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Power 100 2026

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By Oliver Rist & Worth Staff

From hedge funds to media empires, these are the 100 people directing capital, leveraging infrastructure, and driving the ideas that define our world.

The leaders directing capital, innovation, and global influence.

Jane Fraser (credit citi) ()
Jane Fraser leads Citigroup and holds the distinction of being the first woman to head up a top 10 U.S. bank. It’s a difficult job because not only is Citigroup one of the world’s most globally connected banks, but her tenure is happening at a moment when cross-border finance, supply-chain shifts, and geopolitical tensions are reshaping how money moves. Last year, her influence was felt not only across U.S. and global markets, but also keenly inside Citi itself. There, she drove a massive restructuring that focused on slimming the bank down, amplifying its core strengths, and pushing hard into digital modernization. Those moves matter because Citi plays a huge role in international payments, corporate banking, and emerging- market finance. She’s also a key voice in global economic conversations, often weighing in on everything from inflation to China-U.S. relations. Her personal mix of operational control, global reach, and policy influence puts her firmly in the top tier of financial power players.
larry fink blackrock (Credit Blackrock) ()
As an asset management firm with global sway, BlackRock oversees approximately $12.5 trillion worth of assets under management (AUM). Which, aside from blowing my mind, means the services it provides to a global clientele have unprecedented influence. At its head sits Larry Fink, who means his words on investment strategy and risk management are having a massive impact worldwide. When BlackRock shifts its strategy even slightly, entire sectors feel it. Governments, CEOs, and central banks all pay attention because Fink’s decisions influence everything from interest-rate expectations to corporate governance trends. He’s also become an unofficial ambassador between Wall Street and policymakers. Whether it’s climate finance, retirement systems, or geopolitical risk, Fink’s views often shape the conversation. BlackRock’s advisory work with foreign governments only amplifies that reach. As an individual, Fink holds a prominent role at the crossroads of finance, policy, and long-term economic planning.
GettyImages ()
If you make cars, this is a heady time, but also a very difficult period marked by what seems like a series of paradigm shifts. That’s why GM should consider itself lucky to have Mary Barra at the helm. As CEO, she’s balancing the push toward electric vehicles, the realities of hybrid demand, and the pressure to keep GM profitable in a wildly competitive global market. Only a very few executives have to juggle this many existential decisions at once. Her influence also comes from GM’s scale. When Barra shifts strategy—whether it’s EV pricing, battery partnerships, autonomous tech, or manufacturing investments—it affects suppliers, workers, competitors, and entire regional economies. She’s also become a key voice in U.S. industrial policy, especially around clean energy incentives and domestic manufacturing. In 2025, with the auto sector reshaping itself around software, electrification, and supply-chain resilience, Barra’s decisions help set the pace for the whole industry. She’s one of the rare leaders whose calls ripple across multiple industrial sectors at once.
Ajay Banga (Credit world bank) ()
As president of the World Bank, Ajay Banga has a difficult role on the global stage. He’s tackling global development just when the world is in desperate need of fresh thinking. So far, he’s been handling it well, pushing the institution to move faster, take more risk, and mobilize far more private capital, and then steering that money towards climate resilience, infrastructure, and emerging-market growth. His influence is huge because the World Bank isn’t just another lender; it’s the backbone of development finance for dozens of countries. When Banga shifts priorities—toward climate adaptation, digital infrastructure, or debt relief—it changes what gets funded and how quickly progress happens. He’s also been a key voice in modernizing global financial architecture. So he’s not just pushing wealthier nations and investors to step up, he’s actually making headway.

This isn’t a popularity list,
nor is it a measure of virtue.
It’s a map of where leverage
and control reside in 2026.

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