Leading Microfinance Experts

Holding a degree in economics and international finance, I am convinced that microfinance is a powerful development lever for the African continent if properly managed. I have therefore decided to contribute to making it widely known through Microfin Times.

Meet Dhriti Mukherjee Pipil – Trade Economist, Consultant, Speaker & Educator Dhriti Mukherjee Pipil is a Delhi NCR–based international trade economist, consultant, researcher, and speaker, specialising in trade finance, foreign trade policy, and agricultural trade. She is the Founder of Global Trade Institute (GTI), an institution focused on building export-ready professionals and businesses through practical trade education. She currently serves as a Senior Research Fellow at Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), where her work examines India’s agricultural trade policy, export restrictions, price volatility, and supply chain dynamics. She is also an empanelled faculty with Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), delivering specialised sessions on export finance and international payment systems. Dhriti is a Leadership Member at the Women in International Trade Business Council (WIITBC) under the International Trade Council (ITC), and serves on the Economic Advisory Board of the Economic Transformation Council, contributing to trade-led policy discourse. With over a decade of experience in banking and trade finance, her expertise spans export finance, cross-border payments, foreign exchange markets, trade risk management, WTO frameworks, and emerging digital trade finance systems. She holds professional certifications from the Indian Institute of Banking & Finance (IIBF) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Her work bridges policy, practice, and pedagogy—offering consultancy in export strategy, trade finance structuring, compliance, and market entry. She actively mentors MSMEs and startups, enabling them to navigate global markets with operational clarity. Dhriti has authored peer-reviewed research in journals such as Economic & Political Weekly and The Indian Economic Journal, alongside policy contributions to The Hindu BusinessLine, Down To Earth, Policy Circle, AgroSpectrum, and global platforms including the World Trade Centre. She is a regular speaker at national and international forums, including the Economist Intelligence Unit (2025), International Trade Council (2025), WTO Chairs Programme, and Indian Economic Association. Through her work, she seeks to reduce information asymmetry in global trade and build a more inclusive, resilient, and knowledge-driven export ecosystem.

I'm a specialist commercial finance broker with 16 years of experience helping Australian business owners access commercial property finance. As founder of Smart Business Plans, I've overseen $550 million in commercial finance across more than 3,300 clients, with a 92% approval rate working across a panel of 60+ specialist lenders. My expertise sits at the intersection of commercial property, business finance, and wealth strategy — particularly for small to medium business owners looking to buy their own premises, invest through their SMSF, or fund development projects. I work exclusively in the commercial space, which means I specialise where the major banks often can't or won't go. I'm also the author of The Premise Effect (2026), which makes the case for why Australian business owners are leaving millions on the table by renting rather than owning their business premises. I'm available to comment on: commercial property finance, SMSF borrowing, business lending, commercial mortgage rates, Australian property market trends, and small business wealth building.

I am a personal finance researcher and founder of The Money Decoded, a plain-English finance education site based in India. I research budgeting, saving, debt, investing basics, and financial literacy — and explain these topics clearly for people who were never taught how money works. My perspective is not academic. It comes from lived experience. In 2011, our family's publication business collapsed overnight. We mortgaged our home to start a new business. That failed too. The bank began proceedings to auction our house. It took a decade of effort — my savings from working as a Project Manager at InfluxIQ Tech Pvt. Ltd., my brother's contribution, and help from friends and relatives — to finally recover the house from auction in 2021. That experience taught me what financial planning means when the stakes are real. Since then I have researched personal finance thoroughly, backing every article with sources from the Reserve Bank of India, the Federal Reserve, CFPB, IRS, and peer-reviewed research. At The Money Decoded I have published 60+ research-led articles covering financial literacy, budgeting, saving, debt, credit, and investing — plus free calculators for compound interest, loan EMI, inflation, savings goals, emergency funds, and net worth. My expertise covers: — How financial hardship unfolds for middle-class Indian families — Plain-English finance for complete beginners — Budgeting and saving on tight or irregular incomes — Psychological and practical barriers to financial resilience — The Indian financial system — RBI policy, CIBIL scores, PPF, SSY, fixed deposits I am available as a source for stories on personal finance, financial resilience, money mistakes, budgeting for beginners, debt management, financial literacy gaps, and personal finance in India. Website: https://themoneydecoded.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/tapabrata-biswas-94230b2b5/

