Our experience · Assignments across four regions
Experience Across Economies, Institutions and Markets
SABAAN's consultancy practice is built on more than two decades of international experience across economic transformation, financial sector development, private sector development, institutional strengthening, inclusive finance, digital finance and economic recovery.
Our experience spans national strategies, financial-sector reform, institutional advisory, technical assistance, research, capacity development and implementation in developed, emerging and fragile economies.
Featured Experience
Selected Stories from Our Work
Behind every assignment is a different institutional or economic challenge. Selected case studies provide a closer look at how our expertise has been applied in practice.
- Technical Assistance to Housing Finance Bank, UgandaTechnical assistance supporting institutional capacity, gender finance and 2X alignment, operational readiness, and effective deployment of EIB financing through Housing Finance Bank.Learn More
- Gender and Financial Inclusion Diagnostic – Ghana’s Financial SectorA comprehensive diagnostic of Ghana’s financial sector ecosystem covering banks, microfinance, rural and community banks, digital finance, insurance, pensions, equity and venture capital, with attention to demand- and supply-side barriers.Learn More
- Industrial Development Strategy Framework – YemenAssessment of industrial development potential covering MSMEs, finance, trade, labour skills, education, green industry and strategic pathways for industrial growth.Learn More
- Yemen Strategy FrameworkContribution to a long-term reconstruction and development vision for Yemen, including phased interventions, economic recovery priorities, ecosystem development and sustainable growth pathways.Learn More
- Financial Sector Regulatory Reform & Financial InfrastructureExpanding access to finance requires more than financial institutions. It also requires laws, regulations, registries and market infrastructure that enable financial products to function effectively — the work this assignment addressed with regulators, government institutions and financial institutions.Learn More
- Financial Technology: A Genie Out of the BottleAnalysis of financial technology and its implications for financial inclusion, customer experience, regulation, economic growth and innovation ecosystems in MENA and Europe.Learn More
Selected Experience
Selected Experience
SABAAN and its leadership and expert network bring experience from assignments with governments, development finance institutions, international organizations, financial institutions and private sector actors across MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Asia.
16 of 16 assignments
- Technical Assistance to Housing Finance Bank, UgandaTechnical assistance supporting institutional capacity, gender finance and 2X alignment, operational readiness, and effective deployment of EIB financing through Housing Finance Bank.
- Gender and Financial Inclusion Diagnostic – Ghana’s Financial SectorA comprehensive diagnostic of Ghana’s financial sector ecosystem covering banks, microfinance, rural and community banks, digital finance, insurance, pensions, equity and venture capital, with attention to demand- and supply-side barriers.
- Industrial Development Strategy Framework – YemenAssessment of industrial development potential covering MSMEs, finance, trade, labour skills, education, green industry and strategic pathways for industrial growth.
- Yemen Strategy FrameworkContribution to a long-term reconstruction and development vision for Yemen, including phased interventions, economic recovery priorities, ecosystem development and sustainable growth pathways.
- Mapping the Financial Sector in YemenAssessment of Yemen’s banking and financial landscape, including potential partners, sector risks, institutional performance and opportunities for financial sector development.
- Financial Sector Regulatory Reform & Financial InfrastructureExpanding access to finance requires more than financial institutions. It also requires laws, regulations, registries and market infrastructure that enable financial products to function effectively — the work this assignment addressed with regulators, government institutions and financial institutions.
- Digital Financial Services StrategyDigital financial services can provide an important pathway for expanding access to finance in markets where traditional banking infrastructure remains limited. The work supported the development of a Digital Financial Services Strategy for Yemen's banking sector.
- Financial Technology: A Genie Out of the BottleAnalysis of financial technology and its implications for financial inclusion, customer experience, regulation, economic growth and innovation ecosystems in MENA and Europe.
- Enhancing Policy and Funding Support for Innovation-Driven Enterprises in YemenPolicy research on innovation-driven enterprises, early-stage finance, diaspora investment, regulatory reform and practical measures to strengthen Yemen’s start-up and innovation ecosystem.
- The Economic Implications of COVID-19 in Yemen and the Role of the Private SectorAnalysis of Yemen’s economic and humanitarian crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of private sector initiatives in supporting vulnerable populations and economic resilience.
- Economic Recovery, Resilience & Peace-Driven EconomiesExperience addressing economic and institutional challenges in fragile, conflict-affected and recovering environments, with a focus on strengthening institutions, supporting private sector resilience, rebuilding economic opportunities and connecting short-term recovery with longer-term economic development.
- Leasing Market Development & Financial-Sector ReformFinancial-sector and leasing-market development experience across African markets, combining market diagnostics, regulatory development, institutional engagement, training and financial-sector capacity development, including work in post-conflict economies.
- Microfinance Institutional StrengtheningAdvisory and capacity-development support to five microfinance institutions across Yemen, including institutional assessments, financial analysis, strategic planning, product development and staff capacity building.
- Private Sector Development, Entrepreneurship & Economic OpportunityExperience designing and supporting programmes that strengthen entrepreneurship, MSME development, access to finance, value chains and private sector participation, including work in fragile and conflict-affected environments where businesses play a critical role in economic resilience and recovery.
- Islamic Finance Training ModuleTraining content covering Islamic finance principles, contracts, market infrastructure, regulatory frameworks and instruments including Murabaha, Musharakah and Sukuk.
- Research, Policy & Strategic AdvisoryExtensive research and advisory experience producing economic and financial-sector diagnostics, national and sector strategies, policy analysis, institutional assessments and recommendations designed to support evidence-based decision-making and practical reform.
Fragile & Recovering Economies
Supporting Recovery, Resilience and Economic Transformation
Working in fragile and conflict-affected environments requires more than technical expertise. It requires an understanding of how institutions, financial systems, businesses and communities continue to function under conditions of uncertainty and how they can contribute to recovery.
SABAAN's experience includes work related to economic recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation, institutional resilience, private sector recovery, financial-system development and the creation of economic opportunities in fragile and recovering environments.
Focus areas
- Economic Recovery
- Reconstruction & Rehabilitation
- Institutional Resilience
- Private Sector Recovery
- Financial-System Development
- Investment & Enterprise Development
- Inclusive Recovery
Geographic Experience
International Experience. Regional Understanding.
SABAAN and its expert network bring experience across MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Asia, working across developed, emerging, fragile and conflict-affected economies.
This represents project and professional experience, not SABAAN office locations. SABAAN is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.
- MENA
- Yemen · Saudi Arabia · Iraq
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Ghana · Uganda · Senegal · Tanzania · Liberia · Sierra Leone · Ethiopia · DRC
- Europe
- Sweden · Ukraine
- Asia
- Malaysia
Experience That Informs Our Thinking
From Experience to Knowledge
Our practical experience informs our research and thought leadership. Work across financial systems, institutions, markets and fragile economies has contributed to strategies, diagnostics, policy briefs, studies and publications covering economic transformation, financial-sector development, digital finance, private sector development, gender equality, innovation and economic recovery.
Experience Applied to Your Challenge
Every assignment requires a different combination of expertise, institutional understanding and contextual knowledge. SABAAN brings together the capabilities and experience required to support clients from strategic thinking through practical implementation.