3 mins in Development Finance/ wk 38
6 min readSep 30, 2021
My weekly reading list for those interested in development finance and Impact investing focused on developing countries.
IFC and World Bank
- (-.09.21) VIDEO: Building Green in a “Code Red” Climate | IFC
- (20.09.21) Sri Lanka, World Bank Sign Agreement to Strengthen Climate Resilience | The World Bank
- (22.09.21) VIDEO: Too many Africans cannot access the technology they need. A World Bank initiative aims to help reverse that | The World Bank
- (22.09.21) Stronger Private Sector Key to Vietnam’s Economic Transformation: IFC and World Bank Report | IFC
- (23.09.21) World Bank Launches Initiative to Issue USD 10 Billion in Sustainable Development Bonds while Highlighting the Urgency of Mainstreaming Climate Action | The World Bank
- (24.09.21) Government of Nepal and Development Partners Join Forces on Nepal’s Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development | The World Bank
ADB
- (21.09.21) ADB approves power project loan in Nepal | The Himalayan Times
- (21.09.21) New ADB Partnership with Bangladesh to Boost Competitiveness, Green Growth, and Social Inclusion | Asian Development Bank
- (24.09.21) ADB Approves $250 Million Loan for Bangladesh Economic Recovery Program | Asian Development Bank
- (24.09.21) VIDEO: Developing Sustainable Climate Resilient Infrastructure Solutions in Cambodia | Asian Development Bank
- (24.09.21) VIDEO: Promoting Climate Smart Agricultural Initiatives in Cambodia | Asian Development Bank
AfDB
- (20.09.21) IVORY COAST: AfDB Lends €48 Million for Flood Control in Abidjan | Afrik 21
- (20.09.21) BURKINA FASO/GHANA: AfDB to Provide €4.5 Million for Noumbiel Dam | Afrik 21
- (20.09.21) Key financial institutions, developers commit to joint action to speed up Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones in Africa | African Development Bank
- (21.09.21) VIDEO: African Development Bank delivers engagement at the African Green Revolution Forum | African Development Bank
- (22.09.21) BURKINA FASO: AfDB grants €59M for access to electricity for 218,400 households | Afrik 21
- (23.09.21) AfDB to fund private sector projects in Zimbabwe | Macau Business
- (24.09.21) BURUNDI: $29 million from the AfDB for access to electricity and energy efficiency | Afrik 21
- (24.09.21) New African Development Bank white paper ties entrepreneurship to socioeconomic resilience | African Development Bank
EIB
- (21.09.21) EIB approves EUR 2.2bn for climate action projects | Renewables Now
- (21.09.21) Devex Invested: EIB gets a new development branch | Devex
- (21.09.21) Dutch energy infrastructure upgrade granted €250m EU loan | Energy Live News
- (23.09.21) City Climate Finance Gap Fund completes first year of operation with support to 33 cities | EIB
EBRD
- (21.09.21) VIDEO: Why public finance for climate matters | EBRD
- (24.09.21) EBRD funding to bring green and reliable energy to cities | New Europe
- (24.09.21) EBRD, EU and GCF support climate mitigation and adaptation in Morocco | EBRD
- (25.09.21) Morocco‘s green transition gets €25 Mln support from EBRD, EU & GCF | The North Africa Post
AIIB
CDC
- (21.09.21) CDC commits over $50 million of new funding in two investments to expand digital infrastructure and boost rural connectivity across sub-Saharan Africa | CDC Group
- (23.09.21) CDC Group forms partnership with Medikabazaar to bolster healthcare in India | CDC Group
- (23.09.21) 30 per cent of our investments ringfenced for climate finance over next five years | CDC Group
DFC
- (20.09.21) U.S. International Development Finance Corporation approves more than $1.4 billion in new investments for COVID-19 response, global health, gender equity, technology and renewable energy | Today News Africa
- (23.09.21) DFC and USAID Launches USD $55 Million Loan Financing Program As Part of COVID-19 Relief for Sustainable Agriculture Development in India | U.S. Agency for International Development
