3 mins in Development Finance/ wk 17
8 min readMay 4, 2021
My weekly reading list for those interested in development finance and Impact investing focused on developing countries.
IFC and World Bank
- (01.04.21) internal presentation: World Bank revises climate policy but stops short of halting fossil fuel funding | ET EnergyWorld
- (05.04.21) VIDEO — World Bank Chief Economist Says Poor Nations Need Debt Forgiveness | BNN Bloomberg
- (26.04.21) IMF more optimistic than World Bank regarding economic growth this year | Togo First
- (26.04.21) Nigeria — FG rejects World Bank report on its power sector | ESI Africa
- (26.04.21) IFC could support Greenpoint’s African fund with $20mln | Ecofin Agency
- (26.04.21) Building Coastal Resilience to Protect Lives and Livelihoods in Bangladesh | The World Bank
- (26.04.21) Opportunities for Climate Finance in the Livestock Sector | The World Bank
- (27.04.21) $30m IFC loan to help Bangladesh cos stay afloat amid Covid | Dhaka Tribune
- (27.04.21) Daystar Power Group to receive $20 million debt financing from the IFC | Ecofin Agency
- (27.04.21) IFC International Finance : Provides $30 Million to BRAC Bank to Support Businesses During COVID-19 | MarketScreener
- (27.04.21) IFU and Symbiotics Provide $22.5M in Financing to Develop Financial Inclusion in Africa Through a Multi-Currency Bond | FinDev Gateway
- (27.04.21) Southern Africa Taps $380 Million in World Bank Financing to Facilitate Regional Trade and Investment for more Inclusive Growth | The World Bank
- (27.04.21) Improving Waste Management and Resource Efficiency: the Ningbo Experience | The World Bank
- (27.04.21) IFC, Crédit Agricole CIB Launch Landmark Transaction to Revive Emerging Market Trade Finance | IFC
- (28.04.21) IFC and Nigeria’s LAPO Partner to Expand Microfinance Lending in Sub-Saharan Africa | IFC
- (28.04.21) Supporting teachers using technology: 400 solutions from 80 countries | The World Bank
- (28.04.21) IFC’s DigiLab to Drive Digital Transformation of Financial Services in Europe and Central Asia | IFC
- (29.04.21) Tapping regional integration to bolster resilience in the Horn of Africa | the world Bank
- (29.04.21) IFC to invest $40 million in upGrad; promoters pare stake to 75% | The Economic Times
- (29.04.21) IFC looking to invest $20 million into capacity expansion project | ESI Africa
- (29.04.21) World Bank’s International Finance Corporation to invest in Prime Venture’s latest fund | VCCircle
- (29.04.21) More Than 35,000 Micro and Small Enterprises in Benin Will Receive Grants to Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19 | The World Bank
- (29.04.21) The World Bank Provides $250 million to Empower Angolan Girls and Tackle Learning Poverty | The World Bank
- (30.04.21) LISGIS Launches World Bank Five-Year’s HISWA Project in Liberia | Liberian Observer
- (01.05.21) World Bank to Support Scientific Research, Specialized Training in Morocco | Morocco World View
ADB
- (29.04.21) PODCAST — What Asia can do to maximize the impact of COVID-19’s fintech boost to financial inclusion | Asian Development Bank
- (29.04.21) Improve Quality of Life, Economic Opportunities in Cities to Build Sustainable Future — ADB | Asian Development Bank
- (01.05.21) Green and social finance central to Asia Pacific’s sustainable recovery | The Sunday Guardian Live
- (02.05.21) ADB for strengthening SMEs to boost Pakistan’s private sector development | The Nation
AfDB
- (26.04.21) New reports from African Development Bank, FAO and CGIAR showcase digital agriculture opportunities | African Development Bank
- (27.04.21) Banker-turned-poultry farmer becomes champion for African agriculture | African Development Bank
- (28.04.21) Côte d’Ivoire: Vulnerable households and small businesses find relief from government program to ease Covid-19 headaches | African Development Bank
- (28.04.21) Agriculture: Kogi State secures $100 million AfDB loan | Nairametrics
- (28.04.21) AfDB country gender profiles highlight prevalence of stereotypes | ESI Africa
