The B20 USA Summit opens today, November 9, 2026, at The Anthem on Washington’s Wharf and runs through November 11. One of the less-discussed requests in the B20’s Leaders’ Statement targets the time it takes to get permission to build. The statement asks G20 governments to “set binding service level agreements for infrastructure projects to automatically approve permits” if no decision is issued within a specified timeframe.
For companies planning plants, transmission lines, data centers or logistics hubs, permitting time is a direct cost. The statement says permitting “can often take many years for approval across the G20.”
What the Economic Growth pillar asks for
The request sits under the statement’s Economic Growth pillar, whose task force is chaired by Kenneth Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel. The pillar’s first priority is removing barriers to growth. Under a heading on reducing the cost and complexity of dealing with government, the statement asks G20 economies to:
- “Cut domestic red tape,” including eliminating duplication and sunsetting outdated regulation.
- Reform infrastructure permitting to be “predictable, efficient, transparent, and inclusive of stakeholder input.”
- Provide a platform with “a single source of truth of current regulations.”
- Create a “Digital Front Door” for businesses to access government services.
The automatic-approval mechanism is the most far-reaching of these. It would reverse the default: when an agency misses its deadline, the project would be approved rather than left waiting.
A measurable target, with a caveat
The pillar’s shared objective is to bring every G20 economy to a score of at least 70 out of 100 on the World Bank’s Business Ready (B-READY) index by 2030. The statement says 38% of G20 members tracked by the index currently meet that threshold.
That baseline is partial. A footnote in the statement says B-READY is in phased rollout, that the 2025 edition assesses 8 of 19 G20 country members, and that full G20 coverage is scheduled for the 2027 edition. The World Bank’s 2025 report covers 101 economies. It scores ten topics, from business entry and business location to dispute resolution and business insolvency, across three pillars: regulatory framework, public services and operational efficiency.
How it fits the U.S. G20 agenda
The U.S. G20 presidency lists “Removing Regulatory Burdens” among its priorities and runs a “Growth and Deregulation” working group, according to the official G20 website. The B20’s permitting asks give G20 officials a business-sector version of that agenda before leaders meet in Miami on December 14–15, 2026.
The statement is a set of recommendations from business to governments and does not bind them. Whether any G20 member adopts automatic approval for infrastructure permits will depend on national law and on what leaders agree in their own declaration.
