Trading Thoughts With Ajay Banga, CEO & President, Mastercard, and ICC Chair

Few global supply chains have been spared from the wrath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public lockdowns, export restrictions, and protectionist measures have pushed the global economy to the brink. Damien Bruckard, Deputy Director of ICC Trade and Investment, discusses ICC's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the steps that the organisation has taken to ensure open and free trade for all.

In this episode of ICC Trading Thoughts, ICC spoke with Timea Suto, Manager, ICC Knowledge Solutions, and Rene Summer, Director of Government and Industry Relations for Ericsson and ICC’s Cyber Working Group Lead, about the steps businesses and policymakers can take to prevent cybersecurity threats.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, is celebrating it’s 60 anniversary this year. Since entering into force in 1961, the OECD has played a critical role in advancing multilateral solutions to global challenges. As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 crisis and other policy challenges, like climate change and global inequality, the OECD is in the process of selecting its next Secretary General. ICC speaks with one of the finalists for that position, the former European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom.

ICC sat down with Karima-Catherine Goundiam, the founder of B2bee Match to discuss her background as an entrepreneur and how business leaders and policymakers can enable SMEs with the tools and resources that they need to digitise their operations. B2bee Match is one of the official partners of ICC's Centre of Entreprenuership and will contribute to ICC's objective of digitsing 5 million SMEs in Africa.

ICC sat down with Lord Jack McConnell, the former First Minister of Scotland (2001-2007)and Member of the UK House of Lords, to discuss the importance of placing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals at the heart of the COVID-19 economic recovery.

THE INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (ICC) ELECTED AJAY BANGA, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF MASTERCARD, AS ITS CHAIR BACK IN JUNE. ICC SPOKE WITH AJAY ABOUT HIS VISION FOR HOW ICC CAN CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR PEACE AND PROSPERITY FOR ALL, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. WE ALSO DISCUSSED THE REQUIREMENTS FOR OPERATING A VALUES BASED ORGANISATION, AS WELL AS WHAT STEPS GOVERNMENTS AND BUSINESSES CAN TAKE TO “SAVE OUR SMES” FROM THE ECONOMIC AND HUMAN CONSEQUENCES ASSOCIATED WITH COVID-19.

The ICC Commission on the Digital Economy has announced the appointment of Carlos Lopez-Blanco as Chair. In this episode of ICC Trading Thoughts, we discuss Mr Lopez-Blanco’s vision for the global digital economy, how businesses worldwide can help shape it, and what role the ICC Commission on the Digital economy can play to amplify the voice of private sector.

SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF COVID-19, FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, OR FDI, HAS PLUMMETED DUE TO NEW TRADE RESTRITCTIONS, PROTECTIONIST MEASURES, AND PUBLIC LOCKDOWNS. AGAINST THIS BACKDROP, THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT, COMMONLY KNOWN AS UNCTAD, HAS RELEASED ITS ANNUAL WORLD INVESTMENT REPORT. ICC SPOKE WITH UNCTAD SECRETARY GENERAL MUKHISA KITUYI TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE REPORT’S FINDINGS AND COVID-19’S IMPACT ON FDI AND INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION.