Paul J. Thanos is the Director for Finance and Insurance Industries at the U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration based in Washington, DC. Mr. Thanos is responsible for executing policy, analysis, and promotion initiatives pertaining to finance and insurance industries, trade and project finance, financial technology, and access to finance. His focus includes how blockchain technology is impacting financial services, global supply chains, and international trade.

In May 2018, he was an invited speaker highlighting U.S. perspectives on blockchain technology during the Blockchain Game Changer Summit at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. He leads the U.S. delegation to the OECD Insurance and Private Pensions Committee. His team manages and leads the Department of Commerce’s Trade Finance Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations to the Secretary of Commerce on how business and government can work together to expand access to private sources of trade finance. His team closely collaborates with several USG agencies and organizations, including the Department of Treasury, USTR, Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the Federal Reserve.

Mr. Thanos is a regular guest lecturer across the United States on topics ranging from trade policy, impact investing, and the intersection of services and manufacturing industries.