Commenting on the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026, Marsh and Zurich highlighted deepening geopolitical divisions and growing technological and social challenges as key forces shaping the business landscape in the year ahead.
Marsh and Zurich, a strategic partner of the World Economic Forum and members of its Global Risks Advisory Council, noted the emergence of a “new era” of global competition, noting that business leaders expect most of the risks identified in the report to intensify over the next decade.
The report said 57% of respondents expected the next decade to be turbulent, with environmental and technology risks dominating the ten-year outlook.
Alison Martin, CEO of Zurich Life, Health and Bank Distribution, commented: “Business leaders in major economies are deeply concerned about pensions and public health. These gaps threaten workforce well-being and social stability.
“Shockingly, however, social risks such as declining health, lack of public infrastructure and social protection barely figure in the ten-year risk outlook, even though their impacts are already reshaping our world.
“If we do not act urgently and cooperate, we risk ignoring threats that could determine our future.”
Meanwhile, while geoeconomic confrontation, state armed conflict, extreme weather events, social polarization, misinformation and disinformation were cited by respondents as the top five most immediate risks in 2026, misinformation and disinformation and social polarization reportedly rose to second and third place in the two-year outlook.
Andrew George, president of Marsh Risk Professionals, said: “Deepening divisions are at the heart of the social risks we face now, from social fragmentation and inequality to declining health and well-being.
“Despite the growing severity of these global risks, major governments are abandoning many of the established frameworks designed to address our shared challenges. As a result, divided societies are being pushed to the brink of increased social instability and conflict.”
The report also found that advances in artificial intelligence and quantum computing will significantly affect labor markets, social structures, infrastructure and geopolitics, and may lead to a widening of global economic disparities.
“Critical infrastructure faces threats ranging from the severing of undersea cables to satellite interference and will require significant modernization investments,” the companies said.
Peter Giger, chief risk officer at Zurich Group, noted: “Despite the escalating threats posed by extreme weather, cyberattacks and geopolitical conflicts, disruption to critical infrastructure ranks only 23rd among global risks over the next decade.
“This is a dangerous oversight. From power grids stressed by record heat to coastal cities at risk from rising sea levels, the systems we rely on are ill-prepared and underfunded. When infrastructure fails, everything else is at risk.
“We must recognize the interconnectedness of these threats and invest now to build resilience before the next crisis strikes.”
Andrew George concluded: “Advances in artificial intelligence and quantum computing are rapidly reshaping labor markets and geopolitics, with far-reaching impacts that will revolutionize individual lives, enhance our health and prosperity, and shape the future of nations.
“As automation and quantum breakthroughs accelerate, governments and businesses must work together to address the challenges posed by role redundancy, economic concentration, and the potential for systemic disruption of critical infrastructure and digital trust.”
In related news, new research from global reinsurer Swiss Re suggests that AI-driven disruption is expected to change insurance demand, rather than increase it overall, as the AI boom creates new insurable asset classes and exacerbates liability and cyber risks.
