2026 Content Agenda:

Seeing It Coming: The Advantage of Pattern Recognition in a Repeating World

From Y2K fashion to boom-and-bust cycles, trends don’t just resurface—they evolve. Culture, technology, and capital markets all move in waves. And we end up chasing the future, only to find it’s been here before. That’s not coincidence. It’s a cycle worth studying.

The 2026 CAIA Content Agenda explores the patterns that resurface, the signals that matter, and why returning to first principles may just be the wisest move forward.

What We’re Watching in 2026

The 2026 CAIA content agenda outlines five interconnected themes that have consistently surfaced time and again by our global community. Through research, conversation, and collaboration, we’ll dig into how history provides context and insight for future opportunities.

And in a time when the past echoes loudly, those who listen closely can lead more clearly.

Patterns Worth Watching in 2026:

Geopolitics – power, policy, and capital flows.
Values-Based Finance – the rise of Global South finance.
Infrastructure and the Real Economy - building influence through investment.
Innovation Cycles in Product Development - reinventing access and efficiency.
Systems Thinking – designing portfolios for complexity.

Use it to:

Understand where CAIA focuses attention and thought leadership.
Stay engaged with emerging trends that will shape the profession.
Join the conversation and contribute to the future of investing.

Download the Full Content Agenda to see what’s next.

Access Your Copy Here

Want to join the conversation? Share your insights with us at content@caia.org.

CAIA’s 2026 Content Priorities: Insights and Resources At-A-Glance

Discover new CAIA blogs, videos, papers, podcasts, and more—updated throughout the year.

Geopolitics

Once a minor backdrop to global markets, geopolitics is now reshaping the main stage. The map is being redrawn by new centers of influence, from capital controls to contested trade routes, and investors can’t afford to look away.

This year, CAIA will follow the flashpoints, decode the shifts, and ask: how should capital behave when the world order gets more fragmented?

Value-Based Finance

Once sidelined as a niche pursuit, values-based finance is gaining ground, and this time, it’s being led from the Global South. Fueled by local innovation, demographic demand, and a redefinition of what “sustainability” really means, a more diverse framework is emerging.

CAIA will explore how this momentum is reshaping capital’s role in society, and why the next frontier in sustainable finance may not follow the rules of Western societies.

Infrastructure and the Real Economy

Infrastructure is stepping back into the spotlight, not just as a foundation for supporting innovation, but as a lever of strategic influence for rebuilding societies and economies.

This year, CAIA will examine how infrastructure is reclaiming its role in shaping outcomes, and what it means when roads, ports, and pipelines become strategic assets.

Innovation Cycles in Product Development

Product innovation isn’t new, but its impact is compounding and accelerating into new areas. From tokenization to revamping retirement offerings, CAIA will trace the arc of innovation: what’s accelerating, what’s enduring, and how investors can stay ahead of the curve without losing sight of first principles.

Systems Thinking

In a world defined by complexity, portfolios can’t be built in silos. Market dynamics, geopolitical shifts, and social priorities are more intertwined than ever—requiring investors to think in terms of systemic issues, not snapshots.

This year, CAIA will explore how a more connected, multidimensional approach to portfolio design can better support the uncertainty ahead.