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2025 has been an unprecedented year. Donald Trump’s tariff war, conflicts in the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine, and breakneck innovation in AI have put enormous pressure on the existing world order. Now 2026 is set to be another test of resilience for the global economy.
All eyes are on Rachel Reeves to deliver growth; how will the new Budget, anticipated to contain cuts and tax raises, shape the nation for the year to come? What does the rising wave of populism from left and right mean for the economic policies of incumbent parties in the UK, Europe, US and beyond? And how will the United States and China’s battle for supremacy continue to impact us all?
In February 2026, Chief Economics Commentator for the Financial Times Martin Wolf joined us to explore how these tensions will shape the world economy in the year ahead, and what new threats and opportunities could be on the horizon.
Widely regarded as one of the world’s most influential writers on the global economy and a multi-award-winning financial journalist, Wolf has been chronicling and analysing geopolitical and economic upheaval for nearly 40 years. He has written five bestselling books. His latest, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, maps out the implications of globalisation, technological development and the impact of democratic decline on the global economy.
