3 mins in Development Finance/ wk 18
6 min readMay 11, 2021
My weekly reading list for those interested in development finance and Impact investing focused on developing countries.
IFC and World Bank
- (-.04.21) VIDEO: Spring Meetings 2021: World Bank Group Events’ Live Updates | The World Bank
- (03.05.21) World Bank’s IFC to invest in Baring Private Equity Asia’s third India credit fund | VCCircle
- (03.05.21) BLOG: Foreign investors cautiously see brighter skies ahead after pandemic shock | The World Bank
- (03.05.21) World Bank and Republic of Congo Sign Agreement to Reduce Carbon Emissions and Preserve Forests | The World Bank
- (04.05.21) World Bank Group Supports Job Creation, Economic Growth in Malawi through New Country Partnership Framework | The World Bank
- (04.05.21) Malawi Country Partnership Framework — A Focused and Flexible Engagement Strategy | The World Bank
- (05.05.21) Nigerian startup Daybreak gets $20m loan from IFC to expand in Togo, among others | Togo First
- (05.05.21) IFC invests $421M in Egypt’s private sector in 2020 raising overall development financing to $4B | EgyptToday
- (05.05.21) World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings Call for Green, Inclusive Recovery from COVID-19 | News | SDG Knowledge Hub | IISD
- (05.05.21) IFC and Ghana’s Securities and Exchange Commission to Develop Green Bonds Market | IFC
- (05.05.21) IFC, Government of Madagascar Partner to Develop Insurance to Protect Smallholder Farmers | IFC
- (05.05.21) Special Economic Zones in Bangladesh: Mobilizing private investment and creating better jobs | IFC
- (05.05.21) World Bank Contest Brings Creative Solutions to Combat Plastic Pollution in Bangladesh | The World Bank
- (06.05.21) VIDEO: Somalia’s Businesses Tap Solar Energy to Expand, Boosting Economic Growth
- (06.05.21) SA’s Absa Bank negotiates $150mln from IFC for green projects | Ecofin Agency
World Bank /AIIB
ADB
- (04.05.21) Improve economic opportunities in cities to build sustainable future: ADB | ANI News
- (04.05.21) ADB gas financing hurts its climate credentials, green groups say, Asia News & Top Stories | The Straits Times
- (04.05.21) VIDEO: 54th ADB Annual Meeting: Joint ADB-IMF Webinar — Policies to Support a Green and Inclusive Recovery | Asian Development Bank
- (04.05.21) VIDEO: 54th ADB Annual Meeting: CAREC at 20 — Reimagining Regional Cooperation Through Digital Transformation | Asian Development Bank
- (04.05.21) VIDEO: 54th ADB Annual Meeting: Unleashing Venture Capital for a Robust, Green, and Inclusive Recovery | Asian Development Bank
- (04.05.21) VIDEO: 54th ADB Annual Meeting: Raising the Bar on Climate Ambition — Road to COP 26 | Asian Development Bank
- (04.05.21) VIDEO: 54th ADB Annual Meeting: Advancing the Progress toward Achieving the SDGs Post-COVID-19 Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) | Asian Development Bank
- (04.05.21) Republic of Korea Earmarks $700 Million for Climate and ICT Projects through Cofinancing with ADB | Asian Development Bank
- (04.05.21) ADB to Enhance Adaptation and Resilience in Response to Climate Change Threat | Asian Development Bank
- (05.05.21) Help nations to prevent health crisis from becoming eco crisis: FM to ADB | Business Standard News
- (09.05.21) Asian Development Bank to end coal, oil and gas financing | Thomson Reuters Foundation
AfDB
- (03.05.21) AfDB to Support Morocco’s Business Climate With $1 Million Grant | Morocco World News
- (05.05.21) DOCUMENT: The UK’s support to the African Development Bank Group: report from the Sub-Committee on the Work of ICAI — World | ReliefWeb
EIB
- (03.05.21) Allen & Overy advises on EIB’s first digital bond issuance on a public blockchain | Allen & Overy
- (06.05.21) EU — India Cooperation: Scaling-up off-grid solar across Africa | EIB
- (07.05.21) India: New €100 million EIB and State Bank of India private sector climate action initiative launched at EU-India Leaders Meeting | EIB
- (07.05.21) VIDEO: India: EIB supports COVID recovery, climate action and urban transport upgrades with EUR 325m of new sustainable investment | EIB
- (07.05.21) Malawi: EU support for SMEs in the agricultural sector through Ecobank | EIB
- (08.05.21) EIB commits 2nd tranche of €150 m for Pune Metro | The Financial Express
EBRD
- (03.05.21) Funding and M&A Roundup: Residential Solar Installer SunRoof Raises €4.5 Million | Mercom India
- (05.05.21) JICA, EBRD to boost investment in sustainable energy | The Asset
- (05.05.21) EBRD helps rural businesses in Mongolia | EBRD
- (07.05.21) Energy sector ‘full recovery’ by end 2023, says EBRD survey | Financial Mirror
CDC
- (04.05.21) PODCAST: We have a new podcast episode on the economic impact of coronavirus in Africa | CDC Group