CA Prateek Mittal is a seasoned financial expert and IBBI Registered Valuer with over two decades of experience in business valuations, corporate finance, and strategic advisory. As the Director of Valuations at [FinVal Research & Consultancy](https://finvalresearch.in), he specializes in delivering high-authority compliance and advisory solutions, including ESOP valuations, corporate guarantee valuations, and startup advisory. A thought leader in the evolving corporate landscape, Prateek frequently publishes insights on cutting-edge industry shifts, from integrating AI and Big Data into valuation practices to navigating ESG compliance risks and supply chain crises. Alongside his valuation expertise, he serves as a Virtual CFO, helping businesses optimize their financial strategies, secure fundraising mandates, and drive operational efficiencies. --- ### Key Media Angles & Topics I Can Comment On: * Regulatory & Compliance Valuations: Deep dives into ESOPs, Corporate Guarantees, and international accounting standards. * The Intersection of Finance & Tech: How AI, big data, and automated tools are transforming modern valuation models. * Startup Ecosystem & Fundraising: Strategic structuring, mid-market growth challenges, and investment readiness. * Risk Management: Evaluating ESG compliance risks and implementing Virtual CFO frameworks during economic volatility.

Helping companies get mentioned in LLMs and gaining a deep understanding of why and where they need to be cited.

Dr. Maria James, PhD, known as The Money Scientist, is the founder of Pocket of Money and the creator of W.I.S.E. Financial Fitness, a science-led approach to personal and workplace financial wellness. With more than 19 years of experience designing and managing financial systems, Dr. James helps individuals and organizations move beyond budgeting advice to measurable, behavior-based financial improvement. Trained as a cellular and molecular medicine scientist, Dr. James applies the same evidence-based thinking, analytical rigor, and protocol-driven methodology used in medical research to money management. While completing her PhD, she tested and refined her own financial systems, saving over $10,000 on a $23,000 after-tax stipend, proving that financial outcomes improve when decisions are guided by data, structure, and repeatable processes rather than motivation alone. Through her work, Dr. James has helped clients identify financial “leakage,” reduce chronic overspending, and reclaim thousands of dollars per month, often without increasing income. Her work focuses on cash-flow optimization, decision science, and sustainable habit change, making her approach especially effective for high-stress professionals and organizations seeking scalable financial wellness solutions. Dr. James has been featured as a financial wellness expert in Forbes, ESSENCE, MadameNoire, The Frugal Feminista, WEAA 88.9, Clever Girl Finance Podcast, and Journey to Launch Podcast, among others. Her contributions to financial education and innovation have earned national and international recognition, including: Best Personal Finance Business – USA, Worldwide Finance Awards (2023) Excellence Award in Personal Finance Consulting, World Finance Awards (2022) Citation from the Maryland House of Delegates for dedication to financial literacy (2021) Money Management Innovator of the Year – Most Inspirational Woman in Financial Services (2019) Dr. James’ mission is to make financial wellness practical, measurable, and repeatable so people can stop guessing with their money and start managing it with confidence and clarity.

Timothy Gocklin, MBA, MSF, is the Editor-in-Chief of Terrene Globe, a finance news platform covering global markets, macroeconomic trends, and investment strategies. With advanced degrees in business administration and finance, he provides data-driven insights on economic policy, stock market movements, and international finance.

We provide financing solutions from $25,000 to $10,000,000+ for small businesses and middle market companies. As passionate entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, it's our mission to share our experiences and expertise with small and medium sized businesses looking for help and advice in securing financing for their business. While i'm not in the office I enjoy spending most of my time with family and close friends. Whether it be on the beach surfing, or in the mountains skiing, my favorite thing to do is to just be outdoors.

I research how climate risk is repricing American mortgage credit. My work applies causal machine learning (Double Machine Learning, Causal Forests) and explainable AI to more than 22 million U.S. mortgage records — Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae loan-level data and a 622,000-observation national panel across 2,827 counties — matched to FEMA disaster and flood-risk data, with the core study under review at the International Review of Financial Analysis (Elsevier). Springer & IEEE published author; Program Committee Member, IEEE CIFEr 2026. Before research, I spent five years in bank credit operations at Emirates Islamic Bank in Dubai. I can speak to: climate risk in housing markets, mortgage default and credit modeling, FEMA/NFIP flood risk data, explainable AI in finance, and GSE pricing (LLPAs). Fast on deadline — data points and quotes within the hour. Full press kit: mujahidmerchant.com

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I am Asim Ahmad, Founder and Editor of FinanceFirst, a consumer-finance education and research publication. My work focuses on the financial systems and product terms that affect everyday households, especially when cash flow is tight or important information is difficult to understand. I research banking access, overdraft and NSF fees, credit cards, debt repayment, emergency savings, insurance gaps, budgeting, and financial resilience. I turn public data and primary sources from organizations such as the Federal Reserve, FDIC, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau into plain-English analysis, practical checklists, and original research reports. A central focus of my work is the difference between having access to a financial product and being able to use it safely and predictably. My Banking Friction Report 2026 examines who remains unbanked or underbanked, who reports overdraft fees, how payment timing creates risk, and which account settings consumers should verify. I contribute as a consumer-finance educator, researcher, publisher, and editor. I am not a licensed financial advisor, investment professional, tax professional, insurance agent, attorney, or economist. My work is educational, source-led, and not individualized financial advice.

