Ex-Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga Nominated By US President To Lead World Bank

Ajay Banga nominated  to lead World Bank

From Washington, US President Joe Biden is nominating former Mastercard Chief Executive Ajay Banga to lead the World Bank, after its current chief David Malpass announced plans to step down early. Banga’s nomination comes amid a push for development lenders to revamp and address global problems like environmental issues more effectively. The development lender has just started accepting candidate nominations in a process set to run until March 29, with the bank saying that women candidates would be “strongly” encouraged. The president of the World Bank is typically American, while the leader of the International Monetary Fund is customarily European.

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The development lender has started accepting candidate nominations in a process that will run until March 29. The World Bank has historically been headed by someone from the United States, its largest shareholder, while the leader of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is customarily European. However, developing countries and emerging markets have pushed to widen those choices, according to Reuters. Germany, another major shareholder, has pushed for a woman to take the job since the bank has never been headed by a woman in its 77-year history.

Banga, 63, is Indian-American and currently serving as vice chairman at equity firm General Atlantic. Banga has “critical experience mobilizing public-private resources to tackle the most urgent challenges of our time, including climate change,” said Biden in a statement.

Who is Ajay Banga?

1. Ajay Banga, 63, is an Indian-American currently serving as vice chairman at equity firm General Atlantic. He was previously chief executive at Mastercard. He joined MasterCard as president and chief operating officer in August 2009 and was named its CEO in April 2010.
2. Born in Pune, Banga received B.A. in economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University. He is also an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
3. Banga worked for 13 years with Nestle, India and also spent two years at Pepsico, before joining Citigroup in 1996 where he served in a variety of positions of increasing responsibility, including as CEO of its Asia-Pacific region.
4. He was also a member of Citi’s senior leadership and executive committees.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• World Bank Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States;
• World Bank Founded: July 1944, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States;
• World Bank Founders: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White.

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