Xavier Giné is Director of the World Development Report 2025 and Lead Economist on the Prosperity Research Team of the Development Research Group. He is a BREAD affiliate and Associate Editor for the Journal of Development Economics, and has served as Academic Director of the IPA Consumer Protection Research Initiative since 2019. Since joining the World Bank as a Young Economist in 2002, his research has focused on access to financial services—particularly microfinance and microinsurance, including weather insurance—digital financial services, and consumer protection. His work examines how the design, costs, and competitive structure of digital payment systems and mobile money markets affect usage, pricing, and inclusion, as well as how information and regulatory frameworks shape consumer outcomes. More recently, as Director of the World Development Report 2025, his research has emphasized the role of standards, measurement, and quality infrastructure in shaping productivity, firm behavior, trade, and development outcomes. Prior to joining the World Bank, he was a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at the Economic Growth Center at Yale University. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Spain, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago.