WEF Davos 2026: DK Shivakumar calls Bengaluru 'City of the Future' as Karnataka doubles down on deals

In an X post, the Karnataka Deputy CM wrote, "Namma Bengaluru - The City of the Future. Honoured to be at Davos today for the World Economic Forum.

• DK Shivakumar highlighted Bengaluru's innovation and quality of life at WEF 2026
• Karnataka delegation attracted global interest in food processing, sustainable materials.
• Coca-Cola discussed expanding operations in Karnataka at the WEF 2026 meeting

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Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday hailed Bengaluru's innovation, infrastructure, and quality of life at the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.

DK Shivakumar addressed the session 'Are Cities Up To It', where the leaders discussed "integrated and people-centred solutions" for mobility, energy, and technology in cities worldwide.

In an X post, the Karnataka Deputy CM wrote, "Namma Bengaluru - The City of the Future. Honoured to be at Davos today for the World Economic Forum. The Annual Meeting 2026 provided an opportunity to share Bengaluru's journey as a city for the future, shaped by innovation, strong infrastructure, sustainability and a high quality of life."

"I spoke at the session 'Are Cities Up To It' where we discussed how cities must move beyond incremental change and adopt integrated, people-centred solutions that bring together mobility, energy, nature and technology. Bengaluru is actively doing this by scaling innovation through strong institutions, collaboration and responsible governance. As India's technology and knowledge capital, this approach positions Bengaluru to collaborate with global partners to drive inclusive growth and responsible innovation," the X post read.

In a push to cement Karnataka's position as a global manufacturing powerhouse, Karnataka Minister MB Patil on Tuesday initiated a series of strategic engagements at the WEF 2026.

Leading the state's delegation with an "execution-first" mandate, the Minister has secured significant interest from global leaders in the food processing and sustainable materials sectors, potentially bringing billions in investment to the state.

The delegation's first breakthrough came during a high-level meeting with the leadership of The Coca-Cola Company. The discussions centred on the "strategic expansion of their operations in Karnataka," building on the company's massive Rs 25,760 crore investment commitment to India's food processing sector.

The 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) is being held from January 19 to 23, 2026, at Davos-Klosters, which is set to welcome nearly 3,000 participants from over 130 countries, including a record number of world leaders, CEOs, innovators and policymakers, under the theme 'A Spirit of Dialogue'.