- (28.04.21) AfDB to fund rehabilitation & construction of newly paved roads in Senegal | Construction Review
- (30.04.21) Niger to pump 15% of the state budget into Agriculture over the next five years | Ecofin Agency
- (30.04.21) African countries commit to double agricultural productivity as development banks and partners pledge over $17 billion to increase food security | African Development Bank
EIB
- (24.04.21) Unlocking sustainable investment with Africa is key priority for EU: Portuguese PM | Daily News Egypt
- (26.04.21) Green funding for Guinea and Mali to provide affordable electricity | ESI Africa
- (27.04.21) EIB and ADB improve management of public sector projects in Asia with a new procurement agreement | EIB
- (28.04.21) EIB issues its first ever digital bond on a public blockchain | EIB
- (28.04.21) Zimbabwe: CABS and EIB unveil EUR 15 million COVID resilience business financing initiative | EIB
- (28.04.21) Fitch Assigns European Investment Bank’s Proposed Digital Bond Issuance ‘AAA’ Rating | Fitch Ratings
- (30.04.21) Rare win for Nepal indigenous groups as EIB admits ‘gaps’ in hydropower project | Reuters
- (30.04.21) EIB’s Richard Teichmeister Says Revolution to Come From Blockchain | Bloomberg
EBRD / EIB
AIIB
CDC
- (28.04.21) CDC Group announces ₹250 CR investment into Fourth Partner Energy | CDC Group
- (28.04.21) Enhancing worker engagement with technology | CDC Group
- (28.04.21) Why climate finance should be gender-smart | CDC Group
- (29.04.21) CDC Group supports Uhuru Growth Fund I in reaching $113m first close | CDC Group
- (29.03.21) We’re launching a new partnership to advance green buildings | CDC Group
DEG
DFC
- (27.04.21) DFC commits $25mln for water projects in Africa | Ecofin Agency
- (27.04.21) 3 Countries That Benefit From The DFC | BORGEN Magazine
- (28.04.21) The Indo-Pacific Doesn’t Just Need Money to Cope With Climate Change. It Needs a Full Plan | Foreign Policy
FMO
FMO / OeEB / DEG / Swedfund
Finnfund
- (26.04.21) Finnfund backs ADP III with $26m | Africa Global Funds
- (30.04.21) Norsk Solar and Finnfund establish unique financing platform for impact investing in developing countries | Finnfund
PROPARCO
Misc Content in Development Finance
- (25.04.21) Project financing mechanism: Solution to Nigeria’s infrastructural deficit? | Nairametrics
- (26.04.21) Togolese PM tells UN top official about Togo’s progress in financial inclusion | Togo First
- (26.04.21) OPINION — Virtual banking and financial inclusion | Macau Business
- (26.04.21) ‘Seismic shift’: Aussies grasp the power of ethical investing | The Sydney Morning Herald
- (26.04.21) REPORT — Research Shows Mission Investing Outperforms Market | The NonProfit Times
- (26.04.21) New Study By Morrison & Foerster And Impact Capital Managers Details Variety Of Legal Tools And Processes Used By Private Capital Investors To Protect And Enhance Impact Investments | Mondaq
- (26.04.21) How treasurers can lead their company’s impact investing | Greenbiz
- (27.04.21) Action plan for increasing LDCs’ share of blended finance | Trade 4 Dev News
- (28.04.21) The future of impact | PBA
- (28.04.21) Healthcare-Focused Impact Investing: Another Way To Invest For Change | Forbes
- (29.04.21) PODCAST — Talking Headways Podcast: A New Conversation about Development Finance | Streetsblog USA
- (29.04.21) Doing the right thing pays off for ethical investors | BNN Bloomberg
- (30.04.21) Impact Investing: A Ruse? Or a Meaningful Tool in Reducing Inequality? | Inequality.org
- (30.04.21) Ricardo Scavazza: Further afield: Emerging markets and private equity | Investment Magazine
- (02.05.21) Institutional architecture for India’s development cooperation: A 2030 vision | ORF
Misc Technology
- (26.04.21) Regulation in the Era of Fintech | The Regulatory Review
- (27.04.21) Are fintech’s best days behind it? | Sifted
- (27.04.21) Imburse Payments: How Tailoring Solutions and Fintech Partnerships Are Shaping the Future of Banking | The Fintech Times
- (27.04.21) Repercussions of COVID-19 highlights importance of deploying Fintech for financial inclusion | EgyptToday
