The first B20 Summit hosted in the United States is underway in Washington, DC, bringing together business executives, policymakers, and global leaders for three days of conversations and networking focused on accelerating global growth.
Hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the B20 USA Summit is the premier gathering of global business and policy leaders representing 85% of the world’s GDP. The B20 Summit provides a platform for the private sector to address shared economic challenges, identify opportunities for investment and innovation, and advance solutions that strengthen the global economy.
With leaders representing 75% of global trade, the Summit comes at an important moment for the global business community. Discussions will focus on the conditions needed to unlock investment, strengthen competitiveness, expand opportunity, and drive sustainable economic growth.
The B20 is led by Co-Chairs Suzanne Clark, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Ross Perot Jr., chairman of Hillwood, a Perot company and chairman of the U.S. Chamber with Kevin Brady, former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, serving as B20 Sherpa. Together, they are guiding the B20 in Washington, DC and leading the effort to bring global business leaders together to advance policies and partnerships that accelerate global growth.
Below is a sample of the activities on Day 1 of the B20 Summit.
Bringing Together Vs Brought Together
The B20 USA Summit is bringing the international business community to Washington, convening government officials and business leaders from across the globe for 20 additional meetings organized by the U.S. Chamber’s International team. With more than 1,000 confirmed guests, these engagements create an opportunity for the global community to connect, exchange perspectives and advance dialogue on the issues shaping international business and the global economy.
U.S.-Kazakhstan Business Roundtable
The U.S.-Kazakhstan Business Roundtable, "From Strategic Partnership to Commercial Action," convened senior U.S. and Kazakh government officials and business executives, underscoring the deepening commercial ties between our countries.
The Kazakh delegation—the largest of any visiting country at the B20 Summit—was welcomed by U.S. Chamber President and CEO Suzanne Clark, who called Kazakhstan "an increasingly important economic partner," citing its business-friendly reforms and strategic location offering vast opportunities in energy, critical minerals, digital infrastructure, and agriculture. "Kazakhstan's presence at the B20 Summit USA reflects the growing commercial and economic ties between our two countries," Clark said.
Echoing that theme, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau noted that Kazakhstan "has always been a crossroads of trade, from the Silk Road to the present day," but pointed to the significance of the current moment for bilateral ties by saying he not recall a time in "the 35-year history of our relationship when the U.S. and Kazakhstan have engaged at such high levels and with such results."
The roundtable's dialogues touched upon connectivity and logistics, digital and financial technologies, and critical minerals and energy—reflecting the breadth of the U.S.-Kazakhstan commercial relationship, with participation from Chevron, Citibank Kazakhstan, Boeing, Visa, ExxonMobil, and senior Kazakh officials including Deputy Prime Minister Assel Zhanassova and National Bank Governor Timur Suleimenov.
Strengthening U.S.-Brazil Commerce
At an event exploring how to deepen the U.S.-Brazil commercial relationship, the common thread was the important role businesses play in advancing pro-growth reform.
Faster economic growth “has to be the central objective,” said Kevin Brady, B20 USA Sherpa. “It is so hard to raise wages, to create stronger economies and opportunities to lift people out of poverty unless there is a deliberate strategy to accelerate that growth.”
Wavering rules and policies hold back investment, Brady added: “The top priority is certainty. The second priority would be certainty, and if there's a third, we might want to go with certainty.”
Businesses advocating for stronger economic growth is critical. “Sustained engagement between the private sector and policymakers helps strengthen the relationship between our two countries and creates opportunities for sustainable, long-term growth,” said Jenelle Krishnamoorthy, Brazil-U.S. Business Council Chair and Senior Vice President and Head of Global Policy and Public Affairs at Merck.
The Future of North America Competitiveness
Global business leaders emphasized the importance of North American competitiveness at an event on the future of regional trade and economic cooperation.
"We have something very special as a region when it comes to competitiveness, and we want to maintain that," said Candace Laing, President and CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce. "Our businesses continue to do what they do and keep goods flowing in our supply chains around the clock because we all make things together."
Jose Medina Mora, President and CEO of the Consejo Coordinador Empresarial (CCE), echoed that sentiment, noting that "North America is the most competitive region of the world. It's because the US, Canada, and Mexico complement each other." He added that maintaining that edge requires "good dialog and cooperation with our governments."
Looking toward next year, Neil Herrington, U.S. Chamber Senior Vice President, Americas Program, pointed to a critical milestone ahead: "We have a more important role to play in 2027, ensuring the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) review is concluded successfully."
Reducing Africa’s Cost of Capital
The "Reducing Africa's Cost of Capital" dialogue, convened by the U.S. Chamber's U.S.-Africa Business Center (USAfBC) and Standard Bank Group, drew a throughline from last year's B20 South Africa to this year's B20 USA. The event confronted one of Africa's most persistent challenges: the gap between perceived and actual investment risk.
Through a panel moderated by Ambassador Michelle Gavin and featuring Standard Bank CEO Sim Tshabalala, Semafor Co-Founder and CEO Justin Smith, Milken Institute Africa Chair British Robinson, Business Unity South Africa CEO and former B20 South Africa Sherpa Cas Coovadia, and Oliver Wyman Partner Daniel Tannebaum, participants examined how misperceived country risk and distorted data often inflate Africa's cost of capital relative to its actual fundamentals—and what it will take to close that gap.
