Venture capital is money provided by specialized investors to young, high-growth companies in exchange for ownership stakes and often a role in shaping strategy — like planting seeds and helping them grow into trees. It matters to investors because venture funding can rapidly boost a startup’s resources, valuation and chances of success, but it also brings high risk and limited liquidity, affecting future returns and how shares behave at exits such as sales or public offerings.
climate resiliencemedical
Climate resilience is the ability of a system, community, or organization to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the impacts of climate-related events such as storms, floods, or rising temperatures. For investors, it matters because those who build resilience are better positioned to withstand environmental disruptions, reduce potential losses, and adapt to changing conditions, helping ensure long-term stability and growth.
city clusterstechnical
City clusters are groups of neighboring cities and towns that are economically linked through commuting, trade, shared infrastructure and supply chains, functioning like a single, interconnected marketplace. For investors, they matter because economic growth, consumer demand, labor pools and property values often spread across the whole cluster rather than staying inside municipal borders, so opportunities and risks in one place can quickly affect nearby areas—think of them as a regional ecosystem where money and people flow freely.
nearshoringtechnical
Nearshoring is the practice of moving production, services, or suppliers to a nearby country instead of keeping them far away, like relocating a workshop from across the ocean to the next-door neighborhood. For investors it matters because shorter distances usually lower shipping costs, speed up delivery, reduce disruption risk, and can change a company’s expenses and profit outlook—similar to how a closer supplier makes a local shop more reliable and cheaper to run.
reshoringtechnical
Moving manufacturing, services, or business operations from foreign locations back to a company’s home country; think of it like bringing a workshop back into your own garage so you can oversee quality and timing more directly. Investors watch reshoring because it can change a company’s costs, supply-chain reliability, tax exposure and local hiring—factors that affect profit margins, risk levels and the speed at which a business can respond to problems or demand shifts.
supply chain resiliencetechnical
Supply chain resilience is the ability of a system to quickly adapt and recover from disruptions that could interrupt the flow of goods, services, or resources. It is like having a backup plan or extra flexibility to keep things running smoothly despite unexpected problems. For investors, strong supply chain resilience can indicate a company's or economy's capacity to maintain stability and continue growth even during challenging times.
climate bondsfinancial
Climate bonds are fixed-income loans issued to raise money specifically for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or help communities adapt to climate change, like renewable energy, energy efficiency, or flood protection. For investors they offer regular interest income while aligning capital with long-term environmental goals; they can also change a portfolio’s risk profile because policy, technology or physical climate risks can affect the value and returns, so verification and project clarity matter.
renewable infrastructuretechnical
Renewable infrastructure is the physical systems that produce, store and move energy from naturally replenished sources like wind, sun, water and earth heat — think wind farms, solar arrays, batteries, hydro plants, transmission lines and EV chargers, like roads and pipes but for clean energy. It matters to investors because these facilities can generate steady, long-term cash flows, often under predictable contracts or rules, and help reduce exposure to fossil-fuel price swings while tapping demand for cleaner power.
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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Oliver Wyman Forum, the think tank of Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting and a business of Marsh (NYSE: MRSH), today released Cities Shaping the Future 2026, a global study ranking 1,500 cities on which are best positioned to drive future growth.
The report analyzes more than 50 indicators of long-term urban competitiveness, including multinational business density, transportation connectivity, venture capital activity, industrial growth, and climate resilience. Together, the cities in the study represent more than 75% of global GDP, approximately $88 trillion in economic output, and 1.9 billion people worldwide.
A new set of global cities is rising to challenge legacy hubs
The report finds that global corporations are rethinking their geographic strategies to consider geopolitical factors, technological disruption, and climate risk. While established business epicenters like New York City, London and Tokyo remain dominant commercial hubs, new locations are drawing international flows of manufacturing investment, startup capital, and tech talent.
“A new portfolio of fast-growing cities is emerging worldwide, offering first-mover advantages to business leaders willing to look beyond the dominant global hubs,” said Ben Simpfendorfer, partner at Oliver Wyman and lead of the Oliver Wyman Forum’s initiatives in Asia. “The next generation of winning cities will combine affordability, policies that support innovation and the development of new technologies, industrial capability, connectivity, and climate resilience.”
Thirty-two of the report’s top 100-ranked commercial hubs are in markets whose global commercial influence has expanded markedly over the past 20 years, including Chennai, India, and Guangzhou, China. “Diversification into high-growth cities is a strategic imperative for the C-suite; the average multinational now operates in more than 120 cities, and that number will continue to rise,” Simpfendorfer said.
City clusters and midsize urban centers are driving outsize growth
The report identifies a powerful wave of growth in geographic clusters of cities worldwide, which offer compounding advantages in scale, specialization, and connectivity. City clusters like Hong Kong-Shenzhen-Guangzhou and Dallas-Austin-Houston are creating regional strongholds of innovation.
“For companies, city clusters offer faster deal flow and strong supplier networks for booming sectors, particularly where cities develop incentives and infrastructure to support emerging industries,” said Ben Simpfendorfer. “They also attract flows of global talent, particularly as AI begins to disrupt jobs and skilled workers seek locations that offer multiple opportunities in the same area.”
Midsize cities are also outstripping their larger rivals in growth, benefiting from lower housing costs, favorable tax environments, and expanding industrial ecosystems that are attractive to companies seeking to tap into specialized supplier networks. The report highlights America’s expanding aerospace and defense corridors, including rapid growth in Greensboro, North Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Huntsville, Alabama.
Cities are focused on resilience as nearshoring, reshoring and climate spending accelerate
Nearshoring opportunities, lower costs, and supply chain resilience are reshaping corporate global footprints as companies expand into alternative manufacturing hubs including Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Guadalajara, Mexico; Tangier, Morocco; and Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
Cities are also strengthening their long-term resilience through climate adaptation measures, such as flood mitigation, renewable infrastructure, cooling systems, and water management. Examples include Miami, Florida, which has issued climate bonds to fund flood protection, and Paris, France, which is expanding urban cooling infrastructure and renewable energy deployment.
A company's geographic strategy can enhance its resilience across its facilities, workforce, and customer networks in a disrupted world. CEOs and investors need to anticipate that global opportunities may look different in 10 years, and rethink their city-based investment accordingly.
About Oliver Wyman Forum
Oliver Wyman is a business of Marsh (NYSE: MRSH), a global leader in risk, reinsurance and capital, people and investments, and management consulting, advising clients in 130 countries. The Oliver Wyman Forum is a community of senior leaders in business, government, and society dedicated to addressing the biggest forces shaping our future. Through forward-looking research and dialogue, we turn diverse perspectives into clearer thinking and bolder action — reshaping industries, navigating global change and complexity, and reimagining leadership.
About Oliver Wyman
Oliver Wyman is a business of Marsh (NYSE: MRSH), a global leader in risk, reinsurance and capital, people and investments, and management consulting, advising clients in 130 countries. With annual revenue of $27 billion and more than 95,000 colleagues, Marsh helps build the confidence to thrive through the power of perspective. For more information, visit oliverwyman.com, or follow us on LinkedIn and X.