As the CEO and Founder of Crusaders for Change® (C4C), LLC, our team delivers a specialized approach to financial stewardship that focuses on the human heart and the emotional weight of money as much as the numbers. Led by a team of Accredited Financial Counselors®️, we have built a dedicated space where genuine financial healing and long-term freedom are achievable for families from all walks of life. Within the corporate and organizational sector, we developed our signature Financial Wellness Program to directly combat the "silent tax" of financial stress that often plagues the workplace. By addressing these stressors through professional counseling and support, we partner with businesses to improve employee retention, boost productivity, and foster a culture of total well-being. Our commitment to community impact is further realized through our proprietary Community Financial Empowerment Series®, where we offer transformative educational workshops and personalized one-on-one counseling designed to help individuals regain confidence, clarity, and control over their financial futures. We also engage a global audience through the Yahweh’s Money® Podcast, which provides spiritual and practical stewardship guidance, and the Tickle My Money Bone!® platform, which utilizes humor and comedy to demystify complex financial topics and break down the barriers of money-related anxiety. With over two decades of professional experience and a highly decorated history of leadership, our mission remains centered on equipping families and organizations with the tools to transition from financial overwhelm to a future of abundance, resilience, and intentional peace.

Michael McAuliffe is the President and Founder of Family Credit Management, a national nonprofit credit counseling organization with more than 30 years of experience helping families navigate debt. His career spans the entire credit lifecycle, from launching credit card programs at regional banks to managing collections and leading consumer advocacy, giving him a rare, inside-out understanding of how the credit system operates and where it lets people down. A former college instructor in personal finance and business management, Michael is recognized by journalists for making complex credit and economic topics genuinely accessible. He's a frequent, media-trained commentator on credit card delinquency trends, interest rate policy, predatory lending, and generational financial habits, and has appeared on CNBC, MSNBC, CBS News, MarketWatch, U.S. News & World Report, and Yahoo Finance. He is comfortable speaking on all topics related to consumer debt and personal finance.

Business Leader, Global Policy Expert, Media Personality, Author, Philanthropist, Founder at GCBR and TCSL Campaign Also Shinespot Light Cultivating Awareness Podcast, Fridays For Future Richmond (Richmond Park) and number of projects. Aquayemi-Claude Garnett Akinsanya is a multifaceted social entrepreneur, media strategist and sustainability advocate with over 7 years of experience in building impactful brands and campaigns. As CEO and founder of Garnetts Clothing Brand & Range and The Claudes SEN Law Campaign, he merges fashion, social justice and environmental advocacy to drive meaningful change. He is also a recognized public speaker and thought leader, featured by Forbes for his expertise in marketing and business growth strategies. Aquayemi-Claude has won the 2024 Global Recognition Award for his contributions to sustainable fashion, social justice and environmental causes. With a strong background in media, communications and nonprofit leadership, he actively mentors startup founders, influences policy on disability rights and promotes diversity and inclusion through board-level advisory roles.

I'm Janet Lee, founder of Doing Well. We do financial life coaching, remotely, with clients across the United States. Here's who we work with: People who make good money and still go negative most months. People who haven't opened their banking app in weeks and know it's bad. First-gen professionals, career pivoters, couples, and people in their late 20s and 30s who were never taught this and are too embarrassed to ask. We skip the info dump. We pull your accounts, go back three months, clean up your books ourselves, and build a budget based on reality. Then we stay in your corner. Monthly check-ins, done-for-you bookkeeping, and adjustments when your rent goes up or your income changes. We're coaches. We don't manage investments or sell financial products. We work on the money moving through your life right now. Spending, debt, saving, and the habits behind them. I started this because I was that person. Master's in health sciences, MBA on a full-ride scholarship, a few businesses, then tech and AI. By every external measure I was doing well. Money still felt hard. I grew up a child of immigrants who ran their own small businesses, so 401(k)s were never part of the picture and money wasn't something we talked about. Cautious, anxious, never quite enough. It took until my late 20s to see how much of that I'd carried with me. My work has been featured in The New York Times, CNBC, and CNBC Make It. 7,000+ people read our newsletter every Saturday morning. What I can speak to: budgeting and cash flow for high earners, debt payoff, emergency funds, money and relationships, financial anxiety and avoidance, scarcity mindset, first-gen money dynamics, irregular and freelance income, and what a coach does that a budgeting app doesn't.

