Bilal Zia

Bilal Zia is a Senior Economist in the Finance and Private Sector Development Team of the World Bank's Development Research Group. His research is focused on financial development at the household, firm, and bank levels, and his work has appeared in top peer-reviewed academic journals in economics and finance. He uses both experimental and non-experimental methods and some of his recent work includes rigorous impact evaluations of financial literacy programs, testing innovative and technology-based methods to improve financial access for households and firms, applying insights from behavioral economics to development finance, and studying peer learning and entrepreneurial aspirations. He holds a PhD in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics.