Grameen Foundation and Yunus Social Business Unite to Build the Future of Locally Led Development

Grameen Foundation and Yunus Social Business Unite to Build the Future of Locally Led Development

[Washington, D.C.] - [11/06/25] - Grameen Foundation (GF) and Yunus Social Business (YSB) today announced a strategic Alliance that unites their expertise, resources, and global reach to accelerate sustainable solutions to poverty and hunger.

Both organizations trace their roots to a simple but powerful observation made by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus: financial institutions were created to serve people with money, not those without. His insight, that access to finance must reach the poorest to enable them to walk out of poverty, sparked a global movement that underpins the work of both Grameen Foundation and Yunus Social Business today.

This Alliance builds on GF's nearly three decades of investing in the power of women farmers and entrepreneurs and YSB's pioneering work in social business investment. Together, the Alliance will scale inclusive finance, agribusiness initiatives, and innovative agricultural solutions, anchored in a model that combines global presence with locally led leadership.

A Global Alliance with Strong Local Roots

With India as a hub of innovation and leadership, we will continue to strengthen programs across Asia and Africa led by regional leadership ensuring solutions are shaped by local priorities.

"This is about more than two organizations joining forces, it's about creating a collective with the scale, leadership, and vision to meet the world's most urgent challenges," said Elisabeth Rhyne, Board Chair of Grameen Foundation. "The two organizations demonstrate what's possible when global strategy meets local leadership. This Alliance positions us to replicate that across continents."

Leadership to Drive the Next Chapter

• Suresh Krishna, Co-Founder and CEO of YSB, will lead the Alliance as Global CEO.
  
  
• Sabrina Quaraishi, a long-serving senior leader at Grameen, will become President & CEO of Grameen Foundation USA, ensuring continuity and a strong U.S. voice in the Alliance.
  
  
• Zubaida Bai, the outgoing GF President & CEO, will transition into the role of Senior Strategic Advisor, where she will also serve as a thought leader on the future of development practice.

Under Zubaida Bai's leadership, Grameen Foundation grew its global footprint, expanded its programs supporting women and smallholder farmers, and developed a forward-looking strategy that positioned the organization for this historic Alliance.

"Leading Grameen Foundation has been a tremendous honor," said Zubaida Bai. "But this new chapter is about shaping the future of global development practice. By uniting our collective strengths, guided by local leadership and anchored by a global board in India, we are creating a model of development that is sustainable, scalable, and deeply responsive to communities."

"This Alliance represents a bold step toward reshaping how the world tackles poverty and hunger," said Suresh Krishna. "With strong leadership in India, Asia, and across Africa, we are unlocking the next generation of solutions, globally connected, locally rooted, and built for scale."

Incoming President & CEO of GF, Sabrina Quaraishi, added: "I am honored to lead Grameen Foundation into this new era. With deep roots in communities and the strength of a global Alliance, we are poised to expand our impact, supporting millions of women and families to grow their businesses and build sustainable futures."

GF Founder, Alex Counts, noted: "I applaud this Alliance in how it will amplify the impact of the two organizations."

Together, Grameen Foundation and Yunus Social Business will harness blended finance, agribusiness investments, and innovative agricultural solutions to deliver transformative, locally led programs across multiple regions.

Media Contact:
Rebecca Abbey
Grameen Foundation
[email protected]

grameenfoundation.org