Brad Setser Speaker

Brad Setser Keynote Speaker

  • Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
  • Senior Advisor, United States Trade Representative (2021-2022)
  • Leading expert on global trade, capital flows and sovereign debt

Brad Setser's Biography

Brad W. Setser is the Whitney Shepardson senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). His expertise includes global trade and capital flows, financial vulnerability analysis, and sovereign debt restructuring. He regularly blogs at Follow the Money.

Setser served as a senior advisor to the United States Trade Representative from 2021 to 2022, where he worked on the resolution of a number of trade disputes. He had previously served as the deputy assistant secretary for international economic analysis in the U.S. Treasury from 2011 to 2015, where he worked on Europe’s financial crisis, currency policy, financial sanctions, commodity shocks, and Puerto Rico’s debt crisis, and as a director for international economics on the staff of the National Economic Council and the National Security Council.

He is the author of Sovereign Wealth and Sovereign Power (CFR, 2008) and the coauthor, with Nouriel Roubini, of Bailouts and Bail-ins: Responding to Financial Crises in Emerging Economies (Peterson Institute, 2004). His work has been published in Foreign Affairs, Finance and Development, Global Governance and Georgetown Journal of International Law, among others.

Setser was a senior fellow at CFR from 2016 to 2020, a fellow from 2007 to 2009, and an international affairs fellow in 2003. He also has been a visiting scholar at the International Monetary Fund. He holds a BA from Harvard University, a masters from Sciences-Po Paris, and an MA and PhD in international relations from Oxford University.

In addition to his work at the Council, Setser has received speaking or consulting fees from several financial institutions: Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (PIMCO), Elliott Investment Management L.P., UBS Group AG, Balyasny Asset Management, and Gemsstock Limited.

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Brad Setser's Speaking Topics

  • Global Trade, Capital Flows and the Changing World Economy

  • Sovereign Debt, Financial Crises and Economic Stability

  • The Future of US Trade Policy and Global Economic Strategy

  • Geopolitical Risk and the Global Financial System

  • Currency Policy, Sanctions and International Economic Power

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Why Book Brad Setser as a speaker?

  • He is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations specialising in global trade, capital flows and sovereign debt risks.

  • He served in senior roles at the U.S. Treasury and the National Economic Council, working on major financial crises and global economic policy.

  • He advised the United States Trade Representative on complex trade disputes involving major global economies and supply chain tensions.

  • He analyses global financial vulnerabilities, currency policy and debt restructuring shaping the world economy.

  • His briefings help leaders understand global economic shifts, financial risk and the future of international trade.

Videos of Brad Setser

Tracking China’s economy in real time with Brad Setser
Data deep dive with Brad Setser: The IMF and China
Berlin Summit 2025: Interview with Brad W. Setser
Global Financial Shifts: The Impact of Dollar Sanctions and Frozen Russian Assets

Articles, Media & Podcasts

Books by Brad Setser

Sovereign Wealth and Sovereign Power
Bailouts and Bail-ins

Check Brad Setser's speaking fees and availability

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