The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released a series of impactful reports in June 2025, addressing critical global challenges and opportunities in fintech, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sustainability, energy transition, and transformative technology convergence.
These updates, presented at the 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin, China, underscore the Forum’s commitment to fostering collaboration across business, government, and civil society to drive inclusive and sustainable progress.
The Fintech sector is evolving from its hypergrowth phase into a new era of sustainable profitability and financial inclusion, according to a WEF report released on June 25, 2025.
After years of rapid expansion fueled by abundant capital, fintechs are now navigating a tighter funding environment, with funding rounds dropping by 50% and extending by over five months in 2022.
This shift has prompted fintechs to prioritize cost management and sustainable growth over aggressive expansion.
The report, developed in collaboration with the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, highlights how fintechs are leveraging technology to serve underserved populations, particularly SMEs and consumers in emerging markets.
By focusing on digital banking, lending, and payments, fintechs are enhancing financial access while maintaining profitability.
The WEF emphasizes the need for evidence-based regulation to foster innovation while managing risks, noting that fintechs’ customer-centric models are reshaping financial services globally.
A WEF white paper, Sustainability Meets Growth: A Roadmap for SMEs and Mid-Sized Manufacturers, released on June 23, 2025, positions SMEs as pivotal to achieving global climate targets.
Representing 90% of businesses worldwide and contributing 40–60% of business-sector greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, SMEs are critical yet under-supported in the sustainability transition.
The report, produced with Schneider Electric, outlines a five-stage roadmap to integrate sustainability into SME operations, transforming it from a cost to a strategic growth opportunity.
By aligning sustainability with business strategies, SMEs can reduce emissions, enhance competitiveness, and unlock economic value.
The report’s survey of over 60 manufacturing SMEs across diverse regions reveals a growing recognition of sustainability as a competitive advantage, particularly in decarbonizing supply chains.
Fast-tracking SME sustainability could significantly advance Paris Agreement goals, limiting global warming to 1.5°C, while fostering economic resilience.
The Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2025 report, released on June 18, 2025, in collaboration with Accenture, documents accelerating global progress toward secure, equitable, and sustainable energy systems.
The Energy Transition Index, benchmarking 118 countries, shows gains in equity and sustainability driven by stable energy prices, subsidy reforms, and increased renewable energy adoption.
However, energy security remains stagnant due to inflexible power systems and import reliance.
Despite $2 trillion in clean energy investments in 2024, record-high emissions of 37.8 billion tons highlight persistent gaps.
The report underscores the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in optimizing energy systems, with leaders like Muqsit Ashraf of Accenture noting AI’s role in building resilient, adaptive energy futures.
Recently, the WEF unveiled the Technology Convergence Report 2025, introducing the 3C Framework to guide industries through combinatorial innovation.
This framework highlights how converging technologies—such as AI, IoT, and biotechnology—are transforming sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and energy.
By integrating digital transformation, sustainability, and operational excellence, the framework offers a roadmap for businesses to achieve competitiveness.
Developed with NEOM and industry professionals, the report draws on the Global Lighthouse Network to map real-world solutions across five maturity levels.
It emphasizes responsible technology design to ensure equitable outcomes, aligning with the WEF’s mission to foster innovation that benefits society.
These reports, presented at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, themed “Entrepreneurship for a New Era,” reflect the WEF’s focus on actionable solutions.
By addressing fintech’s inclusive growth, SME sustainability, energy transitions, and technology convergence, the WEF is catalyzing public-private partnerships to tackle global challenges.
As the world navigates economic stagnation, climate urgency, and technological disruption, these initiatives offer pathways to resilient, inclusive, and sustainable progress.