MasterCard Introduces Worldwide Centers of Commerce Research

The initial result of the research, to be released on June 12, is the first annual MasterCard Worldwide Centers of Commerce Index(TM), a ranking and analysis of the top 50 cities around the world that drive global commerce. Using an innovative research model, the Index measures six different dimensions for each city, going beyond traditional definitions of international financial and business centers to define the true characteristics of a Worldwide Center of Commerce.

In the coming months, MasterCard will build upon this new research platform by issuing additional reports focused on key regional commerce topics and emerging markets.

Leading the Worldwide Centers of Commerce program is Dr. Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Economic Advisor, MasterCard Worldwide. With more than 25 years experience as an economist, business strategist and writer, Hedrick-Wong is one of the foremost experts on Asian economic trends and has counseled senior executives and board members at more than 50 global companies. To assist him in this research, Hedrick-Wong assembled a panel of leading experts in economics, urban development and social science from around the world, including:

• Professor Fan Gang, Director, National Economic Research Institute, Beijing
• Manu Bhaskaran, Partner/Head, Economic Research, Centennial Group, Singapore
• Dr. Michael Goldberg, Professor Emeritus, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia
• Professor William Lever, Emeritus Professor of Urban Studies, University of Glasgow
• Professor Maurice D. Levi, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia
• Dr. Anthony Pellegrini, Partner/Director of the Urban and Infrastructure Policy and Finance Practice, Centennial Group, Washington, DC
• Dr. Saskia Sassen, Ralph Lewis Professor of Sociology, University of Chicago and Centennial Visiting Professor, London School of Economics
• Professor Peter J. Taylor, Co-Director, Globalization and World Cities Research Group and Network, Loughborough University, UK

Full details of the research will be available starting June 12 at www.mastercardworldwide.com. The site will be regularly updated with new research in the months that follow.