Andrea is an entrepreneur & global expert in 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. He is the founder & "Chief Earth Officer" (i.e. a CEO on a mission for our planet) at 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦.𝐜𝐨𝐦, a leading sustainability information and data platform, and one of Angel List’s ‘𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞’. In 2024, illuminem achieved "the most participated round by key climate investors worldwide" and "the region's highest valuation for an early-stage climate company". Andrea is also the 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐄𝐂 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬 (Europe's #1 business school), where he teaches Europe’s only Greentech course, with the goal of developing the next generation of sustainability leaders. Previous to illuminem, he served as the 𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩’𝐬 (𝐁𝐂𝐆) 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧, leading projects on sustainable investments and innovation for multinationals & governments. Andrea has been recognized by the 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 as one of the 50 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 '𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬' ("civil society leaders making the change we need to see"), and by Startup Italia as one of '𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲’𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬'. He is the Sustainability & Innovation 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫, Der Standard; a published author in the Journal of Financial Engineering; and a speaker at events hosted by COP, Davos, and universities around the world. His latest TEDx on ESG has become “the most-watched talk in Italian on sustainability.”

**Named one of Empower's "Top 50 Women in Personal Finance" in 2018**I'm a nationally recognized personal finance expert, keynote speaker, top 0.1% podcaster, and award-winning author of multiple books. My latest title, "Money-Smart Solopreneur: A Personal Finance System for Freelancers, Entrepreneurs, and Side-Hustlers" (Entrepreneur Press 2020), was an Amazon #1 New Release.I create multimedia content and have written and hosted the weekly, top-rated Money Girl podcast since 2008, with more than 44 million downloads. The show inspired my first book, "Money Girl's Smart Moves to Grow Rich" (Macmillan's St. Martin's Press), which won the 2011 EIFLE (Excellence in Financial Literacy Education) award.For over a decade, I've been a consumer advocate and spokesperson, communicating with audiences in relatable ways. I collaborate with diverse organizations, producers, advertising firms, and PR teams to expand audiences and achieve business goals through strategic multimedia campaigns.I partner with top brands as an expert spokesperson and speaker to amplify messages through satellite media tours (SMTs), live and online events, influencer campaigns, and content marketing. I have broad experience in public relations, marketing strategy, and creating attention-grabbing media communications. As a sought-after media source, I’ve completed more than 2,500 interviews with top national outlets, including ABC World News, CBS, FOX, NBC News, NBC The Today Show, PBS Nightly Business Report, Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Radio, NPR, and many regional shows.In print and online, my advice has been featured thousands of times in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, Kiplinger's, Money, Business Insider, Consumer Reports, MSN, CNBC, Forbes, Fortune, Entrepreneur, Real Simple, Huffington Post and many more. Please download my Services Sheet here: https://lauradadams.com/work-with-laura-adamsSpecialties: Personal finance speaker, money speaker, small business speaker, public speaking, personal finance expert, small business expert, money expert, cryptocurrency, video, voiceover, national broadcast, media, spokesperson, money spokesperson, personal finance spokesperson, public relations, satellite media tour, SMT, retirement, debt, credit, insurance, banking, saving, podcasting.

I write analysis on geoeconomics and the dollar at Hegemoney.com I am the Chief Economist at Column, a nationally chartered bank and technology company in San Francisco. For thirteen years I served as a senior economist at the Departments of Treasury, State, and the CIA. I am also a former FX strategist and derivatives trader. I have years of experience in sanctions, international currencies, financial infrastructure (SWIFT, international payment systems), tech, and macro conditions around the dollar.

Misha Ghosh, Founder & CEO, IDiyas | Prolific Inventor & Strategic Innovation Leader Misha Ghosh is a globally recognized innovator and the Founder of IDiyas, a premier platform that democratizes patent analytics and inventor statistics. With a career spanning over two decades at the intersection of fintech and intellectual property, Misha has established himself as a preeminent authority on building institutional innovation engines. He writes a weekly newsletter that goes to over 50k inventors and patent attorneys worldwide. A prolific inventor, Misha holds 100 issued U.S. utility patents with more than 100 additional filings pending worldwide. His ability to translate complex technical concepts into commercial assets has earned him the highest accolades from the world’s leading financial institutions: Wells Fargo: Inducted into the Inventor Hall of Fame (2023). Mastercard: Awarded "Most Innovative Product" (2014). Bank of America: Named "Inventor of the Year" (2008). Today, through IDiyas, he leverages his deep expertise in "Patent Velocity" and alternative data to provide strategic insights to a global audience of inventors, investors, IP Attorneys, and Fortune 500 leaders.