Positioning for the Next One Hundred Trillion Dollars of the Global Economy
DIGITAL ASSET MARKETS By NICKY OKOYE
We have continued to experience digital transformation in every area of human endeavour. This is particularly true for the finance and capital markets industry. Whereas we expect global GDP to increase by over one hundred trillion dollars in the next twenty-five years, what I call the Next One Hundred Trillion Dollars (N1HTD) initiative, the drivers of this growth are becoming much clearer. For instance, according to JP Morgan Bank USA, an estimated three trillion dollars ($3T) will be invested globally in Artificial Intelligence over the next five years. This large investment indicates that feeder industries within the AI ecosystem, such as data centres, cybersecurity, and power, will see substantial investment over the next few years. In fact, only recently, the Irish Government suspended all future development of additional data centres for three years due to overwhelming power demands from existing data centres in Ireland. To put this into perspective, Irish authorities state that over 21% of their current installed power capacity is used by existing data centres owned by Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc. The Irish Nation is beginning to experience a severe power glut among its residential consumers. And they are not willing to make that trade-off for the substantial new investments.
According to the World Bank and the World Economic Forum, which just concluded its 2026 annual conference in Davos, Switzerland, 2050 will be a turning point in global economic growth and wealth distribution. Global GDP is expected to grow to over $200 trillion by 2025, up from the $105 trillion recorded in late 2023. In the capital markets, the growth and distribution of wealth are more obvious; for instance, according to Statista, as of December 31st 2023, the total market capitalisation of global equity markets stood at $111.2 trillion USD. This means that global equity markets’ total capitalisation was over 100% of global GDP. Indicating that global GDP growth is a leading indicator and is rising in step with global equities. So, what do we in Africa do with this information?
On the African continent, the African capital markets are recording a very different relationship with continental GDP. The Nigerian capital markets, for instance, grew to just over $60 billion by the close of 2025. Nigeria’s GDP is currently just over $200 billion. So, whereas the total market capitalisation is almost 30% of GDP, this is not because the economy has grown. It is more due to local currency devaluations and a shrinking national economy. In this respect, if we are to make very serious, impactful efforts to grow the Nigerian economy to reach its true potential, which I believe should be north of $1 trillion in GDP, it will require a comprehensive transformation and transition of Nigerian asset classes and the Nigerian capital markets into 21st-century Digital Asset Markets.
The Next One Hundred Trillion Dollars growth in global GDP clearly indicates that very specific industrial ecosystems, such as Artificial Intelligence, will define investment, asset management, financial flows, human migration and human capacity development. The geopolitical landscape, which is currently transitioning into a multipolar world, has already taken shape regarding which capital will flow in which direction, which supply chains will remain open, and what strategic roles nation-states, global enterprises, and even individual investors will need to take to remain on the side of profitability.
Positioning for the Future
I would like to examine what it takes to position for the future from several perspectives. I have studied the positioning from a nation-state perspective, from an enterprise operating in Africa, from a global enterprise operating across the World in several jurisdictions, and from an individual perspective seeking to build a structured investment portfolio that can withstand risks and grow. In other words, the most important action anyone can take in 2026 and beyond will be how we position ourselves for the future, within the framework of the Next One Hundred Trillion Dollars.
Industries to Watch
The most important industries that will drive the next $100 trillion in additional global GDP are defined by technology, consumer behavioural economics, the ability to build and sustain wealth, and the ecosystems and value chains that support them. Nothing is currently shaping our World more than the race to achieve superiority in Artificial Intelligence, as well as its value chain-dependent industries, such as data centres, which themselves depend largely on power, semiconductors, specialised software and strategic security applications. In this respect, Nation-states, enterprises, and individuals will need to understand how these “industries to watch” will affect their investments, positioning, and future lives. Key industries include
Capital Markets:
The size and structure of the global capital markets will continue to shape, define and influence the growth of the global economy. Across the developed World, capital, project funding, national development, and enterprise development are all financed through structured securities issued to global capital markets. effect on enterprise and entrepreneurship: easier initial capital access (seed/early VC, crowdfunding), more varied scaling pathways (public listings, direct listings, SPACs, PE buyouts), stronger emphasis on governance and disclosure for growth firms, and both positive and negative effects from capital abundance (faster scaling but greater competitive pressure, higher valuations, and later-stage concentration).
Digital Asset Markets:
The emergence of the digital asset markets will define funding, wealth management, project finance, and global financial engagements. This particular industry covers cryptocurrencies, central bank digital currencies, and tokenisation of real-world assets. This marketplace has various parts, including implications for national and regional development, financial flows, and related issues. Financial innovation (digital platforms, tokenisation, automated trading) materially lowered frictions to capital raising. Regulation tightened in many jurisdictions following market stresses and misconduct, while policy support (low rates earlier, fiscal programs) left structural effects on firm financing choices.
Artificial Intelligence:
AI is the fastest-growing industry in the World today. I believe AI is more than just a new industry; it is an entirely new way of doing life. AI is influencing every industry, and AI models designed for each industry will completely disrupt how industries are regulated, operated, and even engaged with. AI is influencing investment in power, datacenters, and enterprise systems. Data, AI, and trading: Algorithmic trading and AI-based analytics reshaped price discovery, credit underwriting, and investor sourcing—speeding capital deployment but raising governance and model-risk questions. The entire ecosystem of Artificial Intelligence is much larger than is currently understood. There are five layers to the AI ecosystem, and each layer will define more opportunities, more investment and more jobs. For a nation-state to position itself in this space, it must consider which layers it focuses on. And, as my analysis will show, in many cases, some of the layers are impossible to integrate without the others.
AI LEVEL ONE
At layer 1 are the energy requirements and power supply. This is considered the foundation layer for AI systems, AI models, and AI infrastructure, all of which consume significant power. Massive electrical power plants are being planned or built to support the AI buildup across nation-states. The core function here and strategic positioning here is to design and build sustainable power plants and systems that can supply the power needs of AI systems.
AI LEVEL TWO
At layer 2 is the chip technology, considered the engine of AI, providing the core computational power. This power is typically captured through strategically designed large CPUs connected together. The core function and strategic positioning here is the design and manufacture of AI-grade CPUs.
AI LEVEL THREE
At layer 3, the backbone of AI infrastructure is the data centre. These data centres are the AI factories of the World, with thousands of interconnected CPUs, hosting chips and server farms. In many cases, these data centres can be provided by third parties using cloud infrastructure and services on a global scale. The core function and strategic positioning here are to build new data centres that focus on specific geographical catchment areas.
AI LEVEL FOUR
At level 4 are the AI models. This is considered the brain of all AI systems. Such well-known AI models include GPT by OpenAI, Claude, and DeepSeek from China, among others. Several new AI models are being designed and coming online, and many are being designed and positioned for particular industries. The core function and strategic positioning here are to design AI models focused on very specific industries or functions that can be automated.
AI LEVEL FIVE
At level 5 are the AI applications that interact directly with users, consumers and industry practitioners. At this level, very specific AI applications are being designed and developed for the finance, digital asset markets, healthcare, manufacturing, aviation, and maritime industries, among others. Whereas the AI application is the front-facing aspect of AI, it is impossible to function without the five levels of the value chain all interacting with each other in real time.
Indeed……Great Things are Happening.
Dr Nicky Okoye
Global Investment Advisor
Founder, Global Investment Advisory Community (GIAC)
