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WASHINGTON: The World Bank’s 25-member executive board on Wednesday elected former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga to a five-year term as president, effective June 2, ushering in an Indian-born finance and development expert charged with revamping the lender to tackle climate change and other global crises.
Banga, 63, was nominated for the post by US President Joe Biden in late February and was the sole contender to replace departing World Bank chief David Malpass, an economist and former US Treasury official during the Trump administration.
The election came after World Bank board members interviewed Banga for four hours on Monday. Malpass’s last day at the bank will be June 1. The decision came in a vote by 24 of the board’s members, with Russia abstaining, instead of the usual consensus-based process, a source familiar with the process said.
The World Bank has been led by an American since its founding at the end of World War Two, while the International Monetary Fund has been led by a European. Banga, who was born in India and spent his early career there, has been a US citizen since 2007.
Banga has met with officials from 96 governments since his nomination, the source said. He visited eight countries during a three-week world tour to meet with government officials, business leaders and civil society groups, flying a total of 39,546 miles (63,643 km).
