Secret of German Economy

The Core of Germany's Economy

Germany is often described through the language of engineering, exports, and industrial discipline. But beneath those familiar labels lies something even more distinctive: a deeply rooted culture of family business. In Germany, family firms are not a niche or a romantic leftover from an earlier era. They are the core of the economy.

Depending on the definition used, family-owned or family-controlled companies account for roughly 86–90 percent of all German businesses. They employ about 54 percent of the national workforce, and under a broader “family-controlled” definition they account for around 58 percent of jobs subject to social-security contributions. In revenue terms, they generate about 43–46 percent of total business turnover.

Women's Diplomacy: World Woman Forum will be held in Davos, 9-12 July 2026

WORLD WOMAN FORUM 2026 will take place in the unique environment of the Davos Congress Centre in Switzerland, a venue globally recognised as the home of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting and one of the world’s symbolic spaces for international dialogue, strategic thinking and the future of business and society, according to the Davos Congress Centre.

The Forum is designed as an international platform dedicated to women’s leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, education, family business, social impact and global cooperation. It will bring together women leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, executives, educators, public figures and changemakers from different countries to exchange ideas, build partnerships and strengthen the role of women in the global economy.

TOP 100 Women in Business will meet at the World Woman Forum 2026 in Davos, 9-12 July

Women have always participated in economic life. Across centuries, women traded in markets, managed farms, produced textiles, ran family workshops, operated shops, financed community activities and sustained local economies. But in many societies, their work was informal, legally restricted or attributed to male relatives.

The modern story of women in business becomes more visible in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, when women began to appear publicly as merchants, industrialists, financiers, publishers, beauty entrepreneurs, fashion founders, educators and owners of scalable businesses.

Secrets of Swiss Business

Switzerland succeeds in business not because it is mysterious, but because it is systemically reliable. Its model combines political neutrality, legal predictability, decentralised federalism, a hard-currency tradition, and extreme specialisation in high-value sectors. Basel matters because it is not only a Swiss city: it is one of the world’s rule-making capitals for finance, home to the BIS and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Zurich matters because it concentrates banking, insurance and asset management. Geneva matters because diplomacy and commodities trading intersect there. And the wider Swiss economy matters because it still manufactures globally valuable things — drugs, instruments, engineering systems, watches, diagnostics, specialty chemicals — at a scale few rich service economies still manage.

Startup World Cup Championship 2026: Davos to Host the Next Generation of Global Entrepreneurs

From 9 to 12 July 2026, Davos, Switzerland, will become a meeting point for a new kind of global leadership: young founders, visionary educators, business angels, investors, diplomats, trade representatives, policymakers, and innovation leaders. The 26th Startup World Cup Championship 2026 will gather some of the world’s most forward-looking entrepreneurial and intellectual communities to evaluate youth-led startups and select the best projects of the year as World Champions 2026.

The Championship is part of a broader international movement dedicated to practical entrepreneurship education, innovation, and business diplomacy. According to the official Davos event listing, the Startup World Cup Championship brings together young and mature entrepreneurs, inventors, investors, entrepreneurs, and government representatives from more than 35 countries, with projects assessed by an international jury across innovation, feasibility, scalability, and business potential. (davos.ch)

World Woman Club celebrates 20 Years

On March 1, 2026, World Woman Club opened the anniversary season of its 20th jubilee — a journey that began in 2006 and, according to the club’s official materials, was formally registered on March 1, 2007. This jubilee year is envisioned not as a single evening or one ceremonial event, but as an entire international season of recognition, remembrance, and a renewed vision for the future.

The summer culmination of the celebrations will take place in Davos as part of the World Woman Forum 2026, with a gala celebration on July 12, marking the high point of this historic year.

A Two-Decade Journey: From an Idea to a Global Ecosystem

Over twenty years, World Woman Club has grown from the idea of uniting strong and ambitious women into a full-fledged international ecosystem. The club defines its mission as bringing together women leaders and women’s organisations from around the world into one multilingual global network for real progress, business cooperation, and global development. What began as a bold initiative has evolved into a respected international platform that connects women across countries, cultures, industries, and generations.