Farah Hussain is a Senior Financial Officer and Head of Sustainable Finance and ESG Advisory Program at the World Bank Treasury based in Washington DC. As Treasury Regional Coordinator for the East Asia and Pacific region, Farah leads the design and implementation of financial solutions to help clients: (1) access financing for development by mobilizing World Bank Group resources and private sector financing; (2) mitigate the impact of financial, natural disaster and commodity risks by facilitating access to market-based risk management tools; and (3) strengthen capacity to implement efficient risk management strategies by providing advisory services.
Ms. Hussain specializes in sustainable financing, including green, social and sustainable bonds. She provides technical assistance to countries to develop local green and sustainable bond markets, including developing policy frameworks, identifying eligible projects, developing impact reports, and supporting capacity building among key stakeholders as part of the World Bank Group’s efforts to promote sustainable investment solutions. Her technical assistance engagements in Malaysia, Fiji, and Indonesia resulted in the issuance of the first green “sukuk” in the world; first sovereign green bond by an emerging market; first corporate green bond in Indonesia; the development of the ASEAN green bond guidelines and Indonesian green bond regulations. She was awarded the World Bank Group President’s award and the East Asia Vice Presidency award for her work on the green sukuk. Her green bond projects in Malaysia, Fiji and Indonesia have won a number of highly prestigious international awards. Ms. Hussain is one of the authors of the World Bank Guide on Green Bond Proceeds Management & Reporting for Public Sector Issuers.
Before joining the World Bank Treasury, Ms. Hussain worked for the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a member of the World Bank Group that provides guarantees to attract investors and private insurers into the world’s poorest countries and fragile and conflict-affected environments. Prior to joining the World Bank Group, Ms. Hussain worked for BNP Paribas and ING Barings, investment banks in London.
Product expertise:
Sustainable Finance Advisory
Regional focus:
East Asia & Pacific, South Asia