MONACO, Feb. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On Thursday, 5 February, the Yacht Club de Monaco will bring together leading figures from the international yachting industry for its 18th Economic Symposium – La Belle Classe Superyachts. This event will take the form of a dinner debate as part of the collective initiative Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting.
With the theme “Yachting 2035: the economic transformation of the sector in response to new environmental standards”, this edition will provide a forward-looking analysis of the structural changes affecting the superyacht industry at the intersection of regulatory, economic, and financial challenges.
According to Bernard d’Alessandri, the Yacht Club de Monaco’s Managing Director and Secretary General, “Yachting can no longer be considered in isolation. It is part of an economic, environmental and human ecosystem that calls for a collective, long-term vision”.
In a context marked by accelerating demographic, geopolitical, technological and environmental shifts, the sector is reaching a pivotal moment. With a global economic impact estimated at €54 billion and almost 80% of production concentrated in Europe, the industry must now reconcile value creation and competitiveness with adaptation to rapidly evolving regulatory frameworks.
To facilitate this discussion, the symposium will feature several leading voices. Francesca Webster, Editor-in-Chief of SuperYacht Times, will open the discussions with a fact-based overview of the global market. Drawing on the latest Global Order Book data, she will set out the economic foundations of the debate and highlight current trends in fleet composition, order books and the brokerage market.
Dr Nathalie Hilmi, expert in Macroeconomics, International Finance and Sustainable Development, will shed light on the impact of new environmental regulations, which are set to become an important economic factor throughout the entire value chain, from yacht design to operation and refit.
Max Kunkel, an economist at UBS, will offer insights into the macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape, highlighting the critical long-term trends, such as demographics, deglobalisation, decarbonisation, digitalisation and debt, that are influencing investment strategies and financing the transition.
Finally, Marnix Hoekstra, Co-Creative Director and Partner at Vripack, will demonstrate how owners’ expectations are evolving through projects in which sustainability, innovation and value creation are embedded from the earliest design stages. This points towards new economic models for the sector.
For more information:
Press Office LaPresse – [email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/57e901e1-7a6c-474a-ab2b-c09ea8653bf4