- (28.04.21) Goldman, Santander, SocGen help European Investment Bank issue €100m public blockchain bond | Ledger Insights
- (28.04.21) Pyypl and Visa form partnership to boost financial inclusion across emerging markets | Finextra
- (29.04.21) How Fintech Can Help Break The Health Poverty Trap | Forbes
- (29.04.21) Why Fintech is the Biggest Driver of Financial Inclusion | TechNative
- (29.04.21) KuCoin Launches DFI Staking Pool | Crypto Reporter
- (30.04.21) Chinese Fintech Platforms Meet With Regulators, Week In Review | Forbes
- (30.04.21) China regulators order Tencent, other fintech companies to boost anti-monopoly measures | MarketWatch
- (30.04.21) Next Biometrics receives fingerprint sensor order for financial inclusion project | Biometric Update
- (30.04.21) Digital identity can help advance inclusive financial services | World Economic Forum
- (01.05.21) Fintech, Challengers and More: The Singapore Scene | The Fintech Times
- (01.05.21) Overview of Insurance and Insurtech in Africa | The Fintech Times
- (01.05.21) Bahrain Launches Fintech Innovation Challenge: The Bahrain Supernova | The Fintech Times
- (02.05.21) The role of fintech in driving digital financial inclusion | Punch Newspapers
- (02.05.21) Why fintech is the biggest driver of financial inclusion | Financial Services (FinServ) | Fintech Magazine
Misc Gender
- (26.04.21) COVID-19 shows need to close financial inclusion gender gap | UNCTAD
- (27.04.21) Matt Damon and Gary White: Invest in women to solve the water crisis | Fortune
- (29.04.21) Why these investment bankers decided to build a network for women in finance | Your Story
Misc Sustainability
- (26.04.21) European sustainable index fund flows surpass all others for first time | Financial Times
- (26.04.21) VIDEO — BlackRock CEO Fink Discusses Sustainable Investing | Bloomberg
- (27.04.21) VIDEO — Spotlight on green or sustainable investing in Hong Kong | CNA
- (27.04.21) European Union Tries to Clarify Data Behind Sustainable Investing | ETF Trends
- (28.04.21) Firm Launches First Impact Investing-Focused Fund on the NYSE | Environmental Leader
- (28.04.21) Sustainable investment leaders interview: Fidelity International’s Tan on looking after stakeholders and making a difference in Asia | Investment Week
- (28.04.21) INTERVIEW: BlackRock’s former head of sustainable investing says ESG and sustainability investing are distractions | Greenbiz
- (29.04.21) Providing better solutions for increasingly picky sustainable investors | Finextra
- (29.04.21) Exploring the relationship between modern portfolio theory and SDG investing | Investors’ Corner
- (29.04.21) Engagement: The Future Of Responsible Investing | Forbes
- (29.04.21) Five myths about sustainable investing | IOL
- (30.04.21) Top 5 priorities for USDA to support climate-smart farms and forests | Environmental Defense Fund
- (30.04.21) Sustainable investing is leading the charge for corporate change | The North Bay Business Journal
- (02.05.21) Reaping the growth potential of Asia | The Bull
- (02.05.21) Why companies need to increase ESG alignment to resist future shocks | Arabianbusiness
Subscription Required
- (26.04.21) European sustainable index fund flows surpass all others for first time | Financial Times
- (27.04.21) Opinion: To improve funding for women entrepreneurs, start at the very front end of the investment pipeline | The Globe and Mail
- (29.04.21) Digital bond fusion: EIB teams up with Banque to set off atomic reaction | GlobalCapital
- (29.04.21) Jean Case: It’s Time to Lift the Curtain on ESG Investing | Barron’s
- (-.05.21) OECD: plans to mobilise institutional capital | Special Report | IPE
Upcoming Webinar
- May 20: African Economic Outlook 2021 for Asian Audiences | African Development Bank
- June 22–25 : Sustainable Investment Festival — Registrations open! Register now: Sustainable Investment Festival attracts stellar line-up of fund managers and industry leaders
If you have suggestions for articles that should be featured in future lists, please drop me a note and follow me on LinkedIn.