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18/09/2025 | 2.30 – Webinar
No participation fee CHF – Open to public
National Development Banks (NDBs) are key players in long-term infrastructure financing, especially in sectors like energy, transport, agriculture, and MSMEs—areas critical to green transitions.
Owned and mandated by governments, NDBs use public funds and mobilize private and international capital to support national development goals. Unlike commercial banks, they are not solely profit-driven, allowing them to offer long-term, concessional financing for projects that may be too risky for private investors.
With public guarantees and local currency lending, NDBs help reduce project risk and improve bankability. Their strong local presence, policy alignment, and streamlined processes make them well-suited to support smaller, impactful projects and close financing gaps at the local level.
Webinar will explore the following:
1. Role of MDBs in supporting National Development Banks in mobilizing capital for infrastructure
2. Showcase example of blended finance structure with NDBs and MDBs
3. Case studies using commercial and capital markets financial solutions
Meet our moderator and panelists!
JYOTI BISBEY
Executive Committee Member
WAPPP
Jyoti Bisbey, a WAPPP Executive Committee member, is a global expert with 20+ years of experience in green and resilient infrastructure finance and PPPs in developing countries. She has worked with the World Bank Group and the UN, supporting governments in preparing PPP projects and financing climate-focused infrastructure. Jyoti helped establish global benchmarks like CP3P and PCM and serves on the FAST-Infra Label’s Executive Advisory Committee and UNECE PIERS Climate Panel. She advises ISRC, sits on InfraBlocks’ Advisory Board, and is Associate Editor of the Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development at NUS. A published author, she holds an Executive Diploma from Harvard, an MBA from George Washington University, and an honors degree in mathematics from St. Stephen’s College.
ZIAD-ALEXANDRE HAYEK
President
WAPPP
Ziad-Alexandre Hayek has 44 years of experience in investment banking, corporate strategy, artificial intelligence, technology, public policy, and public-private partnerships. He has lived and worked in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, the US, and Latin America. In 2019, he was nominated to be President of the World Bank. He was recently a candidate for the Presidency of Lebanon. Hayek is currently President of the World Association of PPP Units & Professionals (WAPPP), Advisor to HyperCycle.ai and to the Paxon Group, and member of the Board of Trustees of USEK University. Previously he was Vice Chair of the United Nations Working Party on PPP, Secretary General of Lebanon’s High Council for Privatization and PPP, CEO
of Talaya Water, CEO of Lonbridge Associates, Senior Managing Director of Bear Stearns, President of Indosuez Mexico, Head of International Securitization at Citibank, and Vice President at Salomon Brothers.
Hayek has an MA in International Management from the University of Texas at Dallas. He studied business administration at the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, is certified in artificial intelligence by IBM, and is registered as a CEO of a financial institution by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. He has lectured at several Lebanese universities and at Sciences Po, and has spoken at more than 150 conferences. Hayek is conversant with 11 languages.
AAKIF MERCHANT
Director
Engagement & Capacity Building & Head of Africa
Convergence
Aakif Merchant, Director of Engagement & Capacity Building at Convergence, works with governments, development finance institutions, and investors to mainstream blended finance in investment, policy, and portfolio management. He has collaborated with organisations such as UNDP, SIDA, Global Affairs Canada, AfDB, and the governments of Switzerland, Indonesia, and Ethiopia.
Aakif serves on advisory groups for the Africa Green Economy Summit, Ethiopia-Canada Blended Finance Initiative, and Africa Social Impact Exchange, and lectures at the University of Zurich’s Initiative for Blended Finance. He has spoken at global forums including OECD, Green Climate Fund, and Sankalp Africa, and written extensively on development finance.
FRANCIS MWESIGYE
Chief Economist & Director
Economic Research & Knowledge Management
Uganda Development Bank
Francis Mwesigye holds a PhD in Development Economics and brings extensive expertise in economic research, green finance, project and programme development, impact evaluation, and policy analysis. His research has been published in international peer-reviewed journals.
He is an active member of professional networks including the Network of Excellence on Land Governance (NELGA), African Growth and Development Policy (AGRODEP), Uganda Economic Association (UEA), African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), and Uganda National Young Academy (UNYA), among others. Before joining Uganda Development Bank (UDBL), Francis served as a Senior Research Fellow at the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), Makerere University. He is also a Global Fellow at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and has consulted for organisations such as the World Bank, FAO, and UN Women. Earlier in his career, he worked at Ernst & Young.
ROSEMARY ONG
Principal Markets Development Advisory Specialist
Office of Markets Development & Public-Private Partnership
Asian Development Bank
Rosemary Ong is a recognised expert in Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and privatisation, with extensive experience advising on transactions across sectors such as transport, logistics, water, healthcare, education, and social infrastructure. Before joining the Asian Development Bank (ADB), she was a Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Singapore, leading project finance and PPP advisory mandates across Asia-Pacific, including Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Myanmar, and Brunei.
Her career spans diverse sectors, from transport and healthcare to tourism, sports infrastructure, and defence, with roles based in both Australia and Singapore. Earlier, she worked in investment banking at Bankers Trust Company, New York, focusing on capital markets transactions and syndications.
KISHORE NUTHALAPATI
PPP Advisor
Kishore Nuthalapati is an Economist and Corporate Finance Professional with 25 years of experience in finance, banking, credit, project management, HR, and legal affairs. He holds a PhD in Finance, is an Associate Company Secretary (ACS), and has postgraduate degrees in Commerce, Management, and Law.
He has led several large-scale Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects funded by national and international agencies and serves on multiple committees and boards. A regular contributor to policymaking bodies, Kishore has addressed forums in India and abroad, engaging with regulators, banks, diplomats, and institutions.
An active voice in the media, he has appeared on television and other platforms, authored over 200 articles, and guided more than 1,000 research projects. He also contributes as an angel investor and mentor, supporting startups, MSMEs, scholars, and aspiring professionals.
ENRIQUE CADENA RINCÓN
Vice President Structured Finance
Financiera de Desarrollo Nacional (FDN)
Enrique Cadena Rincon is an Industrial Engineer from the Universidad Industrial de Santander, with additional studies in International Business and Investment Banking at NYU, and Corporate Finance at Tecnológico de Monterrey. With over 30 years of experience, he currently serves as Vice President of Structured Finance at FDN, where he oversees infrastructure project financing and the capital markets division.
Among his notable achievements is his support, during his time at the World Bank, to the National Government in implementing the renewable energy program, which led to the country’s first non-conventional renewable energy auctions.
Throughout his career, he has held positions such as Commercial Vice President at TGI, Vice President at USPipeline and Canan Energy, and has served on the boards of companies including Calidda, Gasoriente, Metrogas, and Transoriente, among others.
