3 mins in Development Finance/ wk 05
8 min readFeb 11, 2021
My weekly reading list for those interested in development finance and Impact investing focused on developing countries.
IFC and World Bank
- (28.01.21) World Bank Signs Project to Improve Quality of India’s Education System | World Bank
- (01.02.21) Bangladesh Receives $500 Million from World Bank to Improve Road and Digital Connectivity in Western Region | World Bank
- (02.02.21) Data transparency event organized by OSD at the 19th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC 2020) | World Bank
- (04.02.21) ) PasarPolis secures USD 5 million from World Bank’s IFC, plans regional expansion | KrASIA
- (04.02.21) In Milestone for SOFR Market World Bank Prices Longest Floating Rate Benchmark | World Bank
- (04.02.21) Cheap Money Is Reducing Demand From Nigerian Firms for IFC Loans | BNN Bloomberg
- (04.02.21) IFC Launches First Bond Swapped to USD SOFR — AUD $155 Million ‘Kangaroo’ Social Bond Tap Supporting Healthcare, Women Entrepreneurs and Basic Infrastructure Across Emerging Markets | IFC
- (05.02.21) IFC to boost microinsurance safety nets for Indonesia’s most vulnerable amid Covid-19 | The Star
- (05.02.21) Nigeria’s Power Sector Gets $500 Million Boost From World Bank | Bloomberg quint
- (06.02.21) INTERVIEW AUDIO — Pandemic Hits Global Poor: World Bank Projects Drop In Remittances | NPR
ADB
- (02.02.21) ADB, Japan to Strengthen Cooperation on Clean Energy in ASEAN Region | Asian Development Bank
- (05.02.21) WB, ADB join forces for a resilient recovery in South Asia |The Financial Express
AfDB
- (01.02.21) AfDB launches US$25bn drive to scale up African climate adaptation | The Chronicle
- (01.02.21) World Bank supports electrification program in Sierra Leone with $50mln | Ecofin Agency
- (01.02.21) S&P Global affirms African Development Bank’s AAA rating with stable outlook | African Development Bank
- (02.02.21) New sanitation and wastewater management benchmark tool highlights opportunities to boost health and economic growth in Africa | African Development Bank
- (03.02.21) AfDB has committed CFA265 billion to Togo so far, more to come | Togo First
- (04.02.21) AFRICA: AfDB, UNEP and Grid Publish Guide to Sustainable Sanitation | Afrik 21
- (04.02.21) African Development Bank, FAO and South Sudan’s government ink protocols for $14 million grant to boost agricultural markets | African Development Bank
- (05.02.21) How the COVID pandemic has spurred innovation in Africa’s fashion industry | African Development Bank
- (05.02.21) The African Development Bank and WHO cut sod for Public Health Emergency Operations Center building in Juba, South Sudan | African Development Bank
- (05.02.21) CHAD: GTC builds a drinking water supply in Kana | Afrik 21
- (06.02.21) Rwanda Gets Funding for Localized Artificial Intelligence System | KT PRESS
European Commission
EIB
EBRD
- (02.02.21) Tunisia: Ebrd, Enda Tamweel and Attijari Bank Support Microfinance in Tunisia | allAfrica.com
- (05.02.21) Tunisia’s power utility gets $359mln EBRD loan to improve QoS | Ecofin Agency
- (05.02.21) European bank backs Turkey’s green investments: Funds to boost resource efficiency, renewable energy projects, says European Bank for Reconstruction and Development | Anadolu Agency
- (07.02.21) EBRD, DEG and GEF promote private-to-private solar energy in Jordan with Yellow Door Energy | Construction Business News Middle East
AIIB
- (05.02.21) Pacific island nations turn to Beijing-backed AIIB as pandemic sinks economies | MarketScreener
- (03.02.21) AIIB to add 50 experts for private renewable investing | AsianInvestor
CDC Group / NorFund / Finnfund / FinDev Canada / BIO / PHATISA
CDC Group
- (03.02.21) CDC announces US$100 million investment in Alfa Medical Group, a leading Egyptian diagnostics and medical care company | CDC Group
- (02.02.21) Why gender-smart investing works for everyone, including men | CDC Group
- (04.02.21) Why making an impact and making a profit can be complementary forces | CDC Group
