Silvia Baur-Yazbeck works on the CGAP team that focuses on the role of financial services in supporting climate resilience and adaptation, which aims to understand how vulnerable people manage climate related risks, how financial services support their adaptation and resilience strategies, and what actions financial sector stakeholders can take to make financial inclusion a more effective enabler of climate adaptation and resilience. In addition, it aims to ensure that global progress on financial inclusion does not recede as climate change impacts increase the risk and cost of serving people living in poverty. Currently, Silvia leads CGAP’s effort to identify effective approaches for funders and governments to leverage inclusive finance as a means to achieve climate adaptation and resilience goals and mobilize the private sector in delivering climate-responsive financial services to vulnerable populations.
Before that, Silvia led CGAP’s work on more modern and recipient-centric approaches to delivering government-to-person payments. The concept of introducing a choice-based payment system emerged from her deep insights into consumer experiences with digital financial services and her work on financial consumer protection regulation. She also worked on understanding and identifying solutions to better manage cyber risks in the financial inclusion sector. Her work included the launch of a stakeholder initiative focused on exchanging good practices, information and learnings and the development of a business plan for regional cybersecurity resource centers. At CGAP, Silvia has taken a specific focus on developing guidance for development funders and policymakers, promoting a more holistic approach in identifying and addressing financial inclusion challenges with a market systems lens. This included deep engagements with financial inclusion funders to assess how well they are set up internally to support financial inclusion and achieve global development goals and research to better understand how gender lens investors can be more effective in supporting women’s financial inclusion and addressing social norms.
Before joining CGAP, Silvia consulted on private sector development and financial inclusion with GOPA Consultants in Germany, the Gesellschaft for International Zusammenarbeit mbH in Ghana, CERISE Microfinance in France, and Oikocredit in Central America. She has a Master’s degree in International Development Studies from Philipps-University in Marburg, Germany. Silvia is fluent in English, Spanish, French and German.