Benedikt Signer is Program Coordinator for Crisis and Disaster Risk Finance in the World Bank. Benedikt has supported over 20 countries to build financial resilience to climate and disaster shocks. He has co-led and supported projects arranging over $2 billion in financing to improve financial preparedness of governments to shocks, often leveraging market solutions. Based in Singapore he is working with countries across Southeast Asia, including leading World Bank support to the establishment of the Southeast Asia Disaster Risk Insurance Facility, Asia’s first multi-country climate risk financing mechanism. Many projects are implemented in close collaboration with the insurance and reinsurance industry.

Benedikt helped design and is leading implementation of the Global Risk Financing Facility (GRiF), a $250 million investment fund supporting countries to improve early action towards climate shocks, disasters, and other crises.

He has launched multiple new initiatives to expand financial planning for disaster risk including a training program reaching over 4000 people in 40 countries, and new partnerships with APEC, ASEAN, G7, G20, OECD, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Start Network. He supported the 2016 G20 presidency leading to the establishment of the InsuResilience Global Partnership. Previously, Benedikt worked at the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) on strategy and policy partnerships. He has a Master’s degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics.