Mayada El-Zoghbi

Mayada El-Zoghbi is the managing director of the Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion. Until September 2019, Ms. El-Zoghbi was a senior financial sector specialist and led CGAP’s strategy, research and development unit. Her work focused on leading CGAP’s research on women’s financial inclusion, financial services in crisis environments and other emerging topics.

Before joining CGAP, she founded and managed a development consulting firm working with funding agencies such as the IFC and USAID. She led numerous technical assistance, evaluation, and research assignments and also served as a research director for a USAID knowledge management initiative on microfinance and conflict, where she authored numerous papers and facilitated many industry learning events. She holds a master’s degree in international affairs from SIPA at Columbia University and a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Minnesota. She is bilingual in Arabic and English.

By Mayada El-Zoghbi

Research

Facilitating Market Development to Advance Financial Inclusion

Emerging evidence from countries benefiting from donor and DFI interventions that are coordinated, catalytic, and responsive to the market show significant increases in access to financial services.
Blog

Funding 2.0: Building Inclusive Financial Markets

Building a financial market that serves the poor requires more than supporting institutions. It also requires coordinating underlying elements - such as educating consumers, drafting appropriate laws, and building capacity in organizations.
Research

Where Do Impact Investing and Microfinance Meet?

This Brief presents the results of CGAP research on impact investing and how it relates to the MSME investment space.
Blog

Islamic Microfinance And Clients: See What I Do, Not What I Say

Muslim microfinance clients often insist on Sharia-compliant products. However, when offered, many clients try the products and then go back to conventional products. Others shun the Islamic offerings altogether. Why this disconnect between what people say and what they do?
Research

Trends in Sharia-Compliant Financial Inclusion

With an estimated 650 million Muslims living on less than $2 a day, finding sustainable Islamic models could help provide financial access to millions of Muslim poor who strive to avoid financial products that do not comply with Sharia.