About Chris Humphrey

I am a researcher and policy consultant specializing in development finance and multilateral development banks, and in particular how development finance institutions and practices are evolving to adapt to a fast-changing geopolitical and economic context. My work is at the intersection of academic research and policy practice.

Currently I’m a senior scientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology's Center for Development Cooperation (ETH NADEL) and a senior research associate at the UK's ODI think tank. At NADEL I teach masters students and development professional training courses on development finance, impact investing and China’s evolving global role. With the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, I lead a research project on borrower-led multilateral development banks at NADEL, and am co-leading with Dr. Steven Ongena of University of Zurich Department of Banking and Finance a project on multilateral development banks and bond markets with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. At ODI, I’ve completed numerous short- and long-term consultancies, including a current project supported by the MDB Challenge Fund on MDB callable capital.

In the policy realm, I’ve advised several governments on development issues, including Canada, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US, as well as participated in numerous policy discussions at the OECD. In July 2021 I was named by the G20 as one of 14 experts to the Independent Review of Multilateral Development Banks Capital Adequacy Frameworks, an initiative I’ve long advocated. The panel delivered recommendations to G20 finance ministers in July 2022 and are part of the ongoing reform agenda of the MDBs. Currently I’m working with the Brazilian government on their G20 presidency agenda of MDB reform. I’ve spoken at numerous group events of multilateral development bank shareholder governments, and have completed high-level consultancies on strategy and operational policy for the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, African Development Bank, New Development Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Inter-Governmental Group of 24 and the Global Green Growth Institute, among others.

Previously, I worked in operations in the Latin America and Caribbean division of the World Bank (2001-2009) and consulted on loan operations with the African Development Bank (2009-2011). For eight years (1992-2000), I was a journalist covering political, economic and cultural issues in Latin America, based mainly in Mexico City.

I have a PhD in International Development from the London School of Economics (2013), a Masters in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University (2001) and a Bachelors in Political Science from Reed College (1991). I live in Zurich, Switzerland and spend as much time as possible hiking and skiing in the beautiful Swiss mountains.