India may play out as a growth story at World Economic Forum in Davos

A strong Indian delegation heads to Davos for WEF 2026, with India seen as a key global growth driver amid geopolitical tensions, AI disruption and economic uncertainty

The weeklong 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), starting January 19 in Davos, will have a strong desi flavour this year, with a large delegation of ministers, industrialists and chief executives, along with senior representatives of state governments, headed to the Swiss town.

 

WEF executives said the current geopolitical situation would make it a historic summit, reflecting a dual mood of optimism and anxiety amid crosscurrents in the global economy, rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI), and a shifting political order. Against this backdrop, India is being viewed as a key growth driver. 

 

Rajiv Memani, regional managing partner of EY Africa-India region and president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), told Business Standard that the message was clear: India is open for business, ready for partnership, and becoming an integral part of global value chains. Asked how the India story might play out in Davos this time, he said: “I see India at Davos 2026 as a reflection of the “India Everywhere” campaign initiated two decades ago by the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) in partnership with the CII — it has arrived with confidence and resilience at a time when global volatility and uncertainty is at its peak.”

 

Memani, who is leading the CII delegation to Davos, said this confidence was backed by strong growth fundamentals, a pragmatic approach to geopolitics, and a steady focus on reforms to spur business and investment across manufacturing, infrastructure, technology, green energy and sustainability.

 

Amid the debates expected this week, attention will focus on US President Donald Trump in the context of geopolitical disruption, as he takes centre stage at the Davos summit on Wednesday. A recent WEF survey of 1,300 global leaders and experts found geoeconomic confrontation and state-based armed conflict were seen as the two biggest risks facing the world in 2026.

 

For India, WEF’s “Global Risks Report 2026” listed cyber insecurity, wealth and income inequality, insufficient public services and economic downturn among the top risks. The report ranked state-based armed conflict — such as proxy wars, civil wars, coups and terrorism — as the fifth-biggest risk for India.

 

In a conversation with this newspaper, Sheikh Tanjeb Islam, head of the event editorial team at WEF, said resilience would be a key theme at the summit. “The resilience of the global economy has been proven. Last year was a sign of that,” he said, adding that there was a genuine sense of resilience.

 

He said technology and AI optimism would also be a core theme, but warned there was a risk of a bubble. Asked whether India was being seen as an investment destination, Islam said India was being viewed more as a growth driver.

 

Asked about India’s key theme at Davos, Neeraj Kanwar, vice-chairman and managing director at Apollo Tyres, said: “At the World Economic Forum, India’s narrative has shifted from potential to performance.” Kanwar, who is part of the Indian delegation, said the focus would be on scale, stability and India’s ability to attract long-term capital amid global fragmentation. “Expect emphasis on manufacturing, digital public infrastructure, and a pragmatic energy transition. The real outcome will be deeper investor confidence rather than headline announcements.”

 

Representing the clean-energy sector, Sumant Sinha, founder, chairman and chief executive officer at ReNew, will head to Davos “to listen, have some significant dialogues and, more importantly, see world leaders who will gather there to have honest and empathetic dialogues so that we all leave with more trust to address a fragmented world order.”

 

On his expectations from Davos this year, Sinha said he expected geopolitics, AI and technology to dominate the agenda. “But these forces also underline why the energy transition matters more than ever — it brings resilience, reduces volatility and creates long-term economic stability,” he said. Clean energy is no longer a niche climate solution, Sinha added, but is becoming central to multiple sectors as they seek competitiveness, energy security and growth at scale.

 

On behalf of industry, CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said India Inc’s mood ahead of the Davos summit and the Union Budget was “distinctly upbeat, marked by optimism and confidence in India’s growth trajectory”. He said the optimism was being driven by robust domestic demand, improving profitability and a supportive policy environment.

 

Banerjee added that this year’s WEF meeting — anchored in the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue” — was particularly relevant for Indian industry at a time when geopolitics and economics were more tightly interlinked than ever. “The platform offers India an unparalleled opportunity to shape global conversations around stability, growth, and collaborative problem-solving,” he said.

 

Among the corporate majors expected to power the India contingent will be N Chandrasekaran, Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Sajjan Jindal, Salil Parekh, Sanjiv Bajaj, K Krithivasan, Sudarshan Venu, and Rishad Premji.

 

Banerjee said India Inc saw Davos not just as a venue for high-level networking, but as a timely inflexion point to shape global narratives, attract meaningful investment, and reinforce India’s position as a driver of inclusive, innovation-led and resilient growth.