Vyjayanti Desai leads the World Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) and Digitizing Government to Person Payments (G2Px) initiative, two global, multi-sectoral initiatives. These initiatives support progress towards trusted and inclusive identification systems and digitization of G2P programs with broader goals of financial and social inclusion, women’s empowerment and greater individual agency. These initiatives support clients with advise and financing in over 35 countries, advances thought leadership on the topics of digital identity and G2P, and accelerates global public goods together with other partners.
Vyjayanti joined the World Bank Group in 2000 and has worked on a range of private and financial sector development programs across both the World Bank and IFC advisory and across several regions -- Africa, East Asia and South Asia. The programs she has led, working with client countries, has spanned topics of small and medium enterprise development (SME), competitiveness and innovation, digital development, investment climate policy and regulatory reforms, and access to finance. Within the WBG, she has led and shaped many multi-disciplinary and institution-wide programs, actively working to develop a unified agenda and designing integrated multi-sectoral solutions to these pressing development challenges. Prior to joining the World Bank Group, Vyjayanti worked at Deloitte Emerging Markets, where she provided consulting services to clients on private and financial sector development.
Vyjayanti has a MBA in Finance from Wharton School of Business, a Master in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a BA in International Relations from University of Pennsylvania.