Volker Hartzsch: Business Trends Identified at Davos 2025

Having built and sold 19 enterprises over 22 years, Volker Hartzsch has been the driving force behind numerous successful companies, including Maibach Holding Inc, Profit Business Systems Inc and Sixth Society. Mr Hartzsch takes a particular interest in business trends, including cutting-edge software development. This article will look at the World Economic Forum’s Davos 2025 event, a summit that explored how technological innovations like blockchain are transforming various aspects of daily life.

Staged in Davos, Switzerland, the summit addressed big issues of the day without losing sight of smaller but fundamental factors to digital alignment and collaboration. While panellists acknowledged that AI could have a game-changing impact on small businesses, they also conceded the significant challenges involved in bringing those benefits to resource-strapped entrepreneurs. Payal Dalal serves as the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth’s executive vice president for global programs. Speaking at the event, she pointed out that, around technology, there is a ‘sense of overload’ in terms of where to start. Many small-business owners are simply unaware of the power of AI to help them save time and make money, potentially leaving them at a commercial disadvantage.

Another major topic of discussion at Davos 2025 was the rise of cybersecurity risks. As attacks continue to grow in terms of both frequency and severity, small businesses need help. Ling Hai serves as Mastercard’s president for Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Mr Hai highlighted that, given the pressures involved in running a small business, many owners found it impossible to keep track of the latest updates or research the best network monitoring software. Nevertheless, the customer trust that those businesses spend years building can be shattered in an instant through a cybersecurity breach.

A new cybersecurity report released by the World Economic Forum in January 2025 pointed to the ever-increasing complexity of cyberspace widening opportunity gaps between small and large organisations. The report suggests that this, in turn, is deepening the economic divide between emerging and developed economies. The report called for increased collaborative action between the public and private sectors to leverage data and innovation to protect future generations.

With blockchain and AI rapidly rising to prominence in numerous industrial sectors, their convergence is culminating in a harmonious blend of trust and intelligence that could revolutionise industries across the board. Corporate leaders agree that adoption of crypto is accelerating at a lightning pace. While widely regarded as niche or experimental a relatively short time ago, cryptocurrency has established itself as an integral component of financial transformation strategies, with the shift reflecting broader institutional acceptance and many companies coming to see crypto as a core asset class.

On AI, the conversation at Davos 2025 was more refined than the previous year, focussing on application, investment and development, with speakers providing examples where tangible progress had been made in climate action, manufacturing, health and decarbonisation. One of the key themes of the Annual Meeting was ‘Industries in the Intelligent Age’, with speakers outlining the potential of agentic AI and sessions focusing on smart factories, cybersecurity and EVs. The implications of AI for governments and national security was also discussed at length.

Bringing together almost 3,000 leaders from 130 countries, Davos 2025 marked the 55^th edition of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, with this year’s theme – ‘Collaboration for the Intelligent Age’ – emphasising the importance of agility, adaptability and global cooperation for emerging technologies that are changing the world. Bringing together multiple heads of state as well as seasoned business leaders, the event was also attended by experts in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. As delegates discussed a broad range of global challenges – from crypto and advancing economic freedom to implementing ethical governance frameworks for AI – the depth of expertise and collaborative energy was palpable to all.