DEG
DFC
FMO
FinDEV
FinnFund
NorFund
- (04.02.21) Sub-Saharan African fund aims to create 2000 jobs in food and agriculture | Norfund
- (05.02.21) Norwegian investment in Kenyan renewable scheme | African Law & Business
PROPARCO
SIFEM
UN
- (28.01.21) Direct routes to Eastern Europe for Moroccan fruits and vegetables | Support to Investment | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- (01.02.21) REPORT — Investing in Peacebuilding Leadership — Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund — Strategic Plan Results 2017–2019 | OCHA Services, ReliefWeb
Misc Content in Development Finance
- (20.07.20) Investor Impact — How Can Investors Change the World? | University of Zurich, Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth, Medium
- (31.01.21) Impact Investing Through Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) | Forbes
- (01.02.21) Budget 2021: Government To Set Up Development Finance Institution | Boomberg Quint
- (01.02.21) What could ethical investing do for your returns? | The Market Herald
- (01.02.21) Budget 2021: Financial Inclusion Means New Portal For Unorganised Labour Sector | Forbes India
- (01.02.21) Going beyond binary investor personas | Wealth Professional
- (02.02.21) REPORT — New platform highlights impact investing opportunities within the creative economy | PBA
- (02.02.21) National DFI can fill key gap by funding infra firms in mid-growth stage | Business Standard News
- (03.02.21) Egypt’s total current portfolio of development funds hits $25B in 19/20 | EgyptToday
- (03.02.21) Go beyond setting up a development finance institution | Mint
- (03.02.21) Millions of Defaults Threaten Microfinance’s Future in India | BNN Bloomberg
- (03.02.21) COMESA Business Council backs digital financial inclusion for small businesses | The East African
- (03.02.21) VIDEO — All signs point to strong global growth: Bulltick’s Kathryn Rooney Vera | BNN Bloomberg
- (04.02.21) Bridging the Divide Between Impact Investing and Native America | Stanford Social Innovation Review
- (04.02.21) Financial Inclusion: How Spice Money is creating financial awareness and generating employment in rural India | YourStory
- (05.02.21) The sustainable funds that attracted over €1bn in Q4 2020 | Citywire
- (06.02.21) How Covid Took Niche Private Equity Deals Mainstream: QuickTake | Bloomberg
Misc Technology
- (31.01.21) Budget 2021 Expectations: What India’s fintech industry wants | The Economic Times
- (01.02.21) Biden makes ESG investing a key focus of new administration | Finfeed
- (02.02.21) BPC extends its regional partnership with Visa’s Fintech Fast Track Program | Finextra
- (02.02.21) REPORT — Fintech regulation: how to achieve a level playing field | BIS
- (02.02.21) The scale-up factor: Hong Kong’s fintech advantage in the post-pandemic world | FinExtra
- (02.02.21) PODCAST | Jeremy Leach: Accelerating financial inclusion with Insurtech | BusinessDay
- (03.02.21) VEON, Mastercard Team To Grow Financial Inclusion | PYMNTS.com
- (03.02.21) Why Bank + Fintech Partnerships Are Going Nowhere | The Financial Brand
- (03.02.21) Secondary Fintech regulations related to e-money Institutions (IFPEs) | JD Supra
- (03.02.21) GajiGesa, a fintech startup serving underbanked Indonesian workers, raises $2.5 million seed round | TechCrunch
- (04.02.21) PODCAST: China’s struggle for tech ascendancy, with Dan Wang of Gavekal Dragonomics
- (04.02.21) Fintech Startups Target Younger Audiences, Investor Interest In Financial Literacy | Crunchbase News
- (05.02.21) VEON, Mastercard enter into global partnership to boost digital financial services | ThePaypers
- (06.02.21) Top 10 Fintech News Stories for the Week Ending February 6, 2021 | LendIt Fintech News
- (07.02.21) Three trends that will drive fintech growth in 2021 | Fintech Magazine
Misc Gender
- (28.01.21) Schneider Electric included in Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for fourth consecutive year | Bloomberg
