MEDIA ADVISORY

IMF Managing Director and First Deputy Managing Director – World Economic Forum Engagements

From January 19 to January 23, 2026, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and First Deputy Managing Director Dan Katz will be in Davos, Switzerland to participate in the 2026 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.

Below are their scheduled engagements. Live streams of the public sessions can be accessed through the links provided below.

The Managing Director’s Schedule:

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 (17:30–18:15 CET)

AI Power Play, No Referees

Leading AI nations are racing to preserve dominance while new contenders rise and others struggle to break dependence on foreign capabilities.
As alliances reshape the balance of power, how is AI redefining the path to economic growth and global influence?

Speakers

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Brad Smith, Vice-Chair and President, Microsoft
Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Investment, Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia
Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Minister of Railways, and Minister of Information and Broadcasting of India, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India
Moderated by: Ian Bremmer, President and Founder, Eurasia Group

Live stream: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/ai-power-play/

Thursday, January 22, 2026 (16:15–17:00 CET)

Town Hall: Dilemmas around Growth

The global economy remains stuck at historically weak levels of growth. With risks rising from trade policy uncertainty and elevated debt levels, technological advances are also raising the potential to lift people up, if managed properly.
Join this town hall debate with leading economists and experts to dive into the trade-offs in achieving stronger growth.

Speakers

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Niall Ferguson, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University

Live stream: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/town-hall-dilemmas-around-growth/

Friday, January 23, 2026 (11:00–12:00 CET)

Global Economic Outlook

The global economy is expected to grow by ~3.1% in 2026, but trade tensions, technology deployment, public debt and the risk of asset bubbles leave policy-makers and markets on high alert.
What policies will anchor confidence while unlocking longer-term productivity gains?

Speakers

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organization (WTO)
Christine Lagarde, President, European Central Bank
Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Minister of Finance, Ministry of Finance of Saudi Arabia
Moderated by: Andrew R. Sorkin, Editor-at-Large; Columnist, New York Times

Live stream: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/global-economic-outlook-af4fed3639/

The First Deputy Managing Director’s Schedule:

Thursday, January 22, 2026 (10:15–11:00 CET)

Where Are We on Stablecoins?

With more stablecoin transfers in 2024 than Visa and Mastercard combined, the asset-pegged token is shifting from niche crypto instrument to a foundational element of financial systems.
This session explores how stablecoins are redefining payments, cross-border flows and the role of the traditional reserve currencies.

Speakers