The event also featured the announcement of a new Africa Executive Council: a coordinated, business-driven effort to strengthen investor-relations infrastructure and de-risk U.S.-Africa deals by tapping underutilized capital pools like U.S. diaspora communities and Africa's vast domestic markets. USAfBC President Kendra Gaither closed the event underscoring the importance of continuity across B20 presidencies— from South Africa to the U.S.— and the Chamber's key role in sustaining investment-focused engagement with the continent.
Secretary General of the Federation of the Saudi Chambers Sultan M. AlMusallam (R, seated) signs an MOU with U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President, International Member Relations; Senior Vice President, Middle East, Türkiye and Central Asia Khush Choksy (L, seated) alongside U.S. Chamber of Commerce Vice President, Middle East, Steve Lutes (R, standing), during the U.S.-Saudi Technology & Innovation Roundtable: Shaping Our Shared Economic Future during the B20 USA Summit.
Republic of Uzbekistan Minister of Investment Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov (C) and U.S. Chamber Vice President, Middle East, Central Asia and Türkiye (C-R) attend the Uzbekistan B20 “Breakfast Roundtable with Uzbekistan's Ministerial Delegation to B20” during the B20 at the Wharf.
(L-R) African Union Commission Principal Trade Policy Officer Chiza Charles N. Chiumya, Citi's Jahaan Johnson, Export Import Bank Vice President for Global Business Development Benjamin Todd, and U.S. Chamber Senior Vice President, African Affairs Kendra Gaither, attend the U.S.-Africa Partnership Forum: Africa’s Role in the B20 Agenda:
B20 USA Sherpa Kevin Brady attends the Brazil and the United States: A Partnership for Growth in a Changing World event during the B20 at the Wharf.
State Leaders Join the B20 Conversation
The National Governors Association (NGA) convened governors and business leaders at the B20 USA Summit for a discussion on the role of state leadership in strengthening economic growth, advancing competitiveness and creating opportunities for businesses and communities. NGA Chair Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt all joined NGA to share their vision for policies that create jobs, enhance U.S. competitiveness, and expand economic opportunity.
Building Trust Into AI by Design
A Harmonic Innovation Group event during the B20 USA, in partnership with the Embassy of Italy in Washington and the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, explored how AI or Superintelligence, needs clear limits, accountability and built-in security.
Panelists examined how ethical standards, human oversight and verifiable practices can build trust in AI models, strengthen competitiveness and accelerate adoption by businesses, governments and citizens.
Roberto Baldoni, Founding DG, Italian National Cybersecurity Agency, emphasized that AI security depends on cooperation and accountability. He stressed that developers, cybersecurity experts, industry, and government need to work together, with incident-response plans agreed before a crisis. For AI agents, that means limiting access, knowing who can intervene, and making sure public rules keep pace with technical capabilities.
“Companies and providers should agree what triggers intervention, who can suspend an agent, and how access can be revoked,” Baldoni said.
Dmitri Alperovitch, Chairman, Silverado Policy Accelerator warned that AI-enabled attacks could challenge a long-standing assumption in cybersecurity: that defenders can stay ahead by responding faster than attackers.
“The speed of agentic exploitation, I think, is a huge concern because for the last 50 years or so, defense has been built on the model of speed,” he said.
Panelists, including Harmonic Innovation Group’s Co-CEO and Executive Vice President and Transatlantic Harmonic Foundation President Andrea Gumina, discussed how trust helps organizations build partnerships and create the conditions for progress.
Mastercard’s Vice President, Government Affairs and Policy Hera Abbasi described how customers, merchants, and partners rely on systems that make transactions secure and dependable.
“For us at Mastercard, cybersecurity and AI always comes down to, as you said, trust. If you think about Mastercard, we’re a global payments platform. For us, trust is really at the heart of what we do.”
Victoria Jeffries, Meta’s Director for AI policy shared how she views open-weight models as important to the U.S.’s global competitiveness and consumer AI depends on trust.
“At the heart of this technology, in order for this vision to come to life or to work, you as a consumer have to trust it. It doesn’t work otherwise,” Jeffries said.
The Female Quotient: Turning Women’s Economic Opportunity Into Action
The Female Quotient’s FQ Lounge™ brought business and government leaders together at the B20 USA Summit to explore how advancing women’s economic participation can strengthen global growth.
“When women are able to participate, advance, lead, build companies, and influence decisions, businesses are stronger, our talent pipeline is stronger, and our economies are more competitive,” said AJ Jorgenson, SVP, Growth, Strategy, and Executive Engagement, U.S. Chamber.
The panel discussions focused on expanding supply chain and procurement opportunities for diverse suppliers, modernizing workplace benefits and care, and navigating the impact of AI on the future of work—all with an emphasis on turning conversation into collaboration and action.
“We always talk about passing down the baton. We are not passing down the baton — we’re sharing the baton. This is about collective action for change.” said Shelley Zalis, CEO, The Female Quotient; U.S. Chair, G20 E*M POWER. “If you are a conscious leader and you believe that anything is possible, then that is how change will absolutely happen. Sometimes, you’ve got to be the first.”
Looking Ahead
The conversations underway at the B20 will help shape the global business community’s priorities and identify opportunities to turn shared challenges into economic progress.
The summit is expected to bring nearly 5,000 business leaders, policymakers, and international delegates from nearly 100 countries.
The B20 Summit continues Tuesday with a full day of discussions featuring CEOs, government leaders, and international business executives tackling the issues that will shape the next era of global growth.
Watch the livestream starting at 8:30 AM EST Tuesday here.
