Indian-American Ajay Banga, 63, has every chance of becoming president of the World Bank in July.
His candidacy to succeed David Malpass has been nominated by the United States.
"Ajay has all the qualities to lead the World Bank
," said President Joe Biden.
The institution, which wants to finalize the appointment of its future boss by early May, welcomes applications until March 29.
The Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, on Tuesday brought the
“support of France”
to the only candidate declared to date.
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David Malpass, appointed by Donald Trump, announced in mid-February that he would leave office a year in advance, without specifying the reasons for his departure.
However, he had been criticized for his lack of voluntarism on the climate component.
Read alsoThe World Bank pessimistic for global growth in 2023
Historically, the World Bank is led by an American, while a European is placed at the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the other organization, also based in Washington, which watches over the world economy.
This distribution is now called into question by the major emerging countries such as China or India, which wish to play a greater role in these institutions.
The origins of Ajay Banga, born in India where he was raised and studied, are therefore a sign of openness.
Ajay Banga
“has spent decades building and leading global businesses
,” said Joe Biden.
He began his career at Nestlé and PepsiCo before switching to finance, notably at the head of Mastercard.
But he also developed microfinance during his time at Citigroup bank in 2005.
