Pwint Htun

Pwint Htun is the founder and president of Mobilizing Myanmar, a digital and financial inclusion start-up, and a non-resident Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. Htun is also an engineer and executive with experience in the U.S. telecommunication industry, a social entrepreneur, and an architect of Myanmar’s digital financial services industry. Since 2012, she advised the government of Myanmar on digital inclusion and digital financial services for the poor. In 2014, Htun led successful efforts to draft Mobile Financial Services Regulations that are now enacted by the Central Bank of Myanmar.

Her work is focused on fostering economic empowerment and financial resilience for women. She has long advocated for women, rural, and poor populations to have access to information, finance, and a social safety net through technology.

Originally from a rural village in Myanmar, Htun earned a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington, a Masters of Engineering Management from Northwestern University, and Executive Education training from Harvard Business School. She worked for two decades on innovation in the U.S. telecommunications industry at T-Mobile, Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies.