Bio

Vyjayanti Desai is both the Practice Manager of the World Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) and Digitizing Government to Person Payments (G2Px) initiative, two global, multi-sectoral initiatives, as well as the Practice Manager of Digital Development, South Asia. -- ID4D and G2Px 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 approximately 50 countries, advances thought leadership on the topics of digital identity and G2P, and accelerates global public goods together with other partners. -- the Digital Development global practice provides knowledge and financing to help close the digital divide, and make sure countries can take full advantage of the ongoing Digital Development / Digital Economy revolution. As of Oct 2021, she took on the additional responsibility for managing the delivery of the Digital Development programs in South Asia. 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.