GeoEconomics Center

our pillars of work

Future of capitalism

The center believes that international cooperation and free markets provide the best architecture to enable prosperity but it is time to revitalize capitalism in the 21st Century. This involves reimagining global governance, promoting inclusive growth, and charting China’s economic trajectory.

Future of money

The center develops in-depth writing and convenes on Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), stablecoins, and cryptocurrencies. We seek to accelerate US action on creating new technical and regulatory standards on digital assets to ensure the continued strength of the dollar, pound, and euro.

Economic statecraft

Our Economic Statecraft Initiative sheds light on the most impactful and sometimes controversial tools of American power – sanctions, export controls, investment screening and trade. Leveraging deep government experience and proprietary data, we produce widely read analysis and expert briefings.

Econographics

Econographics Apr 12, 2024

Brazil’s approach to the G20: Leading by example

Brazil’s non-aligned, cooperative, and practical approach holds out the promise of a constructive outcome for this year’s G20 meetings—especially if progress is measured by concrete global initiatives.

Econographics Apr 5, 2024

Ukraine’s grain exports are crucial to Africa’s food security

By Yulia Bychkovska

Moscow is trying to increase Africa’s dependence on its imports by blocking the exports of Ukrainian grain. By helping Ukraine sell its grain, the West can offer the African continent an alternative to Russia’s grain and decrease Russia’s profits.

Africa Economic Sanctions

Econographics Mar 14, 2024

CBDCs will need to work across borders. Here are the models exploring how to do it

By Ananya Kumar, Alisha Chhangani

These innovative models reflect a clear realization in the both the public and private sector— as CBDCs become a part of the financial landscape, there needs to be a mechanism to interchange them across borders.

Digital Currencies Economy & Business

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Featured Report

In recent months, growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait as well as the rapid and coordinated G7 economic response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have raised questions—in G7 capitals and in Beijing alike—over whether similar measures could be imposed on China in a Taiwan crisis.

Read the Report

Read all our reports

Trackers

Central Bank Digital Currency Tracker

The interactive database — featuring more than 100 countries — takes you inside the rapid evolution of money all over the world.

China Pathfinder Project

This multi-year project analyzes China and other open market economies across six key areas and presents an objective picture of China relative to the world.

Russia Sanctions Database

The Russia Sanctions Database tracks the level of coordination among Western allies in sanctioning Russia—and shows where gaps still are.

Global Sanctions Dashboard

This unique tracker leverages proprietary data to explain sanctions implementation using advanced visualizations and informs economic statecraft policy.

Dollar Dominance Monitor

Interactive indicators analyzing the strength of the dollar relative to other major currencies across the world.

Cryptocurrency Regulation Tracker

Cryptocurrencies may significantly alter financial structures and transform the next generation of money and payments. What does regulation look like?

Flagship convenings

Transatlantic Forum on GeoEconomics

The Transatlantic Forum launches new research and brings together senior policymakers from both sides of the Atlantic in Berlin. The goal of this year’s Forum is to outline a way forward on the use of tools of economic statecraft.

IMF-World Bank Week in Marrakesh

Join the Atlantic Council live in Marrakesh, Morocco, for a series of special events with finance ministers and central bank governors from around the globe during the 2023 Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Exploring central bank digital currency

This first-of-its-kind convening of leaders from international financial institutions, central banks, businesses, technology providers, and governments aims to establish an understanding of the issues before a country decides to develop a CBDC.

Bretton Woods 2.0 Project

The Bretton Woods 2.0 Project examines the deep challenges facing the IMF, World Bank, and the World Trade Organization and works to reimagine the governance of international finance for the modern global economy.

Explore the project

Recent Commentary & Analysis

Econographics

May 2, 2024

Understanding the plan to create a $50 billion Ukraine bond from Russia’s blocked assets

By Charles Lichfield, Mrugank Bhusari

The United States is pushing the G7 to consider a sovereign loan of $50 billion to Ukraine which would be repaid using the interest income on blocked Russian assets. Where does this $50 billion figure come from?

Economic Sanctions Russia

Econographics

May 1, 2024

How to improve the technical skill of the US national security workforce

By Lesley Chavkin, Eitan Danon, and Sigal Mandelker

We cannot expect to compete on the world stage without equipping the US civil service with the skills and experience needed to understand and harness the technological trends that will define the future. But if we want our best and brightest—our most ambitious and innovative—women and men to pursue federal service, we have to do a better job of proactively making the case why.

Economy & Business Future of Work

Econographics

Apr 30, 2024

The yen’s travails in an era of geopolitical rivalry

By Hung Tran

In an era marked by geopolitical tensions, the yen’s depreciation underscores the broader economic fallout from a persistently strong dollar and rising US interest rates.

Economy & Business Indo-Pacific

Econographics

Apr 29, 2024

The IMF warms to industrial policy—but with caveats

By Walter Frick

Industrial policy is making a comeback around the world. There’s no better sign of this than the new attention paid to subsidies by bastions of the Washington consensus like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has historically been very skeptical of them.

Fiscal and Structural Reform International Financial Institutions