Francesco Strobbe, an Italian national, has been with the World Bank Group since 2010 and currently serves as Practice Manager in the Finance, Competitiveness, and Investment Global Department for East Asia and Pacific. He has led financial sector development projects and policy dialogue in various countries across Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe, his last role being Lead Financial Sector Economist for Indonesia. In his current role, Francesco manages a team of professionals supporting the financial and private sector development agendas in China, Mongolia, South Korea, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Myanmar, including investment lending operations and technical assistance. Prior to joining the World Bank, he served for the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund and led microfinance projects for NGOs in Zambia and Kenya. Francesco holds a PhD in Economics and Management from the University of Padua (Italy) and has been a visiting scholar at Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA.