Sophie Sirtaine

Chief Executive Officer, CGAP

Sophie is the CEO of CGAP, an international partnership housed in the World Bank Group, dedicated to promoting inclusive financial ecosystems that enable a green, resilient, and equitable world for all.  

Sophie has dedicated her professional career to the development of inclusive and sustainable financial ecosystems around the world, with more than twenty years of experience at the World Bank, where she has held different positions, including Director of Strategy and Operations at the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) and Director for the Caribbean region. Previously, Sophie worked as an expert in financial sector development and stability in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Among others, she led various Financial Sector Assessment Programs (FSAPs) in various countries in Europe, Central Asia, and Latin America, and she was the Manager who led the World Bank's response to banking crises in various countries of the European Union during the global financial crisis of 2008-2011.

Prior to joining the World Bank, Sophie worked in JP Morgan's Financial Institutions (FIG) team on Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) in Europe, and for Halcrow Fox and Associates' Infrastructure team. Sophie holds a Masters in Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE).

By Sophie Sirtaine

Blog

The Most Undervalued Investment Class: Why Inclusive Adaptation Finance Deserves More Attention

Less than 1% of global climate finance is currently going toward community adaptation, leaving behind low-income households on the frontlines of climate change. Inclusive finance presents a solution, but it is not yet attracting the investment interest that it deserves. This blog explores how private sector involvement can help to close the inclusive finance gap, and what will be needed to ensure that private capital can move faster and reach further. 
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Financial Health: Driving Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean

Account ownership in LAC has surged, but true progress means translating access into financial health. Banks can lead by using technology to build trust, design customer-first solutions, and expand inclusive digital ecosystems.
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How Digital Innovation is Powering Latin America’s Financial Inclusion 

Digital innovation, inclusive fintechs, and progressive policies are transforming financial inclusion in the LAC region. With systems like PIX and open finance, millions now access, save, invest, and transact digitally, driving growth and reducing inequality.
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Rethinking Evidence: When Does Inclusive Finance Work and for Whom

This leadership essay reassesses what we think we know as a sector, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the existing evidence base and proposing new methods for building a better one.
Blog

From Access to Impact: It’s Time to Realize the Full Promise of Financial Inclusion

Part of CGAP’s new series on the World Bank’s Global Findex 2025, we draw from CGAP's and Accion's work to highlight six opportunities that need to be prioritized to unlock a golden opportunity for embracing growing digitization to shift financial inclusion from access to impact.