US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen mentioned she anticipated former Mastercard chief government Ajay Banga to be elected president of the World Financial institution as nominations draw to a detailed.

Chatting with lawmakers on Wednesday, Yellen mentioned that if Banga secured the position, he can be “charged with accelerating our progress to evolve the establishment to higher tackle Twenty first-century challenges”.

Though nominations shut at 6pm japanese time, two individuals accustomed to the state of affairs mentioned they have been unaware of another candidates in rivalry on Wednesday morning.

Whereas the US, the financial institution’s largest shareholder, has historically chosen the World Financial institution president, it requires backing by different member nations.

Banga’s bid for the job comes because the lender finds itself underneath hearth for failing to adequately tackle the size of the worldwide local weather disaster whereas sustaining its mission to cut back poverty.

The financial institution’s present president, David Malpass, resigned from his publish nearly a yr early final month, having confronted intense strain over his refusal at a convention final September to say whether or not he believed people brought on local weather change. He later mentioned his feedback had been misinterpreted.

Banga has spent current weeks on a “listening tour”, flanked by Treasury representatives, to tout his credentials and collect info that might put together him for the position.

In an interview with the Monetary Instances earlier this month, Banga mentioned the lender should do “all the things it will probably” to squeeze more money from its stability sheet whereas preserving its gold-plated credit standing.

A G20-commissioned report, launched final summer time, discovered that multilateral growth banks, together with the World Financial institution, have been doubtlessly being extra conservative than obligatory to keep up their triple-A credit standing from the three massive ranking businesses.

Banga mentioned he would push to safe personal sector help for initiatives underwritten by the financial institution, whereas wanting into the G20-commissioned report into the so-called “capital adequacy frameworks” of multilateral growth lenders such because the World Financial institution.

Earlier this yr, Yellen urged the financial institution’s management to “rapidly” put in place reforms to liberate extra money to deal with local weather change.