Nemr Kanafani

Nemr Kanafani is a Senior Economist at The Conference Board. He covers the economies of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and global energy markets.

Prior to joining The Conference Board, Kanafani worked at the National Bank of Kuwait, where he was head of economic research and senior economist. During his time at Kuwait’s leading commercial bank, his work focused on the economies of the Gulf countries and Egypt, as well as developments in oil markets. He also frequently wrote about the banking and financial sectors and has a strong familiarity with GCC banking and the financial regulatory environment.

Kanafani holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Truman State University in Missouri.

Kanafani volunteered with Kiva.org, facilitating the implementation of the Kiva microlending platform at its Lebanese partner Ameen, a registered financial institution offering micro-loans to customers across Lebanon. He also worked at the Central Bank of Kuwait.