MPW 2022: How World Bank Group's MD & CFO Anshula Kant is waging a war against global poverty

Anshula Kant, 62, is at the top of the world, literally. As MD and CFO of World Bank Group, she is now operating at a scale she never did before. With the World Bank’s offices spread over 130 locations, the former CFO and MD of State Bank of India (SBI) now has to think about helping 189 countries.

Tasked with the mandates of eradicating poverty and increasing income levels, the World Bank is a pre-eminent global institution that aids developing countries in achieving these goals. In that paradigm, Kant takes care of resource mobilisation, along with managing the World Bank’s financial health and risks.

To do that well, her three-and-a-half-decade-long stint at SBI has stood her in good stead. Her experience as CFO and earlier as Chief GM of Maharashtra and Goa at SBI—where she took banking services to under-banked and underserved areas—is proving handy.

With a Master’s in Economics from Delhi School of Economics, Kant is a great believer in hard work, which is evident in her rise from Varanasi, UP, to the World Bank. And her journey is an inspiration for many young women.