- (06.05.21) How can collaboration accelerate investment in climate adaptation and resilience? | CDC Group
DEG
DFC
FMO
FinDev / DFC / PROPARCO / CDC Group / FMO / CDP
Finnfund
- (04.05.21) Finnfund first development financier to report carbon net-negative investment portfolio ｜ Finnfund
- (05.05.21) Finnfund invests in Uhuru Growth Fund I to foster growth of West African businesses | Finnfund
PROPARCO
Misc Content in Development Finance
- (-.04.21) PAPER: Resilient Microfinance Industry Signals Path Toward Cautious, Gradual Recovery | FinDev Gateway
- (27.04.21) Nigeria: Microfinance Banks Record 82 Percent Boom in Lending in 2020 | FinDev Gateway
- (03.05.21) Asset owners’ role in blended finance | Top1000Funds.com
- (03.05.21) Asia off to slow start ahead of U.S. data deluge | Reuters
- (04.05.21) Devex Invested: Will COVID-19 drive more funding to African entrepreneurs? | Devex
- (04.05.21) Kenya’s slum vendors rely on savings groups to survive COVID-19 | Devex
- (05.05.21) Golding hires impact investing team | Private Equity Wire
- (05.05.21) A Quick Guide to Socially Conscious Investing | Worth
- (05.05.21) 3 Key Growth Segments In the Indian Private Equity Market | Entrepreneur
- (06.05.21) Development finance institutions have critical role in recovery | Business Live
- (06.05.21) Financial Inclusion And the Digital Revolution In the Post-Pandemic Period | Entrepreneur
- (06.05.21) HBS Pilots First Impact Investing Fund | The Harbus
- (06.05.21) REPORT: 2020 Impact Report: Finding Opportunities for Positive Change in Challenging Year | Business Wire
- (06.05.21) How philanthropists and impact investors can do more good — by giving up control | Pioneers Post
- (06.05.21) Insights Into Often Overlooked Opportunities In Private Equity | Financial Advisor
- (07.05.21) Innovative Financing Mechanisms For Sustainable Change: The Case For Danish Investment In India | Forbes India
- (08.05.21) Financial inclusion in Pakistan increases on mobile money | The News
- (08.05.21) The rise of responsible investing in the age of Black Lives Matter, carbon emissions, and Me Too | Fortune India
- (08.05.21) INTERVIEW: Nigeria should raise financial inclusion to socially acceptable level — Analyst | Premiun Times
Misc Technology
- (02.05.21) AFIP Returns to Support Innovative Solutions That Make Financial Services More Accessible | The Fintech Times
- (03.05.21) Pyypl and Visa Partner to Boost Financial Inclusion in Emerging Markets | The Fintech Times
- (05.05.21) Visa Partners With Fintech Startup Tala To Drive Crypto Adoption In Emerging Markets | Forbes
- (06.05.21) Fintech Bright Spot Africa Plays Catch-Up in Bumper Funding Year | BNN Bloomberg
- (06.05.21) How much product room will fintech giants leave for startups? | TechCrunch
- (07.05.21) Financial inclusion and fintech in emerging and frontier markets | QuotedData
- (07.05.21) Finding a Flexible Approach for Fintech Regulation | The Fintech Times
- (08.05.21) Top Banking and Fintech Trends for 2021 | Analytics Insight
- (09.05.21) Ways in which FinTech is Changing India | Analytics Sight
- (09.05.21) Sarvodaya Development Finance goes digital with Finetech Consultancy | Sunday Observer
Misc Gender
- (03.05.21) Fintech lender Amartha bags $28m from Women’s World Banking | Tech in Asia
- (06.05.21) How literacy helps financial inclusion of rural women | The Hindu BusinessLine
Misc Sustainability
- (03.05.21) Project Finance Brief: Goldman Sachs’ Renewable Arm to Finance 216 MW Solar Projects | Mercom India
- (04.05.21) VIDEO: Taiwan fund managers rush to roll out sustainable ETFs | Financial Times
- (06.05.21) Survey exposes gap between ESG awareness and knowledge | Wealth Professional
- (07.05.21) PODCAST: Here’s why the former head of sustainable investing at BlackRock says don’t believe the ESG marketing hype | Financial Post
- (07.05.21) What is ESG and why does it matter for businesses and investors? | South China Morning Post
- (08.05.21) Millennials, ESG & the Rise in Ethical Investing | The Fintech Times
Subscription Required
- (02.05.21) GOP Senators Propose Curbs on Low-Rate World Bank Loans to Beijing | The Epoch Times
- (03.05.21) DRC : World Bank looks to put $500m into electricity | Africa Intelligence
- (04.05.21) IFC proposes $40m investment in Baring PE Asia’s latest India credit fund | Deal Street Asia
- (04.05.21) Germany’s DEG invests $11.9m in Bangladesh apparel manufacturer MBM Group | Deal Street Asia
- (04.05.21) Impact Investing: Billionaires Battle Over Laurene Powell Jobs’s Cambrian | Bloomberg
- (05.05.21) Industry, trade and investment to boost Vietnam’s strong growth: ADB, Government & Economy | The Business Times
- (05.05.21) Dutch impact investor FMO commits $104m to Asian businesses in April | Deal Street Asia
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.
