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Alfonso Garcia Mora
Vice President Europe, Latin America & the Caribbean
International Finance Corporation - World Bank Group
Alfonso Garcia Mora is IFC’s Vice President for Europe, Latin America & Caribbean in the World Bank Group (WBG).
In this capacity, Mr. Garcia Mora is responsible for all IFC operations, advisory and investments in the two Regions covering all sectors (Financial Institutions, Infrastructure, Manufacturing Advisory and Services, Disruptive Technologies and Funds and PPP), building a strong program for private sector investments, and fostering collaborative opportunities with key stakeholders to maximize impact. He also serves as Chair of the Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN).
Previously, Mr. Garcia Mora was IFC Vice President for Asia and Pacific, and before he was the Global Director for the Finance Competitiveness and Innovation Global Practice at the World Bank. He led the World Bank’s work on financial stability and integrity; financial infrastructure, inclusion and access; long-term finance and capital markets; and crisis and disaster risk finance across all regions.
Since joining the WBG in January 2013, Mr. Garcia Mora has led different regional responsibilities as Manager and Director in Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, advising governments, supervisors and regulators on projects related to financial-sector development, access to finance, banking crises, capital markets and financial regulation. Mr. Garcia Mora managed the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP), leading several assessments, and represented the WBG in different committees of the Financial Stability Board and other standard-setting bodies.
Before his WBG career, Mr. Garcia Mora worked in the private sector for over 12 years, including as Partner-Managing Director at Analistas Financieros Internacionales Consulting Group.
Mr. Garcia Mora holds a PhD in Economics from Universidad Autonoma de Madrid and served as a visiting PhD student at Boston University. He also holds a Master of Finance from the Catholic University of Leuven. Mr. Garcia Mora has lectured and published extensively on banking and financial- sector issues.
Speaking at SFF 2026
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12:20–12:40pmWed 18 NovFestival StageHall 1, Singapore EXPOPremium
Talent Rewiring
From Invisible to Investable: Scaling Opportunity for MSMEs
About this session
MSMEs are among the most powerful engines of jobs and economic opportunity in developing economies. They do not just contribute to the economy; they are the economy. With 1.2 billion people expected to enter the workforce in developing economies over the coming decade, the imperative is not simply to expand access to finance, but to enable more businesses to grow, compete and create jobs at scale. What we have today, we have never had before. Digital infrastructure, fast payments, data, platforms, and technology are coming together at scale, making SMEs visible in ways that were simply not possible before. This creates an opportunity to fundamentally rethink how we reach, support, and finance them. Finance is increasingly moving beyond traditional collateral-based models toward cash-flow-based lending, where data is the new collateral.
This session will spotlight the World Bank Group’s work to unlock opportunity for MSMEs and offer a first look at a new strategy and scalable solutions for a rapidly evolving playing field. The conversation continues the following day, November 19, at the Global SME Finance Forum, with a deeper look at the strategy and what it means for the future of MSME finance.
