3 mins in Development Finance/ wk 14
5 min readApr 15, 2021
My weekly reading list for those interested in development finance and Impact investing focused on developing countries.
IFC and World Bank
- (05.04.21) IMF and World Bank Meetings: Bold Debt Relief Needs to Be on Agenda | Bloomberg
- (05.04.21) World Bank forecasts Niger, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire to make big recovery in 2021 | The African Report
- (05.04.21) World Bank Chief Says G-20 Likely to Extend Debt-Suspension Plan | BNN Bloomberg
- (07.04.21) World Bank, IMF eye ways to link debt relief to climate change spending | Financial Post
- (07.04.21) Boosting Internet Connectivity in the Kyrgyz Republic | The World Bank
- (08.04.21) Bangladesh Solar Home Systems Provide Clean Energy for 20 million People | The World Bank
- (09.04.21) Innovative Restoration Plans for Aral Sea Region Announced at Global Disruptive Tech Challenge 2021 | The World Bank
- (10.04.21) IFC proposes $50mn debt finance for Thar Surya solar power project | Business Standard News
ADB
- (07.04.21) Solving Urban Challenges with Citywide Inclusive Sanitation | Asian Development Bank
- (08.04.21) $484 Million ADB Loan to Upgrade Road Network in Tamil Nadu Industrial Corridor | Asian Development Bank
- (08.04.21) ADB Sells Record $5 Billion 5-Year Global Benchmark Bond | Asian Development Bank
- (10.04.21) Climate Finance: Climate Actions at Center of Development and Recovery — Modern Diplomacy
AfDB
- (05.04.21) Domestic resource mobilisation key for Zimbabwe — AfDB | The Herald
- (06.04.21) FG, AfDB to set up $500m fund for tech, creative sectors | The Guardian Nigeria
- (06.04.21) AfDB approves €145m loan for rail upgrade works in Egypt | Railway Technology
- (07.04.21) Callable Capital Rise Highlights AfDB’s Shareholder Support | Fitch Ratings
- (07.04.21) OPINION: African agriculture is ready for a digital revolution | African Development Bank
- (09.04.21) Ghana turns to capital markets for 2021 budget | ALB Article
- (09.04.21) Greenpeace weighs in on AfDB, African leaders’ climate discussion | Creamer Media’s Engineering News
EIB / EBRD
EIB
EBRD
- (07.04.21) EBRD President: Turkey central bank shakeup raises financial stability concerns | Reuters
- (07.04.21) The EBRD launches a USD 850 million 5-year Global SOFR FRN | EBRD
- (08.04.21) ESG importance continues rise in investors’ weighting despite Covid-19 pandemic | EBRD
EBRD / AIIB
CDC
- (05.04.21) Warehousing yields decline as global players race to invest in assets | Business Standard News
- (08.09.21) Unlocking private climate finance in emerging markets | CDC Group
- (07.04.21) Development finance and the digital revolution | CDC Group
- (09.04.21) How investment can have an indirect impact on poverty — and why that’s not the same as trickledown economics | CDC Group
DFC
FMO
- (05.04.21) Dutch development bank FMO to invest $137 mn in India’s Green Growth Equity Fund | MENAFN.COM
- (07.04.21) Dutch bank to invest $50m in Bangladesh microfinance lender | Nikkei Asia
- (08.04.21) Evaluation by Dutch State: FMO provides much-needed flexible and long-term financing | FMO
- (08.04.21) Evaluation MASSIF: meaningful contribution to financial inclusion | FMO
- (08.04.21) Northern Arc raises USD 25mln in debt financing from FMO | FMO
PROPARCO / FMO
Norfund
Misc Content in Development Finance
- (07.04.21) Op-ed: The importance of increased financial inclusion of the ASM sector | Mining Review Africa
- (07.04.21) Impact Finance Bulletin: Kiva Capital Management closes refugee investment fund at $32m | Pioneers Post
- (07.04.21) Interest in impact investing increases | Advisor’s Edge
- (08.04.21) Investment consultants endorse impact investing principles for pensions | News | IPE
- (08.04.21) U.S. Consumers Can’t Save Emerging Markets Without China’s Help | Bloomberg
Misc Technology
- (04.04.21) Novus: 5 Reasons Why Fintech is the Hottest Place to Be for Women | The Fintech Times
