Leveraging U.S. Economic Tools for the Next Era of Development

The global development and economic landscape is entering a new phase defined by intensifying geopolitical competition, technological acceleration, crises, and demographic shifts. An increasing number of low-income countries are at high risk of debt distress and global infrastructure needs are projected to face a $15 trillion funding gap by 2040. Economic tools like development finance and export credit are central to how countries advance strategic and commercial interests abroad.

In this context, the United States’ economic toolkit plays a pivotal role in advancing American interests through enhanced U.S. competitiveness and development outcomes that can yield deeper partnerships and mutual prosperity. Amid ongoing reforms to development institutions and a broader reassessment of how assistance and economic engagement are structured, tools such as the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) are becoming more central to the U.S. approach.

This plenary panel will explore how U.S. economic tools can be leveraged, individually and in coordination, to meet the demands of a new era of global development. The discussion will examine how U.S. agencies can work together to finance projects more quickly and effectively, mobilize private capital at scale, and deliver measurable economic benefits for partner countries while supporting U.S. commercial diplomacy abroad. 

The CSIS Futures Summit is made possible through generous support from Chevron Inc. (Founding sponsor), ADM, Cisco, and the Embassy of Denmark in Washington D.C.