Frankfurt am Main/Davos, January 22, 2026. As part of the 56th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH International Marketing of the Region (FRM GmbH) once again hosted its high-profile reception on January 21, 2026, which has become one of the top events in Davos. This fact was emphasized by Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil during his first participation. The event is an important platform for promoting the region to decision-makers and personalities from international business, politics, and science.
This year, the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region underscored its strong position on the international stage: For the first time in the history of the event, Lars Klingbeil, Vice Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany and Federal Minister of Finance, took part in “Frankfurt Rhine-Main – The Reception.” In a panel discussion in front of around 200 participants, he expressed his enthusiasm for the FRM GmbH event and gave a brief assessment of the speech given shortly before by US President Donald Trump.
“Frankfurt Rhine-Main. The Reception” was once again supported by Frankfurt Main Finance as a partner for the financial center, the City of Frankfurt, DZ Bank, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Digital Reality GmbH was gained as a new partner.
The reception focused on a panel discussion featuring prominent participants. Carsten Schneider, German Federal Minister for the Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety, was another representative of the German government who spoke at the event, emphasizing the importance of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region for politics and business. Dr. Joachim Nagel, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, and Souâd Benkredda, member of the Board of Managing Directors of DZ BANK, discussed current challenges and prospects for the German economy and the important role of Frankfurt as a financial center. Dr. Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the ESA (European Space Agency), highlighted the economic and strategic potential of Europe’s space industry and the economic opportunities for Frankfurt Rhine-Main arising from the European Satellite Control Center (ESA/ESOC) in Darmstadt. The event was once again moderated by the well-known journalist and presenter Astrid Frohloff. “Frankfurt Rhine-Main. The Reception” is one of the most important platforms for promoting the region internationally and raising its profile.
Mike Josef, Mayor of the City of Frankfurt and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of FRM GmbH, welcomed the high-ranking guests and companies from all over the world: “Our world is changing rapidly: political and economic upheavals and geopolitical tensions present us with major challenges. It is our responsibility to ensure that people are heard, understood, and respected—and I take this responsibility very seriously. In many ways, the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region is the economic engine of Hesse and Germany—and not least the financial center of the European Union. That is precisely why we are here in Davos. We want to translate the positive economic development of our region into tangible benefits for people. The broad participation of top international decision-makers from business, politics, and science shows that the potential of our region is recognized both at home and abroad. This is also reflected in the 90 new companies that settled in Frankfurt Rhine-Main last year. And there is still a lot in the pipeline for this year.”
For many years now, Frankfurt Rhine-Main has been the only German region represented with a reception in Davos. In addition to Mike Josef, the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region was also represented by Frankfurt Mayor Dr. Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg, Stephanie Wüst, Head of the Department of Economics, Law, and City Marketing for the City of Frankfurt, Dr. Felix Schwenke, Mayor of the City of Offenbach, Sandro Zehner, District Administrator of the Rheingau-Taunus district, Martin Burlon, Mayor of the City of Dreieich, Ulrich Caspar, President of the Frankfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Volker Ludwig, Vice President of the Frankfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Oliver Behrens, President of FrankfurtMain Finance e.V. and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the DWS Group, and Bernhard Grieb, Managing Director of Frankfurt Economic Development, were also present at the reception to promote the region in numerous discussions.
Dr. Joachim Nagel, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, emphasized the strength of the financial center at the reception: “An attractive and efficient financial center in Frankfurt is crucial for overcoming the structural challenges facing the German economy and strengthening its competitiveness. As one of the leading financial centers in the EU, Frankfurt mobilizes capital, promotes innovation, and drives the integration of European capital markets. By combining the forces of business, politics, and supervision, an environment is created that ensures stability, enables growth, and opens up new opportunities for Germany and Europe.“
Souâd Benkredda, member of the Board of Managing Directors of DZ BANK, adds: ”Frankfurt is one of Europe’s leading financial centers. Its central location in Europe, excellent infrastructure—including one of the largest airports—and proximity to the ECB and global companies make the city a strategic business location and magnet for skilled workers.”
It was a special honor for FRM GmbH to welcome Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, to the reception for the third time this year. For the first time, two ESA astronauts were also guests: Samantha Cristoforetti from Italy and Sławosz Uznański from Poland.
The FRM GmbH event is a fixed item on the Davos calendar for decision-makers from national and international companies, associations, and corporations, as well as numerous guests from the world of politics. This year’s guests included: Katharine Braddick (Group Head Barclays), Fabrizio Campelli (Member of the Board of Managing Directors Deutsche Bank AG), Emmanuel Faber (Chair International Sustainability Standards Board ISSB), Susanne Gellert (President AHK New York), Andreas Golze (Managing Director Cognizant), Jerome Jean Haegeli (Group Chief Economist Swiss Re), Catrin Hinkel (CEO Microsoft Switzerland), Kim Joergensen (Head Temasek Singapore), Dr. Sabine Mauderer (Vice President Deutsche Bundesbank), Dr. Alexander Mayer (Head of Germany and Austria J.P. Morgan), Dr. Bettina Orlopp (CEO Commerzbank AG), Claudia Plattner (President of the Federal Office for Information Security BSI), Markus Potzel (German Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein), Dr. Helmut Reisinger (CEO EMEA Palo Alto Networks), Frank Scheidig (Global Head of Senior Executive Banking DZ BANK AG), Christian Sewing (CEO Deutsche Bank AG), Walter Sinn (Senior Partner
& Chairman Bain & Company), Dr. Mirjam Staub-Bisang (Chair of the Board BlackRock Asset Management), Mohammed Rafee Tarafdar (Chief Technology Officer Infosys), Robert Thomson (Senior Vice President VISA), Subha Verma (CEO Mastercard), Franz von Metzler (Member of the Board of Directors Bankhaus Metzler), Gerhard Wiesheu (Spokesman of the Board of Bankhaus Metzler), Stefan Wintels (CEO KfW Bankengruppe).
“The Frankfurt Rhine-Main region must be represented at an event with international appeal such as the WEF. Only here in Davos do we have the opportunity to meet so many top global decision-makers in such a small space and in such a short time and to have inspiring conversations. Many of our international discussion partners are often unaware that our region is not only an important financial center and business location, but also has outstanding expertise in life sciences, pharmaceuticals, IT, and space travel. It is also not widely known that Frankfurt Rhine-Main is a central European location for space travel. For almost 60 years, numerous European satellites have been controlled from the European Satellite Control Center (ESA/ESOC) in Darmstadt. Today, space travel is a key factor in European sovereignty, resilience, economic competitiveness, and data-based political decision-making. This makes it a relevant topic for financial and political decision-makers alike. We are very proud to have welcomed Dr. Josef Aschbacher, a representative of the ESA, to our reception for the first time. The high-profile guests and speakers underscore the importance of our presence in Davos,” said Eric Menges, Managing Director of FRM GmbH.
FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH International Marketing of the Region is the location marketing company for the FrankfurtRhineMain region, which comprises 37 districts, cities, the state of Hesse, municipalities, and associations. The company is unique in Germany in that it operates across three federal states: Hesse, Bavaria, and Rhineland-Palatinate. The company’s mission is to inform foreign companies about the advantages of the location and attract them to the region, to promote the international competitiveness of FrankfurtRhineMain, and to strengthen its image abroad. FrankfurtRhineMain GmbH is the central point of contact in the region for all inquiries regarding the establishment of companies from abroad.
Source: FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH
