South Pacific Business Development

Ron Bevacqua has 30 years of experience in banking and finance in Asia. He was the chief economist for Merrill Lynch and Commerz Securities in Japan (1993-2002), and a contributing editor for the Economist Intelligence Unit in Tokyo and Hong Kong, covering business and finance.

In 2009, Ron co-founded ACCESS Advisory, a non-profit technical service provider promoting rural financial inclusion and farm and enterprise development across the Asia-Pacific Region. Headquartered in the Philippines and with teams in Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Nepal, ACCESS has worked with hundreds of banks, cooperatives, and microfinance institutions to develop products and services that enable smallholder farmers, rural entrepreneurs, migrants and their family members to save and invest in themselves and their farms and businesses. ACCESS has also developed uniquely effective approaches to agri-value chain development and financial education.

Ron holds a master’s degree in international political economy from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in East Asian economics and politics from the University of California, San Diego.