Mr. Ajay Banga newly Inducted Chairman of USIBC and Chairman of Master Crad worldwise delivers his inaugural speech at US India Business Summit in Washington DC (June 12, 2012) Credit: MEAphotogallery/Flickr CC

Better Know Ajay Banga, Biden’s Pick to Lead the World Bank

On February 23rd, President Biden nominated former MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga to serve as the next World Bank president. His nomination came as a surprise to many in the international development community, including my guest today Amanda Glassman.

Amanda Glassman is executive vice president and senior fellow at the Center for Global Development. We kick off discussing the circumstances around the early departure of current World Bank president David Malpass. We then discuss the biography of Ajay Banga, and why he is something of an unconventional pick for World Bank president. We then have a longer conversation about the key challenges ahead for the World Bank this year, including why this may be a make or break year for the world bank.

To listen to the episode on your favorite podcast listening app, go here.