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The world entered an era of large-scale shocks. The victory of Donald Trump in the US presidential elections, Brexit, the influx of migrants in Europe, and at the same time, rising unemployment, global warming and the decline of the petrodollar era are challenging all of humanity. It's time to say openly: We stand on the threshold of a new economic reality, where the old laws no longer in effect, and the new ones still should be found.

The best minds fervently working on the solutions of this enormous challenge, many of which are here today, at the Kyiv International Economic Forum. Together we have to understand whether the new economic reality will become the basis for improving people's lives. How to turn the problems of climate change into a locomotive of the economy? Is Europe able to regain its leadership in the Asian century? And where is Ukraine in this coordinate system?

The events that have been hitting the headlines throughout the last year, like Brexit, Trump winning the US election, rise and fall of Bitcoin, Industry 4.0, and cure for cancer, will have large-scale and far-reaching implications and will dramatically change the economic, technological and political world map.

The existing economic openness and integrity have been seriously challenged. A new era of economic reality is coming. Will the new order ensure higher income level, better quality of life and safety? What role will Ukraine play in this new order? Which strategy to choose and how to build relationships with the East and the West?

Over the past decade, green business has contributed to the global economy. The main principle behind green entrepreneurship is the three R's of it which stands for Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This principle is of great benefit not only to our environment but to the economy as well. The rule is very simple: reducing our natural resource consumption leads to saving. Therefore, saving leads to profit.

How to combine environmental sustainability and profitability? Are developing countries willing to promote green business in the same way as a raw materials business? How to promote green entrepreneurship?

Ukrainian agribusiness has ruined its own reputation of being just exporter. The agricultural sector is improving every year – working at intellectual solutions, implementing robotics and other technologies for precision farming, organic production, automation, business control and management. Due to rising food demand, technologies become very important in this area. How to promote using technologies in agribusiness? Agro export: from products to technologies. How to integrate Ukrainian agrarian companies into value chains within the global market and at the same time not to lose the possibility of independent development?

The spread of IT has extraordinarily fast changed the world. Futurists build bold predictions from the fantastic possibilities of growing organs from stem cells to the Colonization of Mars. They predict food and water shortage, global warming and lots of unemployment. It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future. How will changes affect Ukraine? To be sidelined from the crucial economic and social processes or to overleap the crisis lasted about 50-60 years by one jump – what will choose Ukraine? Can technologies solve Ukraine’s problems identified at the national level? Could we all change our way of thinking following exponential technologies? What skills should children be taught? We would like to know what future is waiting for us in 30 years in order to take a fresh look at today’s problems. Perhaps some potential problems we face can be solved easily?

The economy of Ukraine has been affected by the credit crunch. The private sector suffers despite closing more than 80 banks, high-interest rates and an absence of credit markets. So, it is crucial to ensure financing of all spheres of production and circular flow of income. Are the National Bank and the government able to initiate loans? Would it be rational to found the Ukrainian Bank for Reconstruction and Development? What kind of nonbank financial resources could be used in Ukraine?

Industry 4.0 requires wide scope digitization of all physical assets and their integration into the digital ecosystem together with partners involved in creating added value. To achieve such result is possible only if there are well-established data generating and data exchange. The key principles of successful digital policy creating added value are the development, growth and usage of intelligence. In this case the government should be focused on the e-government, business digitalization, industry 4.0, digital society, rights and infrastructure, digital gap and other. What should Ukraine do in order to enter a new digital era? What does it consist of? Can it raise the global quality of life? How to build infrastructure supporting high-tech startups?

The modern education system has changed fundamentally rather than in form. There are people of new generation. Skills acquisition and fast learning ability had become the main criteria. Hence, it is important to change not only the learning process in education but values as well. The world has changed and we must be flexible. How can this be achieved in Ukraine? What is the pattern for the modern educational process? What is the most appropriate educational model for Ukraine?

