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For the fourth year in a row, Denominator was invited to take part of the World Economic Forum in Davos. During the WEF26, Denominator participated in more than 25 events, engaging in discussions on sustainable finance, social sustainability, responsible investment, wealth transfer, and artificial intelligence. These included sessions and roundtables hosted by organizations such as The Female Quotient, World Woman Foundation, Bloomberg, World Benchmarking Alliance, and other investment and sustainability focus organizations.
Across these conversations, a consistent theme emerged: social sustainability and human capital are increasingly treated as financially material. Discussions moved beyond high-level commitments toward data, accountability, and measurable impact.
Data transparency and accountability in sustainable finance
Transparent and accountable data was repeatedly highlighted in WEF discussions as a key for change making. Sessions hosted by the World Benchmarking Alliance emphasized that without high-quality and comparable data, influencing capital allocation and corporate decision-making at scale remains difficult.
“Data gaps have been an excuse for inaction, but now that gap has been bridged.”
– Al Gore, Former Vice President of the United States and Chairman of Generation Investment Management
The message was clear: social and sustainability data is increasingly expected to meet the same standards of rigor as enviromental data.
Wealth transfer and the future of sustainable investment
Discussions at WEF 2026 also focused on the largest wealth transfer in history and its implications for sustainable finance. Over the next decade, an estimated $100 trillion is expected to shift to next-generation investors.
Women currently control one-third of global wealth, but within five years, they will surpass 50%, driving demand for customized, transparent investment strategies as outlined by Ida Liu, CEO of HSBC Private Bank.
AI as an enabler of meaningful conversations
Artificial intelligence was discussed as a tool that supports, rather than replaces, human interaction in finance. By analyzing patterns across large datasets, AI enables investment teams to focus more time on strategic and client-facing conversations.
Anders Rodenberg participated in a session hosted by The Female Quotient around the topic, together with Jennifer Grancia, from TCW.
“For wealth managers, the introduction of AI means less time on analysis and more time understanding clients deeply. Having real dialogues that lead to truly personalized solutions.” – Anders A. L. Rodenberg, CEO of Denominator
From morality to materiality
The shift from framing sustainability and diversity as moral considerations toward treating them as financially material factors was one of the key topics in WEF26. Discussions highlighted evidence linking human capital management and gender diversity to financial performance, resilience, and risk mitigation.
This perspective reflects a broader trend in sustainable finance, where social sustainability is increasingly integrated into core investment analysis rather than addressed as a separate ESG consideration.
At Denominator, we are currently working on the largest analysis on financial materiality of human capital factors to date, with results expected in 2026.
A big thank you to our partners, clients, and everyone we connected with, your insights and collaboration were inspiring! A special thank you to The Female Quotient, World Women Foundation, World Benchmarking Alliance, Bloomberg, Global Conversations, Axios, and Swedish Lunch for facilitating valuable spaces for engagement and connecting industry experts and thought leaders from all over the world.
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