Malpass earned a B.A. in physics at Colorado College and an MBA at the University of Denver. He studied international economics at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. He speaks Spanish, Russian, and French. From 1977 to 1983, he worked in Portland, Oregon for Esco Corporation and Arthur Andersen's systems consulting group, where he became a licensed CPA. During the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, Malpass worked on an array of economic, budget, and foreign policy issues including small business promotion throughout Latin America and the 1986 tax cut. Malpass served as the Republican staff director of the United States Congress Joint Economic Committee from 1989 to 1990, and as a member of Congress's blue-ribbon panel on budget scoring from 2002 to 2003. Malpass was chief economist at Bear Stearns from 1993 to 2008. As a result of the global financial crisis and under the prodding of the Federal Reserve and United States Department of the Treasury, Bear Sterns was sold to JPMorgan Chase in March 2008 for 6% of its value twelve months prior. In June 2008, Malpass founded Encima Global, a New York City firm providing daily analysis of global economic and political trends relevant to institutional investors. In 2010, Malpass ran for the Republican nomination for United States Senate in that year's special election in New York. He placed second in the three-way primary with 38% of the vote after former Congressman Joe DioGuardi's 42%. In 2012, he wrote a chapter entitled 'Sound Money, Sound Policy' in , published by the George W. Bush Presidential Center. Malpass writes a column for Forbes and is a contributor to the op-ed section of The Wall Street Journal. He is also a frequent television commentator. Malpass sits on the boards of UBS Funds, the New Mountain Financial Corporation, and the Gary Klinsky Children's Center. He is also a former director of the National Committee on United States–China Relations, the Council of the Americas, and the Economic Club of New York, and a former member of the board of trustees of the Manhattan Institute.
Economic forecasts
Malpass has been noted for his forecasts before the financial crisis of 2007–2008 and in the time period following the Great Recession. In 2007, before the housing market collapse, Malpass wrote for the Wall Street Journal that "Housing and debt markets are not that big a part of the U.S. economy, or of job creation...the housing- and debt-market corrections will probably add to the length of the U.S. economic expansion." He also called for the raising of interest rates in 2011 at a time when others believed this would be harmful to the economy. Bruce Bartlett cited Malpass's 2008 forecast of economic growth and his 2012 forecast of recession as specific examples of partisan bias in economic forecasts.
Trump advisor
Malpass joined Donald Trump's presidential campaign in May 2016 as Senior Economic Advisor. He appeared frequently on television and radio to support Trump’s message of faster growth through policy reforms. Four of his pre-election Forbes columns discussed the need for political upheaval to upend the status quo. On August 5, the campaign announced an economic round-table including Malpass. His September 1, 2016, New York Times editorial described fast growth through a policy upheaval covering taxes, trade, regulations and energy. Throughout the election time period, Malpass was heading the transition team's work on economic agencies including Treasury, Commerce, the Federal Reserve, USTR and independent regulatory agencies as Trump prepared to become president.
In March 2017, the White House announced that Malpass would be President Trump's nominee for Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs. Malpass was confirmed for the position by the United States Senate on August 3, 2017. Malpass took a critical position on China during his tenure. He was described as "a champion of President Donald Trump’s protectionist message."
World Bank President
In February 2019, President Trump announced Malpass as the nominee for President of the World Bank, succeeding Jim Yong Kim, who had announced in January 2019 that he would be stepping down three years prior to the end of his five-year term in 2022. Malpass was unanimously approved by the executive board on April 5, 2019, and began his term on April 9.
Personal life
Malpass and his wife, Adele, daughter of Herman Obermayer and granddaughter of Neville Levy, live in New York City. Adele Malpass was appointed as the Chairwoman of the Manhattan Republican Party in January 2015 and was elected to a two year term in September 2015. She was succeeded in the role by Andrea Catsimatidis, daughter of billionaire businessman John Catsimatidis, after resigning to move to Washington when Malpass was appointed to his role in the Treasury Department under President Trump. Malpass is a native of northern Michigan.
