Prerna Saxena is a Regional Investment Specialist at UNCDF in Bangkok. With over two decades of international development finance experience, she is responsible for building and managing regional investment portfolios while mobilizing resources for SDG related investments.

Previously, Prerna was the Asia Pacific Lead at the UN-hosted Better Than Cash Alliance, where she was responsible for managing the Alliance’s initiatives across Asia and leading its work on digital public infrastructure. Prerna also led the Alliance’s engagement with India’s G20 Presidency and contributed to the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI). She has also served for the Government of India as the Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Finance on matters related to fintech and the digital economy.

Prerna worked with the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group) for over seven years, where she developed investment opportunities and managed technical advisory projects with financial institutions across Asia. She partnered with financial sector regulators, financial institutions and industry associations to implement inclusive finance solutions with a focus on small merchants, informal businesses and underserved women.

Prerna gained her banking expertise at Export-Import Bank of India and ICICI Bank while based in India, the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong. She managed portfolios related to SME and agri-banking, trade finance and institutional banking.

Prerna participated in the Executive Education Programme in Inclusive Finance at Harvard Business School and the Fintech Programme at Oxford University. She graduated with a degree in management, with specializations in agricultural science and rural finance. Prerna is fluent in Hindi and English. She also speaks Bengali and Urdu.