| Welcome to your first weekly board briefing of 2026. This week, I take a first look at what this year’s World Economic Forum summit in Davos might hold and we feature forecasts of coming business, geopolitical and governance trends, from the FT and others. If you want to catch up on last year’s briefings, do explore the FT Infosys Board Network hub, where you’ll find links to the FT.com articles and research that we’ve referenced in recent weeks and — in the Briefings tab — to the newsletter library. Send any comments or suggestions to me at andrew.hill@ft.com or Jonathan Moules at jonathan.moules@ft.com. Thanks for reading. 
© Reuters “This could be the first summit in years that actually generates some news,” an experienced Davos-going colleague joked to me this week. The World Economic Forum summit in the chill of the Swiss alps is still more than 10 days away but there are already signs that it is a very hot ticket, for the simple reason that Donald Trump will be there. The FT reported this week that Microsoft, McKinsey and cryptocurrency group Ripple had joined other US companies stumping up $1mn each to support the so-called USA House, a patriotic pop-up hub for networking and events set up in a church in the ski and spa resort for the week of the summit. That the WEF might briefly enjoy a resurgence in global interest as a consequence of Trump and his “might is right” geoeconomic antics is ironic. The Forum has been battered by scandal and allegations of poor governance recently, and its convening power has been weakened by a shift away from policies it holds dear, such as multilateralism, globalisation and sustainability. In fact, I would say it was just as likely until recently that Trump would shun Davos and trigger an exodus of US companies. After all, his administration snubbed another mountain gathering of global VIPs — the Aspen Security Forum — last summer, on the grounds it promoted “the evil of globalism, disdain for our great country, and hatred for the President of the United States”. Instead, the president will address the WEF summit in person. Trump might find the mountain air and the presence of other world leaders such as Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyy conducive to dealmaking at a time of high geopolitical tension. The theme of this year’s get-together is “The Spirit of Dialogue”. But a better motto for his stay in the Alps is “Expect the Unexpected”. The three most valuable private US tech companies are preparing for public offerings as early as this year, raising hopes among their investors and advisers that they may enjoy their most lucrative year ever. 
 | Warner Bros rejects Paramount’s ‘inadequate’ $108bn hostile bid | | The board warns shareholders about the ‘extraordinary’ amount of debt financing and $4.7bn of costs if it backs out of the Netflix deal agreed in December. |
|  | Business trends, wild cards and companies to watch in 2026 |
FT reporters examine the forces likely to shape global business in the year ahead, from the durability of the defence boom and the next phase of artificial intelligence to the future of banking regulation. |
|  | Donald Trump says US to take sanctioned Venezuelan oil to American ports | | The US President says money earned from the sale of up to 50mn barrels of sanctioned crude ‘will be controlled by me’. Oil traders are now trying to figure out the implications of this. |
|  | Italy and Pirelli try to end Chinese involvement in tyremaker | | Rome and the Italian industrial group look for a solution ahead of a US ban on Chinese-backed car software and hardware. |
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2026 corporate governance trends to watch | PwC This report outlines five governance trends that are expected to shape board agendas and actions in the year ahead. It includes some interesting bullet points. Corporate Governance Report | The Indian School of Business Only 17 per cent of the directors on Indian corporate boards actively shaped strategy, according to this report, concluding that many of these executives lack the behavioural readiness needed for future leadership. Top Risks | Eurasia Group An annual forecast of the top 10 political risks that are most likely to play out over the course of the next year, with the country-specific implications for Brazil, Canada, Europe and Japan.
Board Network is written by Andrew Hill and Jonathan Moules | 
