Pakistani banker Amena Arif has been appointed new country manager for the Philippines by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.
According to a press release issued by the IFC, “In her new role, Amena will focus on mobilizing private sector investments to support job creation, reduce the impacts of climate change, and promote financial inclusion.”
Amena is a Pakistani national and she joined IFC in 2012 after building a career in international commercial banks. She led IFC’s debt and equity investment transactions working with financial institutions in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Lebanon.
Most recently, Amena served as Country Manager for East Africa based in Nairobi. Prior to that she was in South Asia in her role as the Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Commenting on her appointment as IFC’s new Country Manager for the Philippines, Amena said, “IFC is committed to working together with our partners in the Philippines to unlock funding that will help create jobs, support companies to mitigate the impacts of climate change, open doors for small businesses to grow, and make sure digital services are available to everyone.”
She added, “I am excited to be back in Asia and look forward to working closely with our public and private sector partners towards sustainable and inclusive growth.”
Amena holds an MBA from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in Pakistan. She succeeds Jean-Marc Arbogast, who moved to a new role as the World Bank Group Country Manager in Chile.
IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. It works in more than 100 countries, using its capital, expertise and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries.
In fiscal year 2024, IFC committed a record $56 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging private sector solutions and mobilizing private capital to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet.