The question of how multilateral development banks need to reform themselves so they are fit to face today's global challenges was again high on the agenda at the recent World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C.

These debates and recommendations for reform can be technical and complex, but what do the people these financial institutions were set up to serve think about what changes are needed?

This episode, which was recorded from the sidelines of the Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., considers whether development finance is really reaching those who need it most. We ask how we can harness recent trends and technological advances so they work for – rather than against – the most vulnerable.

Guests

• Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
• Liesbet Steer, President and CEO of the Education Development Center & Chair of the ODI North America Board
• Andrew Herscowitz, Executive Director, ODI North America
• Sheila Warren, CEO, Crypto Council for Innovation and ODI North America Board Member

Related resources

• ODI's Spring Meetings resources hub
• How to better reach underserved borrowers (ODI event)
• Towards an MDB agenda for reform in FCV (ODI paper)
• Navigating fragility: the new multilateral agenda (ODI event)
• Matching finance to need (ODI event)
• Do we need a new Bretton Woods agreement for the post-Covid era? (Think Change podcast)
• Will early blooms bear fruit? Key takeaways from the 2024 World Bank Spring Meetings (ODI blog)
• MDB Insights: 2024 Spring Meetings previewed (ODI blog)