Ukraine has taken big steps towards business in the last years. As a result, our country has risen by more than 50 positions according to the Doing Business ranking. Despite the ease of doing business, there are still many potential risks. The next step is to simplify enterprise infrastructure, connecting to a power supply, to simplify a credit system, to change the tax system. How to make business rules simple but effective? Are the National Bank and the government ready to facilitate business credit conditions and stimulate investments for economic growth? What should the government do to ensure the tax infrastructure? What tax system will raise investments?

Climate Change and the New Development Agenda

Public Talk and presentation of the book "Reinventing Prosperity: Managing Economic Growth to Reduce Unemployment"

The Round Table will be attended by the officials of the Ukrainian Government, the Ambassadors of Arab Countries to Ukraine, Ukraine’s and Arab Countries’ business community.

The participants of Kyiv International Economic Forum who acquired “Investor” Package through the Ukrainian Business Association are invited to the round table.

Seating is limited.

Registration for Round Table: 0636097733 and facebook.

The issues to be discussed:

•     prospects for development of business relations between the business community from Ukraine and the Middle East countries. Presentation: “Ukrainian Business Hub”;

•     short-term and long-term steps in promoting of partner business relations, including participation of Ukraine in Expo 2020;

•     consolidation of previously reached bilateral agreements between the business community and the business associations. Signing of bilateral agreements between Kyiv International Economic Forum and Annual Investment Meeting, the Ukrainian Business Association and business community from Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Participants:

• Dawood Mohammad Khalid Ahmad Mohammed, President, Annual Investment Meeting, Dubai, the United Arab Emirates;

• Vasyl Khmelnytsky, First Vice President of the Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (ULIE), K. Fund founder;

• Volodymyr Chepovy, President of the Ukrainian Business Hub, Co-founder of Business 100;

Moderator: Sviatoslav Dubyna, Project Manager of “Ukrainian Business Hub” in GCC Countries

National Opera of Ukraine

The events happened last year demonstrated the interest of the global players in internal problems. It is necessary to compete for investments on equal terms with other countries since the promised "Marshall Plan" for Ukraine is no longer on the agenda. The low labor, low-cost assets, the process of deregulation and the promotion of international capital flow did not lead to a significant growth in the investment attractiveness of Ukraine. The investment cannot be compared even with the period before the revolution. On the other hand, international investment funds do not have enough information regarding other ways to invest in Ukraine. What are barriers between the investor and Ukrainian companies and how can they be quickly removed? What points for investment growth are attractive for investors? How to attract investments in other sectors?

Many economists call notable events of the last year the beginning of “Asian century”.

The economy of the certain region is formed by not only China and South Korea but also India, the UAE and Singapore. These countries promote ideas of free trade markets. The Asian direction of development is especially close to Ukraine. Ukraine has its own interest in this attractive region. The hi-tech development and the struggle for markets are the main tasks. Ukrainian experts focus on the hi-tech experience of Asian countries. How do Asian countries achieve it? What are common projects for consolidation Asian and Ukrainian business?

Over recent decades the world trade pattern has changed. There has been a shift towards strategic alliances, global value networking, cross-industry clusters and virtual organizations. Nowadays companies distribute their services and sales worldwide, while production and research and development is intertwined between different organizations across different geographies countries.

E.g. British aerospace industry is worth £31bn a year to the UK economy and is the world’s second largest. This makes up 79% of the sector’s £28.4bn of annual exports.

By this, the airliner market is dominated by pan-European Airbus and US-based Boeing, and although neither builds complete aircraft in Britain, both rely on the UK-built parts to make their products.

Both manufacturers have record order books, meaning that even if they decide to ramp up production rates they have almost a decade’s worth of work in hand, and are reliant on the UK aerospace businesses to help them meet demand.

By being wired into the global value networks companies and countries raise their competitiveness through using intermediate goods and services from elsewhere without having to develop a whole industry. In most economies, around a third of intermediate imports end up in exports.

The growing interconnectedness of economies creates important opportunities but also new challenges for growing economies, including political ones.

• Who benefits the most in the global value chain and networking?
• What is the role of small and medium business in the global value networking?
• What factors have an impact on investment decisions?
• How to synchronize national policy and interests with the global nature of economic activities?

The relations between Ukraine and Europe are currently estimated in the context of an Association Agreement and visa-free travel. The EU is Ukraine's largest trading partner for two years, and the visa-free travel provides for our country “four freedoms” (free flows of goods, services, labor and capital) that form the basis of the EU's functioning. But this range is much larger and includes broad cooperation between NGOs, business relationships etc. What are potential priority areas for cooperation between Ukraine and the EU? Is Europe ready to expand trade preferences for Ukraine? How to attract European investors to Ukraine? Can Ukraine be a trade intersection between Europe and Asia?

To make a million dollars is a dream for all entrepreneurs starting a business. To be a millionaire means to be independent and have a great potential due to substantial financial resources. However, making a million dollars in Ukraine is becoming more complicated because of the lack of a background. What is worth special attention and what should be focused on towards small business? How to make your money work for you? Should innovation be an essential condition under which business is more likely to thrive today? What are the main obstacles for small business development?

The world has already crossed the threshold into the digital age. However, the development of technologies does not mean the development of the business. According to various estimates, about 40% of the top companies in the S&P 500 index won’t exist in the next decade. This affects not only industries and enterprises with the old technological processes. The changes occur so fast that they can affect even modern business.

How to stay afloat during this period caused by rapid changes? Is it enough to use innovations and new technologies in order to be in demand? What mistakes can become fatal for a business during the new technological era?

Since the beginning of the decentralization reform, regional leaders were able to realize economic potential. There were formed regional development institutions and local “points of success”. Can regional leaders overcome the negative investment image of the country and create their own "investment" Eldorado? Clusters as a basis for the growth of innovative products: how to organize intercluster dialogue between other regions? How to improve the business efficiency in the regions?

New technologies change the usual paradigm of doing business. Business goes online, because it reduces costs, helps to meet the expectations of consumers, and be in-line with world trends.

 This year the turnover in Ukrainian e-com will increase by at least 30-40%, to 50 billion UAH. The market growth in dollar terms, the increase of the average purchase receipt, the growth of the total number of customers, the change in business models, the opening of niche shops are the current realities of the e-commerce market in Ukraine.

 Ukrainian business has already mastered online as a sales channel. At the same time, the implementation of business solutions is often not efficient and modern. During the panel, we will discuss how to build sustainable systems, what technological solutions lead to multiple business growth, what is the potential growth of online businesses, what is needed for developing modern e-commerce in Ukraine. Owners of successful e-commerce businesses, as well as fintech market experts, will share their experience, faced challenges, and solutions.

MB challenge of new time

Corporate Venture Capital (CVC): why it is inevitable for any corporation and how to do it right

The country image is clearly relatable to the business: Alibaba to China, Tesla to the USA, British Petroleum to Great Britain, etc. Today, business is responsible not only for its own products but often for country's existing image. Some companies use country’s image, some prefer to keep silent, while others try to stretch the truth. What factors can influence the formation of the image? Does business interfere with the image of the country in international promotion? How to speak effectively and what to do in order your business is well known, understood and trusted by the target audiences you need (media, social networks, authorities, partners, investors, etc.)? Why and how is the image destroyed and how to act in the face of a reputational crisis or information attack?

The participants will have an opportunity during Round Table Session to intensively discuss with leading experts issues related to

1) Corporate Innovations and Startups

2) Banks and Financing

3) Regional Development

4) Industry 4.0

5) Hi Tech Agro

6) Business Education

7) Cyber Security

8) Artificial Intelligence for Business

9) Business Efficiency. Tools and Methods

10) Women in Business

To participate in the Round Tables you must register during the Forum.