- (01.02.21) Put Women at the Center of Economic Recovery | Pivotal
- (01.02.21) PODCAST — 155 Amy Nauiokas: The CEO of Anthemis Group’s Journey from the Peace Corps to Managing Nearly $1 Billion | Something Ventured
- (03.02.21) How Gender-Smart Investing Increases Profits and Gender Equality | The Asia Foundation
- (04.02.21) Gender-lens Investing gaining momentum | Africa Global Funds
- (04.02.21) Financial feminism: A woman’s guide to investing for a sustainable future | Sustainable Business
- (05.02.21) Bihar plans financial inclusion of rural women by scaling up Jeevika | Hindustan Times
- (05.02.21) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Set to Become W.T.O.’s First Female Leader | NYT
- (07.02.21) Women led start-ups always struggled for money. Covid made it worse | The Print
Misc Sustainability
- (22.01.21) VIDEO — Webinar: Doughnut Economics in practice w/ Kate Raworth, Barbara Trachte & Marieke Van Doorninck | Oikos Denktank, YouTube
- (25.01.21) Kipeto Energy connects 100MW wind farm to Kenyan power grid | Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis
- (31.01.21) The unstoppable rise of sustainable investing post coronavirus | Arabianbusiness
- (02.02.21) Final Report — The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review | GOV.UK
- (03.02.21) Power for All: Energy access trends for 2021 | ESI-Africa.com
- (04.02.21) What new Amazon CEO Andy Jassy needs to do to become a leader in sustainability like Apple | MarketWatch
- (05.02.21) A paradigm shift in sustainable investment for Latin America | World Finance
- (05.02.21) The trends shaping sustainable investing in 2021 | InvestorDaily
Subscription Required
- (01.02.21) Sustainable investments face tougher times after 2020 boom | Private Equity News
- (02.02.21) IFC proposes to invest $3m in Bangladesh’s digital trucking platform Truck Lagbe | Deal Street Asia
- (04.02.21) IFC proposes to invest $10m in Nepal-focused Dolma Impact Fund II | Deal Street Asia
- (05.02.21) OECD Blended Finance: BlackRock chief says governments must play their part in decarbonisation | News | IPE
- (05.02.21) The Week in Impact Investing: Leadership | Impact Alpha
- (05.02.21) ESG funds defy havoc to ratchet huge inflows | FT
Upcoming Webinar & Investing Lab
- February 11, 2021: Money is nothing more than a mental construct. If you want to invest with impact, know your own mental construct. | Run The World
- “Relationship, to self, other, Nature and money is at the heart of this, not as philosophy or a nice-to-have but as a hands-on Koenig practice. Aside from the usual exchange and discussion in these sessions, Peter is offering to give a practical demonstration to any participants who would like to try his system out in situ.”
- February 18, 2021: Beyond ESG to Science-Based Investing | Run The World
- “A different approach in determining what type of investment is needed to restore the social and environmental balance. Hazel Henderson will disccuss how to go beyond ESG towards a Science-Based Investing.”
- February 25, 2021: The First Step to a Future-Fit Society: Bursting the ESG Bubble | Run The World
- “With supposedly 40 Trillion being committed to ESG and Impact, one has to ask why haven’t we seen improvements in society or environments. Perhaps the methodology for determining what is a sustainable company or investment needs to be re-evaluated.”
- March 4, 2021: How Artha resolves Impact Investing Challenges in our COVID-19 reality? | Run The World
- “Impact Investors struggle to find, do due diligence, invest, report, and support impact opportunities For many it is a new initiative. Audrey Selian, Head of Artha Impact (Hindi for goal, sense, purpose)will discuss how she has been able to address many of these challenges and dramatically increase interest and money flows.”
Call for Essays for Conference
If you have suggestions for articles that should be featured in future lists, please drop me a note and follow me on LinkedIN.