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Location: Cedar Hall, HQ1-1-660
OVERVIEW
During COVID-19 governments around the world used digital solutions to quickly scale up social assistance and provide payments to previously financially excluded households. These technologies were not only helpful to better identify beneficiaries, verify their eligibility, and efficiently deliver assistance. They also made it easier for previously unbanked individuals to obtain credit, which helped unlock new opportunities for millions of underbanked people. Join the panel discussion to hear about the country experiences from Ecuador and Namibia in implementing these digital technologies.
MODERATOR
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Bas Bakker |
Bas Bakker is a Division Chief in the IMF’s Western Hemisphere department. He joined the IMF in 1993 and has held positions in five IMF departments, working on a wide range of countries, policy, and research issues. He is the co-author of the recent IMF Fintech Note “The Rise and Impact of Fintech in Latin America.” He has a PhD in economics from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
SPEAKERS
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Santiago Bayas |
Santiago Bayas is the CEO of Banco Pichincha C.A., the largest bank in Ecuador with presence in Peru, Colombia, the United States, and Spain. He was previously Executive Vice-President of Finance and Risk as well as Vice-President of Treasury at the bank. Before joining Banco Pichincha, he was Head of Research and Director of Monetary Policy at the Central Bank of Ecuador, a consultant for the World Bank and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and an IMF economist at the Western Hemisphere Department. Mr. Bayas holds a Master of Arts in Economics from Vanderbilt University.
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Ipumbu W. Shiimi |