IFC names Pakistani banker new Philippines chief

IFC Philippines country manager Amena Arif – IFC PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines —International Finance Corp. (IFC), the private sector financing arm of the World Bank Group, has appointed veteran Pakistani banker Amena Arif as its new country manager for the Philippines.

She succeeds Jean-Marc Arbogast, who moved to a new role as World Bank Group country manager in Chile.

Accordingly, Arif would focus on mobilizing private sector investments to support job creation, reduce the impact of climate change and promote financial inclusion, IFC announced on Thursday.

READ: What is IFC doing in the Philippines?

Arif 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, Arif served as country manager for East Africa based in Nairobi. Prior to that, she was in South Asia as the country manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives.

“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,” Arif said.

“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,” she added.

Amena holds an MBA from the Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan.

IFC is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets.

Read: 2 Philippine fintech firms get fresh funds from IFC

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. – Doris Dumlao-Abadilla