Ajay Banga on the global economic outlook amid war with Iran

At an AC Front Page event on April 7, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga warned the world to expect “some degree of high inflation and some degree of lower growth” due to the Iran war. He told a packed audience at Atlantic Council studios that inflation could notch 0.9 percent higher and growth could fall 0.4 percent lower as a result of the Iran war and its impact on shipping and energy. Banga also outlined the World Bank’s approach to supporting job growth. He was speaking in a curtain raiser event ahead of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, DC.

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Event Recap Apr 8, 2026

Ajay Banga on responding to this economic crisis: ‘Focus on policies’ that ‘create jobs’

By Katherine Golden

At an AC Front Page event, Banga cautioned countries to “be careful” not to “put your country into an even bigger problem downstream” while responding to the Iran war.

Economy & Business Inclusive Growth

Transcript Apr 7, 2026

The World Bank Group’s Ajay Banga: Expect higher inflation, lower growth from this global crisis

By Atlantic Council

Banga dropped by Atlantic Council headquarters for his curtain-raiser speech before the 2026 IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings, where he talked about his jobs agenda and the fast-changing global economy.

Economy & Business Inclusive Growth

Mar 31, 2023

IMF-World Bank Week at the Atlantic Council

WASHINGTON, DC April 13-17 The Atlantic Council will host finance ministers, central bank governors, and policy leaders during the 2026 IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings, focusing on the global growth outlook, multilateralism, financial technology, and financing development in a higher-debt world.

AC Front Page harnesses the convening power and expertise of the Council’s sixteen programs and centers to spotlight the world’s most prominent leaders and the most compelling ideas across sectors. The premier platform engages new audiences eager for nonpartisan and constructive solutions to current global challenges. This widely promoted 45-minute program features the Council’s most important guests and content serving as the highlight of our programming.