Empowering leaders for a changing world
April 21, 2025 | By Shamina SinghEach year, we orchestrate the Global Inclusive Growth Summit to power conversations, propel progress and produce change. But as we prepare for Thursday’s summit in Washington, D.C., the challenges are more complicated and require more collaboration.
More than ever, this summit is a platform for new ways of thinking, more agile strategies and more flexible partnerships purpose-built for the world as it is now — and strong enough to shape how it might be tomorrow.
What we’ll cover
This year, we remain focused on fostering sustainable growth for communities everywhere, but we understand that there are people who remain overlooked and underestimated — in rural America and in emerging markets across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
We know that the staggering increase in cyberattacks and scams is threatening trust in the digital tools and emerging technologies that power many small and micro businesses.
And we believe that more must be done to enable the transition from financial inclusion to financial health, expanding the global middle class and ensuring long-term financial security for all.
Critical conversation at a critical moment
As billions more people enter the digital economy, we need to work together to ensure that the pathway to prosperity is accessible, secure and wide. We can harness the power of AI to protect and defend our cyber spaces and keep our data safe. We can draw on the potential of open banking to build a fuller picture of creditworthiness and ensure that small businesses can access the financing they deserve. We can marshal the private sector’s entrepreneurial thinking, resources and ability to quickly scale innovation to address issues locally and globally.




Top left, from left, Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach and Makhtar Diop, managing director of the IFC, at the 2023 Inclusive Growth Summit; top right, Mastercard Americas President Linda Kirkpatrick and Nubank co-founder Cristina Junqueira at the 2024 summit; bottom left, disability advocate Ade Adepitan and 2023 summit host Trevor Noah; and bottom right, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson and Mastercard Chief Administrative Officer Tim Murphy, at the 2024 summit.
We all play a crucial role in this transformation, as evidenced by the group who will be gathering in D.C. — among them, Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach, Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, and Lisa Plaggemier, executive director of the National Cybersecurity Alliance.
Join the dialogue
But the room where it happens is everywhere: You can sign up on our website to get first access to these sessions and subscribe to the LinkedIn and Instagram feeds of the Center for Inclusive Growth for fresh learnings and powerful insights.
Whether you’re in the room or following online, you have the power to spark ideas, challenge assumptions and drive meaningful change. These unique conversations and unexpected connections are how we prepare ourselves for what happening now and what’s coming next.
Agility is our greatest asset. Our ability to look around corners, to drive new ideas and to pivot when necessary will help us prepare for the future — and actively shape it.

Event
2025 Global Inclusive Growth Summit
The Global Inclusive Growth Summit, hosted by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, is coming to Washington, D.C., on April 24. Check out the agenda on the Global Inclusive Growth Summit website and sign up to get unlimited access to on-demand content from the summit.
Sign up here