Yara El Abd 2024 Speaker

Senior Director of Investment

Valu

Biography

Yara El Abd is an economist with extensive background in financial and private sector development through her experience in the private sector, development finance institutions, and the public sector. She is currently the Group Head of Investment at valU, a leading fintech platform in the MENA region. She assumed this role after being Co-Founder and the Chief Strategy Officer of Paynas—a fintech startup aimed at expanding financial inclusion of SME employees—which was acquired by valU in 2022. Prior to that, Yara was Advisor to the Egyptian Minister of Investment and International Cooperation, where she was responsible for coordinating the portfolios and activities of several leading international financial institutions and development organizations, including the United Nations, the World Bank, and the OECD. Prior to her role in the public sector, she worked at the World Bank, specifically on operations aimed at enhancing access to finance for SMEs, expanding financial inclusion, and promoting entrepreneurship in several countries in the MENA region. She holds a BA in Economics from the American University in Cairo, and an MSc in Emerging Economies & Development from King’s College London.