The global economy is being reshaped by powerful forces: the movement of capital, the acceleration of technology, new centers of influence and intensifying competition among cities and countries for investment, companies and talent. Across the Americas, these shifts are redrawing the economic map and elevating the importance of the places where business and policy leaders come together to examine what comes next. Increasingly, Miami is one of those places. On November 13, the city will once again bring that conversation into focus as the World Strategic Forum returns for its 15th edition under a defining theme: WHERE CAPITAL WINS.

 

For decades, Miami was known primarily as a gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean. Today, its role on the global economic map is considerably broader. Financial institutions, investors, entrepreneurs, family offices, developers and global companies have expanded their presence, as the city increasingly draws capital, companies and talent from across the United States and international markets.

A Forum Built Around Decision-Makers

The World Strategic Forum is presented by the International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA), an international organization that convenes leaders from business, government, finance, academia and civil society to address the economic questions shaping the global economy. For more than three decades, IEFA has built a global platform for dialogue through annual forums in Montreal, Toronto, Miami, Paris, Buenos Aires and Phoenix.

 

Since 2011, the World Strategic Forum has served as IEFA’s key platform in the U.S. The premise is simple: bringing together the people influencing economies, industries and public policy, and creating the space for substantive conversations about what comes next. Investors, CEOs, government leaders, bankers, developers, entrepreneurs and innovators convene across industries and borders. What matters is not how many people are in the room, but who is in the room.

 

“Miami is no longer simply a host city for global conversations around capital and investment. Miami itself has become part of the story,” says Samia El, Executive Director of the World Strategic Forum Miami. “What is happening here — the movement of capital, companies and talent, and the transformation of the city itself — is increasingly part of the conversation shaping the future of business. “Our mission is to bring the people driving that transformation together with decision-makers from around the world, not simply to discuss what comes next, but to shape it.”

 

“Miami is no longer simply a host city for global conversations around capital and investment. Miami itself has become part of the story.”

— Samia El, Executive Director of the World Strategic Forum Miami

 

 

Capital Is Being Redrawn

Capital has never been static. It moves toward growth, innovation, talent, leadership and opportunity. Today, capital is moving through a world being transformed by artificial intelligence, geopolitical shifts, infrastructure demands and intensifying competition for talent and investment. At the same time, private capital is playing an increasingly influential role in technology, real estate, sports and urban development.

 

“At the center of these changes is a fundamental question: where will capital go next?”, says Nicholas Remillard, CEO of the IEFA. “The World Strategic Forum looks beyond where investment is moving to the conditions that determine where it can succeed: leadership, policy, infrastructure, technology, talent and access to markets.”

 

“The World Strategic Forum looks beyond where investment is moving to the conditions that determine where it can succeed: leadership, policy, infrastructure, technology, talent and access to markets.”

— Nicholas Remillard, CEO of the IEFA

 

Different industries, one underlying question: where is value being created, and where will the next opportunities emerge? The conversation will be carried by leaders who are actively driving these shifts. This year’s Forum will bring together senior voices from global investment and finance, South Florida’s business community, technology, education, infrastructure and public leadership, creating a distinctive mix of perspectives within the same room. Rather than examining capital from a single vantage point, the program is designed to connect those allocating it with those building the companies, cities and institutions competing for it.

 

That breadth is reflected in the distinguished lineup of global business leaders, investors, policymakers and innovators joining this year’s Forum. Among the prominent voices featured are Jim Esposito, President of Citadel Securities; John Toomey, CEO of HarbourVest Partners; Francis X. Suarez, President of Alpha Wave Global and former Mayor of Miami; Jordan Rathlev, Executive Vice President of Related Ross; Jorge Gonzalez, CEO and Vice Chairman of City National Bank of Florida; Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi, Chief Investment Officer Americas and Global Head of Equities at UBS Global Wealth Management; Alejandro Agag, Chairman of E1 Series and Formula E; Melissa Medina, Co-Founder and CEO of eMerge Americas; David Altig, Executive Vice President and Chief Economic Adviser at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; and Madeline Pumariega, President of Miami Dade College.

 

Together with many other influential leaders from across industries and international markets, they bring perspectives spanning global finance, private capital, wealth management, real estate development, technology, education, entrepreneurship and economic leadership, reflecting the breadth of conversations shaping Miami’s transformation and the future of investment worldwide.

Why Miami, Why Now

Few American cities combine access to U.S. capital with Miami’s longstanding international reach. Its financial ecosystem is expanding, its real estate market has long attracted global investment, and technology and entrepreneurship are increasingly visible parts of the economy. Hospitality, culture, sports and luxury have given the city an international profile that extends well beyond traditional business circles.

 

That combination matters because capital rarely moves in isolation. It follows opportunity, talent, connectivity and access. Miami increasingly brings those elements together, making it an especially relevant place from which to examine where global business is heading next.

 

Where Capital Wins

As the World Strategic Forum prepares to mark its 15th edition in South Florida, it returns to a very different Miami — one with a growing role in the global movement of people, ideas and capital. Miami is no longer simply where the world’s conversations are taking place. It is becoming part of what shapes them.

 

Join us on November 13 for a day of ideas, perspectives and connections with the leaders helping shape what comes next.

 

WORLD STRATEGIC FORUM – 15TH EDITION
WHERE CAPITAL WINS
November 13, 2026 | Coral Gables, Florida
Presented by the International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA)
> Register now

 

For strategic partnership, sponsorship and attendance inquiries, contact Samia El, Executive Director, World Strategic Forum Miami: s.el@forum-americas.org.