Sarmad Shaikh is a Senior Financial Sector Specialist in the World Bank Group’s Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation Global Practice. He has worked on financial and private sector development across South Asia and West Africa since he joined the World Bank in 2012. His work focuses on policy, regulatory and institutional reforms which can improve economic growth, competitiveness and digital financial inclusion of individuals and small businesses. Sarmad has also worked extensively on enhancing economic outcomes for women, most recently through the Women Entrepreneurship Finance Initiative (We-Fi) with projects in Pakistan and Nigeria implementing innovative solutions to overcome entrenched gender barriers.
Prior to joining the World Bank, Sarmad worked in the private financial sector, working at Citibank’s corporate finance and risk analytics teams.
Sarmad is a Fulbright Scholar and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Cornell University, and a bachelor’s degree in finance from Lahore University of Management Sciences.
In his free time, Sarmad loves to write short stories, draw comics and conduct rigorous financial analysis.