Mark Rostal is an expert in designing financial services and products for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries, offering directly applicable technical expertise and senior management experience. Mark has managed various DAI projects in the field and backstopped projects in DAI’s home office over the course of his 24-year career in finance and banking. His professional experience in Africa, Asia, and the transitional economies of Eastern Europe and Eurasia, as well as in private U.S. banking, have given him a deep knowledge of international best practices in financial services across a range of markets and institutional models.

Most recently, Mark served as Chief of Party of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Kenya Financial Inclusion for Rural Microenterprises (FIRM), where he was recognized as an innovator in financial product design and a trusted colleague of the Central Bank of Kenya and the Ministry of Finance. As Chief of Party for the USAID-funded Kenya Microfinance Capacity Building Program, he developed approaches to build the capacity of microfinance institutions (MFIs) and advised on improving the regulatory and policy environment for their prudent growth. Prior to that, he served as Chief of Party for the USAID-funded Georgia Microfinance Stabilization and Enhancement Program that combined legal and regulatory development with MFI performance enhancements, including agricultural finance institutions. Under a USAID cooperative agreement with FINCA International, Mark served as Chief of Party, responsible for developing a commercially viable and locally managed non-bank financial institution in Kyrgyzstan. As FINCA’s Regional Director for Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States, he subsequently supervised $45 million in USAID investments in seven standalone non-bank financial institutions across the region. After FIRM, Mark served as Chief of Party of the Rwanda—Nguriza Nshore project. Today he leads the Lebanon Trade and Investment Facilitation (TIF) Activity.

• M.B.A., University of St. Thomas, Minnesota