# Martin Wolf

> Martin Wolf is the chief economics commentator of the Financial Times, where his columns have shaped the thinking of policymakers, central bankers, and investors for nearly four decades. A former World Bank economist who never finished a PhD, he became, in Lawrence Summers' words, 'the world's preeminent financial journalist.' Once a forceful champion of globalization and free markets, he reversed course after the 2008 crash and now argues that capitalism must be fixed to save democracy itself.

- **Role:** Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times
- **Organizations:** Financial Times, World Bank (former), Trade Policy Research Centre (former), Independent Commission on Banking (former)
- **From:** London, United Kingdom
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** Secondary education, University College School, Hampstead, BA, Philosophy, Politics and Economics (after starting in Classics), Corpus Christi College, Oxford, MPhil, Economics, Nuffield College, Oxford
- **Known for:** Chief Economics Commentator of the Financial Times since 1996, Awarded CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2000, Joint winner of the Wincott Foundation senior prize (1989 and 1997)

## Career timeline

- **1971** — Joined the World Bank's Young Professionals programme
- **1974** — Became Senior Economist in the World Bank's India Division
- **1977-1978** — Worked on the core team of the first World Development Report
- **1981** — Left the World Bank to become Director of Studies at the Trade Policy Research Centre, London
- **1987** — Joined the Financial Times
- **1990** — Became Associate Editor of the Financial Times
- **1996** — Became Chief Economics Commentator of the Financial Times
- **2000** — Awarded the CBE for services to financial journalism
- **2010-2011** — Served on the UK's Independent Commission on Banking
- **2023** — Published 'The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism'

## Achievements

- Chief Economics Commentator of the Financial Times since 1996
- Awarded CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2000
- Joint winner of the Wincott Foundation senior prize (1989 and 1997)
- RTZ David Watt Memorial Prize (1994)
- Ischia International Journalism Award (2012)
- James Cameron Memorial Award (2012)
- Overseas Press Club of America prize for best commentary on international news (2013)
- Gerald Loeb Lifetime Achievement Award (2019)
- Honorary doctorates from the University of Nottingham, LSE, and KU Leuven
- Author of five books including 'Why Globalization Works' and 'The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism'

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Appeared on Bloomberg discussing the 'terrifying' power the United States wields in the global economy.
- **2025-02** — Continued speaking on 'The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism' at public forums.

## Links

- Website: https://www.ft.com/martin-wolf
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/martinwolf_

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/martin-wolf
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-02