Hirander Misra, Chairman & CEO, GMEX Group & ZERO13
What a week that was! Once again, the World Economic Forum in Davos in late January delivered on its promise to bring together the world’s governments, businesses and civil society to debate global challenges, with the overarching objective of improving the state of the world.
This year’s focus “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age” and (typically) jam-packed programme of events and activities, private meetings and panel discussions, underscored the need for a critical shift in mindset from ‘talking the talk’ to ‘walking the walk’ with respect to moving from concepts to execution and fully embracing new technologies to support scalable and sustainable global enterprise.
Multiple events and discussions at Davos made clear that AI can no longer be considered an ‘emerging’ technology; it is a fundamental driver of industry change with benefits and impacts that extend far beyond automation. Stand out events supporting this proposition included Strategising Corporate Affairs with AI, a panel hosted by Salesforce, where industry leaders including Sarah Franklin (CEO, Lattice) and Bea Perez (EVP, Coca-Cola) talked about how AI is evolving from an operational tool to a core driver of corporate decision-making, risk management and reputation strategy.
Striking the right balance of governance and growth
As part of this, panellists addressed the importance of finding the right balance between leveraging AI technology for business efficiency and growth, and putting in place effective governance to meet the challenges of privacy and misinformation, regulatory compliance, ethical oversight, and the imperative to maintain authentic dialogue on societal impacts.
This latter theme was reinforced at the event Global Impact of Inclusion Experience where we joined influential sustainability industry figures focusing our discussions on carbon credits, including Seth Cochran, Founder and CEO of Operation Fistula and Anna Lerner Nesbitt, CEO of Climate Collective to discuss the relevance and importance of inclusivity in addressing global climate and environmental challenges, and the need for greater collaborative effort and thought leadership to drive meaningful change in societal progress.
Meanwhile, an investment roundtable with the VNTR global investor community around capital allocation trends reinforced that sustainability is no longer an optional extra in financial markets activity but a core driver of investment strategy.
The vibrant AEIR House of Pioneers hub hosted by Himesh Patel ran a busy programme of workshops and other events focused on transformative ideas in wireless energy transmission, quantum computing, and community-driven infrastructure with the core agenda of empowering local economies and accelerating global progress toward net-zero goals. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak at their workshop on Synchronisation and Energy Intelligence.
Removing sustainability blocks with blockchain
Blockchain’s vital role in solving real-world challenges in sustainable supply chains was the focus of the FT.Live event Embedding Sustainability Into The Critical Minerals Industry, and illustrated by an impending crisis caused by the growing imbalance in supply and demand for lithium, cobalt and nickel.
The standout takeaway from this particular event was clear – without consistent government policy and regulatory oversight, more rigorous and standardised ethical sourcing frameworks and greater local stakeholder engagement, escalating demand for these minerals could undermine the very sustainability goals that – ironically – they are meant to support and jeopardising the world’s transition to clean energy.
In terms of the broader blockchain debate, the MiCA Right Now session addressed the impact of the EU’s new crypto asset legislation that came into full effect at the end of 2024 establishing a regulatory framework for market transparency, integrity and financial stability with respect to the issue and trading of crypto assets, including tokenised assets that are typically blockchain-enabled. In this timely debate, industry experts discussed the merits of this new regulation, and also challenges around interpretation and compliance.
The Global Crypto Forum was a great opportunity to connect with key figures in the blockchain industry like Brittany Kaiser and Deniz Dalkilic and offered a deeper insight into how financial institutions are already moving the dial from theory to practice with respect to building blockchain solutions, embracing asset tokenisation and further narrowing the TradFi/DeFi gap.
With respect to the sustainability opportunities created by blockchain, the Climate Scale Up Deal Day showcased industry thought leaders including Google’s Kate Brandt and EY’s Heather Taylor on the subject of tackling greenwashing with blockchain-backed carbon credit verification. Without doubt, a recurring theme throughout was that blockchain is an integral tool in sustainability compliance, from ESG and carbon credit verification to ‘source to supply’ provenance and project validation.
Quantum computing was also the subject of debate in Davos, with respect to how it is actively reshaping financial security, climate modeling and AI integration. At the Quantum Supremacy: Unlocking the Next Frontier of Technology session, discussions focused on quantum’s ability to process complex calculations at unprecedented speeds, unlocking new efficiencies across industries.
No single country or sector can tackle sustainability challenges in isolation
ZERO13’s 2025 WEF participation also included a whistlestop tour of India, South Africa, Mongolia and Belgium! India Pavillion discussions centred around this country’s burgeoning digital infrastructure and showcased a compelling model for scaling financial inclusion and green investment. Conversations with many other global representatives at the Belgium House, South Africa and Mongolia Pavilions, including with the Secretary General of the Mongolia Economic Forum, affirmed the reality that no single country or sector can tackle sustainability challenges – climate, environmental, financial or economic – in isolation – as collaboration across sectors and geographies is very much needed..
For me, there were two key takeaways from this year’s Davos event.
The first is that the pace of change is accelerating with respect to the convergence of AI, blockchain and quantum computing; these technologies are already shaping industries, business strategies and regulatory frameworks.
- AI is already used to optimise energy grids, track carbon emissions and in advanced real-time sustainability analytics.
- According to an August 2024 research report by UST, 93% of companies surveyed said that they believed that AI would be essential to success in the next 5 years. Other market research (com) suggests that the global market for AI is projected to reach c. US$244 billion in 2025, growing to S$826.70bn by 2030.
- Blockchain isn’t just for crypto, it’s for life, with an integral role to play in sustainability compliance, from ESG and carbon credit verification to ‘source to supply’ provenance and project validation.
- As AI and quantum technologies evolve and converge at an exponential rate, the next challenge for companies to navigate is how to adapt cybersecurity protocols and data protection strategies to ensure alignment and compliance with regulatory and sustainability obligations.
Industries, institutions and companies that embrace and assimilate these exciting technologies – within a rigorous and responsible governance framework – will lead the next phase of sustainability and growth. Those that do not stand at risk of becoming obsolete.
The second key takeaway is the need for greater collaborative effort and thought leadership to drive meaningful and impactful change in climate, environment and economic sustainability and societal progress. These challenges can’t be overcome by nations, industry segments, or individuals in isolation.
The obligation and responsibility to create a more sustainable future requires positive action by all.
