Building Resilient Financial Systems: Innovation, Inclusion, Climate Adaptation

ABOUT THE EVENT

The event will feature a dynamic panel discussion centered on climate adaptation, financial inclusion, and leveraging technologies for strengthening communities and driving sustainable growth. The panel will bring together distinguished experts, including a representative from a financial authority, a FinTech company, and an impact investor. The panelists will discuss how financial systems can contribute to enhance climate resilience for households and MSMEs, by leveraging retail financial innovations, climate funding, data, as well as adequate policies and regulations. This event promises to be an enlightening and engaging discussion, offering practical perspectives and forward-thinking solutions for a sustainable future.

Agenda:

• Opening remarks: Loïc Chiquier, Senior Advisor, Finance, Competitiveness & Investment, World Bank
• Moderator:  Mayada El-Zogbhi, Managing Director, KIT Institute
• Speakers:
  • Freda Tamba – Director, Financial Conduct Supervision Department, Bank of Zambia
  • Daniel Waldron – Director of Insights, Acumen
  • David del Ser – Founder, CEO and Co-founder, Atram
• Closing remarks: Yuri Soares, Chief Impact Officer, IDB Lab

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS 

Loïc Chiquier is the World Bank Group’s Senior Advisor on Finance, Competitiveness & Investment Global Department. Loïc holds the primary responsibility for global engagement and operational support on a range of high-priority themes such as greening the financial sector, long-term finance and capital market development, disaster risk management, affordable housing and financial inclusion. Loïc also works on strategic and operational leadership tasks, including the WBG Joint Capital Market Program, the WBG Joint Affordable Housing Steering committee and other strategic engagements to facilitate private capital. He has also managed the global financial sector stability and integrity unit. He is also coordinating climate change finance activities and is the WB representative at the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group. Previously, he served as the Director for the World Bank as the Director for Financial and Private Sector Development in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) and Director for Capital Market Development. Loïc has considerable experience in the development of securities markets, institutional investors, green finance, disaster risk finance, investment policy, innovative insurance, banking and non-banking sector reforms, housing finance policy, infrastructure finance, and finance to Small and Medium Size Enterprises.  He also led multiple Financial Sector Assessment Programs jointly with the IMF. Loïc has worked in more than 40 emerging economies.

Mayada El-Zogbhi has 30 years of experience working on improving the lives of poor and low-income people. She is the Managing Director of KIT Institute in the NL which works on global health, gender equality and sustainable economic development.  Prior to KIT, Mayada was the Managing Director of the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion and was at CGAP/World Bank for nearly 11 years. Mayada has authored many publications and blogs and is a regulator contributor to global inclusive finance events.

Freda Tamba is a Director, Financial Conduct Supervision Department, Bank of Zambia. Freda is a competent and experienced finance leader with oversight over finance, treasury, compliance and regulatory supervision, gained over 30 years in the central bank. She is currently the Director of Financial Conduct Supervision at the Bank of Zambia.  Freda is currently responsible for the oversight of non-deposit taking financial institutions, consumer protection and market conduct, antimony laundering and combating the financing of terrorism and proliferation as well as financial sector development. Under the financial sector development ambit , Freda is responsible for the formulation and development of policies to promote financial inclusion and sustainability. In this regard, Freda has been leading the development of sustainability policies within the Bank and the Financial sector in Zambia.

Daniel Waldron is the Director of Insights at Acumen, a nonprofit organization that deploys capital to confront problems of poverty. Dan oversees Acumen’s knowledge and learning across all of its investing and leadership activities. Prior to joining Acumen in 2021, Dan worked for the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) a research center at the World Bank which focuses on financial inclusion. Dan has written extensively on impact investing and consumer finance in emerging markets. He holds a Masters from The New School served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania.

David del Ser, Founder and CEO and Co-founder of Atram, a fintech startup dedicated to helping vulnerable communities anticipate, prepare for, and recover faster from climate-related disasters through innovative financial solutions. Previously, David was Chair at BFA Global, where he founded the Catalyst Fund accelerator, supporting fintech and climate tech ventures worldwide, and launched TECA, a pioneering initiative aimed at accelerating startups focused on digital finance solutions for climate resilience. He serves as Chair Emeritus of the CIFAR Alliance, promoting collaboration in climate finance and resilience. David is also the founder and chairman of Frogtek, a social enterprise empowering small retailers in Latin America with mobile technology for improved business management. He is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and an Echoing Green Fellow.

Yuri Soares is the Chief Impact Officer at IDB Lab, where he is responsible for impact and development effectiveness. Dr. Soares is also the focal point for IDB Lab's agenda on climate, environment, and on gender and diversity. Dr. Soares previously managed the Lab's strategy, impact and knowledge unit and before that its business unit on climate and agriculture, where he developed a portfolio of investments in agtech and natural capital. IDB Lab is the Innovation Lab of the Interamerican Development Bank Group (IDB Group). Before joining IDB Lab, Yuri Soares was Principal Advisor at the IDB Office of Evaluation and Oversight. He has worked in the US and Brazil, where he has published on such topics as climate change, impact evaluation, agriculture, firm innovation and growth, crime and violence, labor economics and workforce, and the economics of public amenities. Dr. Soares holds a PhD in Economics from Michigan State University and a MA in Agricultural Economics from the University of Florida.