain the ticking time bomb – both for the West and for China.

As moderator, Dr. Nicole Frank guided us through the morning with a touch of humor and journalistic precision.

The event was rounded off with a joint lunch, lively exchanges among the guests, and a stadium tour at the Swiss Life Arena.

We would like to thank all participants for the exchange and our speakers for their inspiring contributions!