Every year, BG SAXO – the Italian broker born from the collaboration between Saxo Bank and Banca Generali – publishes its Outrageous Predictions, a series of extreme and provocative scenarios that, while not intended to be actual market forecasts, stimulate debate on systemic risks and potential revolutions in the economic and social fields.
At the heart of this initiative is the theory of black swans: rare, unpredictable events with a high impact, capable of radically changing the course of history and the economy.
Over the years, some of these predictions, although counterintuitive, have proven to be surprisingly farsighted.
In 2013, BG SAXO had anticipated a sharp decline in gold, which indeed occurred. In 2023, the hypothesis of a ban on meat production entered the global debate, with the UN including the reduction of meat consumption among the key strategies against climate change.
Outrageous Predictions 2026: Nine Scenarios That Could Change Everything
Italy Converts Gold into a Sovereign Wealth Fund
The first of the Outrageous Predictions 2026 envisions Italy ready to revolutionize the management of its gold reserves. The country might decide to sell 25% of its national gold to establish a sovereign wealth fund invested in global equities.
The goal? To transform a static asset into a stable source of income to finance welfare, healthcare, education, and pensions, without increasing tax pressure.
Following the Norwegian model, the fund would be managed independently, with clear rules and without political interference. Gold sales would be gradual, to avoid destabilizing the market, while dividends would be reinvested for ten years before allocating half of the annual returns to public services.
Such a scenario could lead to a slight initial dip in the price of gold, increased flows towards global indices, and a lower country risk perception, with potential positive effects on the spread.
Quantum Shock: Digital Security Under Attack
Another extreme scenario hypothesizes that, in 2026, a quantum computer manages to breach current cryptographic standards.
The mere news would trigger panic: cryptocurrencies in free fall, exchanges halting withdrawals, and a crisis of confidence in digital security. In this context, gold and cash would once again become safe havens, while governments and companies would be forced into a race against time to upgrade the entire global financial infrastructure.
The Swift-Kelce Marriage and the Revival of Offline Life
Among the most intriguing predictions is the hypothetical marriage between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Such an event could evolve into a cultural phenomenon capable of influencing millions of young people, promoting a return to offline life, more family-oriented and less focused on social media.
This trend could stimulate sectors such as home, travel, and luxury goods, while big tech companies might experience a slowdown in digital engagement.
USA Elections 2026: A New Institutional Momentum
The fourth prediction envisions surprisingly orderly Midterm elections in the United States, following years of tension and polarization.
A Democratic victory in the House, a more balanced Senate, and pressure from independent voters could lead to the creation of a national commission to fairly redraw electoral districts.
This could foster a more civil political climate and renewed trust in institutions, less influenced by social network algorithms.
GLP-1 and the Revolution in Pet Health
After revolutionizing human health, anti-obesity drugs in pill form could also be extended to pets.
The mass adoption of these drugs would reduce the average BMI in advanced countries and open a new market for veterinary, wellness, and pet food. Food producers would need to rethink recipes and portions, while the growing demand would benefit the pharma and healthcare sectors, yet put pressure on traditional dining and the food industry.
The IPO of SpaceX and the Birth of the Space Economy
Another groundbreaking prediction concerns SpaceX: following successful new tests of Starship, the company could go public with a record valuation, sparking a true race towards the space economy.
The increase in launch capacity would open the market to emerging industries such as bioprinting, semiconductors, and microgravity research. Plots of lunar land and mining rights would become speculative assets, generating a bubble similar to that of NFTs. The real novelty would be the launch of a large-scale extraterrestrial economy.
An AI Model at the Helm of a Multinational Corporation
In 2026, a major company might appoint an artificial intelligence model as CEO, with operational powers regulated by strict governance protocols.
The AI would optimize supply chain, pricing, and daily operations, while human oversight would ensure transparency and security. If the results exceeded expectations, other companies might follow suit, redefining the relationship between managerial vision and computational capability.
China Launches the Gold Yuan
Beijing could reveal gold reserves surpassing those of the United States and introduce an offshore yuan partially convertible into physical gold. The gold yuan would become a new benchmark for energy and commodity-producing countries, reducing dependence on the dollar. Part of global transactions would shift to CNH and gold, weakening the American currency and altering the balance of international reserves.
Defective AI and Global Digital Remediation
Finally, BG SAXO envisions a future where errors generated by autonomous artificial intelligence systems cause industrial accidents, accounting errors, and turbulence in financial markets. Companies would find themselves with opaque digital infrastructures, rewritten by uncontrolled software agents.
This gives rise to the role of “AI janitors,” specialists tasked with cleaning up, simplifying, and securing systems. Cybersecurity, auditing, and consulting would become the most dynamic sectors of the new technological cycle.
An Exercise in Strategic Imagination for the Future
The Outrageous Predictions by BG SAXO do not aim to predict the future, but rather invite reflection on what could radically change our world.
As Gian Paolo Bazzani, CEO of BG SAXO, emphasizes, “debate is the most effective tool for sharing ideas and reflecting on the world we are preparing.” In an era of geopolitical, climatic, and social uncertainty, exercising strategic imagination becomes essential to prepare for any scenario, even the most unlikely.