- (04.04.21) COVID-19 crisis accelerated digital transformation, financial inclusion: Summit CEO | MENAFN.COM
- (05.04.21) Sawari Ventures closes $71 million fund for Egyptian tech startups | Wamda
- (05.04.21) Who’s who in Fintech: The Middle East and Africa 2021 | The Fintech Times
- (06.04.21) KKR closes $15 billion fund targeting consumption and urbanization in Asia | TechCrunch
- (08.04.21) Fintech Firms, NGOs Launch New Push For Carbon-Free Cryptocurrencies | Forbes
Misc Gender
- (-.07.20) A GUIDE FOR INVESTORS IN EMERGING MARKETS — A How To Guide How To Invest With A Gender Lens | Value for Women
- (-.03.21) PUBLICATION — Gender lens investing in Southeast Asia: A snapshot of progress in Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam | Value for Women
Misc Sustainability
- (05.04.21) How to invest in ESG sustainably, Banking & Finance — The Business Times
- (05.04.21) SDGs Could Be Pushed 10 More Years without Immediate Action: Financing Report | IISD, SDG Knowledge Hub
- (05.04.21) Why private-market investments are well suited for ESG impact | Wealth Professional
- (06.04.21) ****’More to come’: Schroders targets impact and thematics in ESG launch plans | Investment Week
- (06.04.21) Building Back Green | Global Finance Magazine
- (07.04.21) Chinese private equity targets record fundraisings | Financial Times
- (07.04.21) Sustainable investing is finally hot in India. But it’s not what you think | The Ken
- (07.04.21) Sustainable investment leaders interview: Unigestion’s Razmpa on the industry making more progress ‘in past six months’ than over the past four years | Investment Week
- (08.04.21) How Sustainable Investing Could Drive Inflation Higher | Barron’s
Subscription Required
- (07.04.21) 4 questions on the scope of gender lens investing | Financial Planning
- (08.04.21) IFC mulls $15m investment in UOB Venture Management’s second impact fund | Deal Street Asia
- (09.04.21) IFC proposes to extend $100m loan to ChrysCapital-backed Hero FinCorp | Deal Street Asia
- (09.04.21) Sustainable Investing Has a Language Problem | Morningstar
- (09.04.21) Out of Trump’s Shadow, World Bank President Embraces Climate Fight — The New York Times
Upcoming Webinar
- 14 April, 2021: Africa Information Highway (AIH) Live Exchange #Session 5 | African Development Bank “Learn about international open data rankings and how African countries can improve their positions. It will provide participants with clear and specific guidance on leveraging the power of open data platforms.”
- 14–15 April, 2021: African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA) Annual Meeting | African Development Bank “The Annual Meeting will gather key stakeholders to explore the implications of the Alliance’s report “Five Big Bets for the Circular Economy in Africa”, which was conducted to identify prospects in the African market. Five opportunity areas, eponymously referred to as the “Five Big Bets,” were mapped as highly promising sectors for upscaling circular value chains in Africa. These include food systems, packaging, the built environment, fashion & textiles, and electronics.”
- April 15, 2021: The impact of pan-African banks on financial development in sub-Saharan Africa | African Development Bank “In the latest session, authors Sherillyn Raga and Judith Tyson will present findings from this timely research, and answer questions from the audience.”
- April 27, 2021: Ralph De Haas (EBRD) — Managerial and Financial Barriers to the Net-Zero Transition | Bank of Finland Research Institute **Abstract:** We use data on 11,233 firms across 22 emerging markets to analyze how credit constraints and low-quality firm management inhibit corporate investment in green technologies.
- June 22–25 : Sustainable Investment Festival — Registrations open!
If you have suggestions for articles that should be featured in future lists, please drop me a note and follow me on LinkedIn.
