Rosita Najmi

Rosita Najmi has been an international social and economic development specialist since 2001. Rosita joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2015 to advance digital financial services for the poor and has led investments on regtech, derisking of cross-border payments, US government engagement, and advocacy for women’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment, among other areas. Rosita came to the foundation after 3 years at the Omidyar Network, 4 years at the World Bank, 4 years across leading NGOs (including Accion and Mercy Corps), and 3 years as a social entrepreneur (co-founder and executive director of an iNGO operating in West Africa). Rosita brings to her work field research, publications, and operational experience from Benin, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Samoa, Tanzania, and Vietnam. Her contributions and collaborations span government, the private sector, civil society, and multilateral organizations and bodies, including the G7 and G20. A senior thought leader, Rosita regularly speaks at conferences and writes about the opportunities of digital financial inclusion. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA with honors in Economics, Politics, and French from Wake Forest University.