Kati Suominen

Adjunct Fellow (Non-resident), Economics Program and Scholl Chair for International Business
Kati Suominen

Kati Suominen is an adjunct fellow with the Economics Program and Scholl Chair for International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and focuses especially on digitization, disruptive technologies, and trade. She is also the founder and CEO of the Los Angeles-based Nextrade Group, which helps governments, multilateral development banks, and Fortune 500 technology companies enable trade through technology. Nextrade's clients include the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, Inter-American Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Mastercard, Visa, Google, and eBay, among many others. Dr. Suominen has built dozens of data and analytical products and pilot initiatives, as well as eight global initiatives and public-private partnerships to enable digital trade, the most recent being the Alliance for eTrade Development I and II between 14 leading companies and USAID to enable small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) e-commerce in developing nations. She also serves as adjunct professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Earlier in her career, she was a trade economist at the Inter-American Development Bank. Suominen is the author and editor of over 100 papers and 10 peer-reviewed books with leading academic presses, most recently Revolutionizing World Trade: How Disruptive Technologies Open Opportunities for All (Stanford University Press, 2019). She holds a BA from the University of Arkansas, an MA from Boston University, an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and a PhD from the University of California San Diego. She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Programs & Projects

Areas of Expertise

All Kati Suominen Content

Filter by

1 - 10 of 39 results

Gains from Digital Services Imports in Japan

This report from the Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business challenges popular narratives around Japan's digital trade deficit and offers policy solutions to support Japan's digital service ecosystem.

Report by Kati Suominen — June 9, 2025

Building DPI: Lessons Learned from Kazakhstan

A forthcoming Scholl Chair paper examines ways to bridge the knowledge gaps about digital public infrastructure designs and impacts by highlighting Kazakhstan’s digital transformation journey.

Commentary by Kati Suominen — October 21, 2024

The Spread of DMA-Like Competition Policies around the World

Digital competition policies mimicking the EU’s Digital Market Act are being pursued by countries around the world, posing a threat to U.S. digital service providers. This report catalogs these efforts and examines their consequences for the global digital economy. 

Report by Kati Suominen — July 9, 2024

The Role of Fast Payment Systems in Addressing Financial Inclusion

Please join the CSIS Scholl Chair in International Business for the report launch of its latest paper Uptake, Use, and Inclusion Gains from Fast Payment Systems: Early Comparative Data, and a panel discussion on the role fast payment systems in addressing financial inclusion for consumers and SMEs. 

Event — April 19, 2024