Welcome Networking Reception

SO/ Vienna Rooftop Bar Das Loft

Registration | Breakfast

World Bank Office | Praterstrasse 31, Floor 1

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Jean Pesme, Global Director of Finance | Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation Practice (FCI) | World Bank

Elisabeth Gruber, Director | International Financial Institutions | Ministry of Finance, Republic of Austria

Setting the Scene: Financial Sector in the New Development Context

Nicolas Veron, Senior Fellow at Bruegel and the Peterson Institute for International Economics

Erik Feyen, Head of Global Macro-Financial Monitoring, FCI, World Bank

The past three years witnessed unprecedented challenges compounding the existing development issues. This mix of polycrisis - the war in Ukraine, climate change, aftermath of the pandemic, surge in global inflation, and tighter global financial conditions - have severely impacted the global economy, and the most vulnerable. In the wake of multiple global shocks, the financial landscape remains both highly uncertain and critical to lasting responses. Like never before, amid multiple overlapping crises, a well-functioning financial sector is the core foundation and a prime enabler of private-led, inclusive, and green economic growth.

The session will present recent development trends, key risks and opportunities for scaling up support to the financial sector, with a focus on recent and future crises.

Client’s Perspective: Ukraine’s Financial Sector Development and Post-War Reconstruction

Guest: Yurii Draganchuk, Deputy Minister of Finance of Ukraine for EU Integration

Discussant: Mario Guadamillas, Practice Manager, Europe and Central Asia, FCI, World Bank

Financial Sector Development on the Ground: Key Results, Lessons Learned and Emerging Opportunities

The session will include an interactive panel discussion with the World Bank’s regional management, zooming in on the progress made across various regions, highlighting impactful examples of World Bank Group engagements, a critical role of partnerships, and identifying emerging opportunities for scaling up financial sector development work on the ground.

Moderator: Martha Licetti, Practice Manager, Global Markets, Competition, and Technology, FCI, World Bank

Panelists:

Alwaleed Alatabani, Practice Manager, East Africa, FCI, World Bank

Mario Guadamillas, Practice Manager, Europe and Central Asia, FCI, World Bank

Mehnaz Safavian, Practice Manager, West and Central Africa, FCI, World Bank

Lunch

Connecting the Dots: Partners’ Strategic Priorities

The session will feature select partners’ presentations on their key strategic priorities. It will also discuss alignment of the partners’ priorities with the World Bank Group’s mission and vision, and brainstorm ways for strengthening cooperation to achieve meaningful results at scale.

Coffee Break

Scaling Up Financial Sector Development at the World Bank: Emerging Vision for the Future

The session will provide an overview of the World Bank’s vision for scaling up financial sector support in the new development context. The session will include an interactive discussion with partners on the key elements of the proposed vision.

Day 1 wrap-up

Cocktails and Dinner

Motto am Fluss Restaurant on the Danube Canal | Franz-Josefs-Kai 2 1010

Recap of Day 1

World Bank Office | Praterstrasse 31, Floor 1, 1020

Putting the Vision into Focus: Technical Deep Dives (parallel breakout sessions)

The interactive and practical technical deep-dive sessions will delve into key priority topics, highlighting impactful examples of the World Bank Group engagements:

10:00-10:40

• Fintech and the Future of Finance | Meeting room: Vienna WB 1-31

  Digital technologies are revolutionizing payments, lending, investment, and insurance worldwide. This session will delve into an overview of fintech-related risks and key challenges to supervision and resolution, developments and policy issues related to open banking, and how the World Bank is engaged in mainstreaming innovative digital innovations into the payment market and financial industry more broadly.

• Master the Disaster: Disaster Risk Financing and a Role of Partnerships | Meeting room: Vienna WB 1-32

  The session will feature an interactive gamified simulation that provides insight into different contexts, roles and options within the space of disaster risk financing. Participants will experience being in the “hot seats” of government officials in handling negotiations and thinking through disaster risk financing options for their countries. Then partners will have an opportunity to reflect on the role of strategic partnerships in supporting countries’ financial resilience.

10:50–11:30

• Banking on a Better World: The Financial Sector’s Role in Spurring Progress Towards Climate Goals | Meeting room: Vienna WB 1-31

  Join this session to learn more about how greening financial systems supports inclusive, resilient and sustainable growth, World Bank’s approach to scaling up climate mitigation & adaption finance engagements and about select impactful and replicable climate finance projects.

• Boosting SME Finance for Growth: The Case for more Effective Support Policies | Meeting room: Vienna WB 1-32

  SMEs are a large source of jobs, representing about 50% of employment in developing countries, and their contribution to GDP can reach 40%. Their growth and resilience are hindered by the constraints in access to finance. Governments have been implementing a range of policy interventions to address this challenge, but the financing gap persists. This session will explore lessons learned on the importance and effectiveness of various policy interventions that can boost SME finance for growth. It will also provide an overview of how these lessons are shaping World Bank support to EMDEs.

11:40 – 12:20

• Within Reach: Fighting Vested Interest and Illicit Financial Flows | Meeting room: Vienna WB 1-15

  Illicit financial flows stem from a multitude of wrongs, from tax crimes, to organized crime, to corruption and terrorism financing, each presenting their own challenges. Join us to learn more about how the World Bank is supporting efforts to protect the integrity of the financial sector, curb political and other vested interests and more broadly fight illicit financial flows across various regions.

• Responding to Financial Sector Stress: Immediate Crisis Management and Taking a Medium-Term Perspective | Meeting room: Vienna WB 1-31

  Financial sector risks and vulnerabilities are elevated in almost half of low and lower-middle income countries and several, such as Ghana, Sri Lanka, or Lebanon, are already battling financial crises. This session will discuss insights from recent World Bank research and engagements in response to financial sector crises through an overview presentation of short and medium-term policy considerations and challenges. Particular focus will be paid on the World Bank’s response to mitigating the financial stability risks stemming from the sovereign bank nexus.

Lunch

New Pathways Towards Mobilizing and Enabling Private Capital

The development financing needs, particularly for global climate action, are confronted by an ever-rising financing gap. Private capital flows remain significantly short of what they could be. The session will discuss some of the innovative mechanisms that the World Bank Group employs to facilitate the flow of private capital to developing countries, and the critical role of partnerships in this process.

Moderator: Loic Chiquier, Senior Advisor, FCI, World Bank

Panelists:

Alwaleed Alatabani, Practice Manager, East Africa, FCI, World Bank

Gunhild Berg, Lead Financial Sector Specialist, FCI, World Bank

Niraj Verma, Practice Manager, Long-Term Finance, FCI, World Bank

Coffee Break

Partnering for Effective Cooperation: Charting the Path Forward Together

The session will provide an opportunity to reflect on key takeaways from the discussions during the two days and jointly chart the forward-looking path. What will our success look like? What would it take to partner more effectively, and shape the agenda together to maximize impact?

Closing Remarks

Aki Nishio, Vice President of Development Finance, World Bank

Social Activity and Dinner

Enjoy a tour of Vienna aboard an Oldtimer Tram, followed by a dinner at a traditional Austrian restaurant Feuerwehr Wagner Heurigen, surrounded by vineyards.

Bilateral meetings

(Please reach out to Elena Babkova Ebabkova@worldbank.org if you would like to schedule a bilateral meeting with the World Bank management team)

Sofitel Conference Rooms