- (24.09.21) DFC Supports U.S. Energy Compact by Advancing Climate Commitments for Developing Countries | DFC
- (26.09.21) SDB bank receives USD 40 m loan to nurture SMEs | Sunday Observer
FMO Entrepreneurial Development Bank / PROPARCO / DEG
Finnfund
Norfund
PROPARCO / DEG
Misc Content in Development Finance
- (19.09.21) How emerging economies can overcome private sector risk perception | World Economic Forum
- (23.09.21) Analysis: China’s pledge to cut project finance is the ‘new normal’ for coal | Reuters
- (23.09.21) World leaders urged to turn off the tap on fossil fuel subsidies | Canada’s National Observer
- (23.09.21) There is a way to invest profitably — and help save the world | World Economic Forum
- (24.09.21) Rising impact investment shows doing good and doing well can work together: Vikram Gandhi, Harvard Business School | The Economic Times
- (25.09.21) TriLinc Global Impact Fund Makes Impact Investments in Africa | Business Wire
Misc Technology
- (20.09.21) Fintech startup ePayLater raises $10 million from investors | The Economic Times
- (21.09.21) VIDEO: Nigerian fintech HerVest wants to bring financial inclusion to more African women | TechCrunch
- (22.09.21) Financial inclusion: How digital lending can help | IBS Intelligence
- (22.09.21) Insight Partners leads $34M round in Singapore-based fintech Spenmo | TechCrunch
- (22.09.21) Pakistan’s fintech startup TAG gets funding at $100 million valuation | The Economic Times
- (23.09.21) 5 Ways Fintech Is Transforming Banking In India | Forbes Advisor
- (25.09.21) Partnering with Ecommerce via Fintech Solutions Across The Middle East and Africa | The Fintech Times
- (25.09.21) Exciting Opportunities are Attracting Investors from across the Globe to Africa’s Fintech Space | Africa.com
Misc Gender
- (19.09.21) VIDEO: ‘Financial feminism’ is how women can bridge the gender pay gap in their careers | The Print
- (20.09.21) Reducing financial inclusion’s gender gap | DAWN
- (20.09.21) Banking for women | DAWN
- (20.09.21) VIDEO: ‘Investing in women is just good business’: Ways to increase funding for women-led ventures in the Middle East | Atlantic Council
- (21.09.21) Something Ventured: Despite Blockbuster Venture Investment, Female Founders’ Share Of VC Funding Falls | Crunchbase News
- (23.09.21) What needs to be done to close the gender investment gap | IOL
- (24.09.21) Aiming to create a gender-equitable startup landscape? | TechCrunch
Misc Sustainability
- (20.09.21) Many Green Funds Don’t Live Up to Their Claims, Report Finds | Time
- (21.09.21) Sustainable investing at a tipping point, says Standard Chartered survey | Mint
- (21.09.21) Future Returns: Wealthy See a Role in Investing to Tackle Climate Change | Barron’s
- (21.09.21) Unlocking Investments into Africa’s Renewable Energy Market | Africanews
- (22.09.21) StanChart: Sustainable Investing «At a Tipping Point» | Finews Asia
- (23.09.21) As New Critiques of Sustainable Investing Emerge, Don’t Dump Your ESG Fund | Morningstar
- (24.09.21) Have ESG Stocks Paid Off? | Morningstar
- (25.09.21) This fintech startup is enabling financial inclusion for women and first-time borrowers | YourStory
- (26.09.21) Sustainable investing: Mobilising private capital for a greener world, Invest News & Top Stories | The Straits Times
Subscription Required
- (19.09.21) Banks strike back, but returns remain strong with fintech | Mint
- (22.09.21) Impact investing: The third dimension | Investment Week
- (22.09.21) Impact investing in the healthcare technology sector | Private Equity News
- (24.09.21) A new generation of climate fintech startups | Fortune
- (24.09.21) MTN, Flutterwave deal to digitize financial services for millions | Quartz Africa
- (25.09.21) VIDEO: At Deutsche Bank’s DWS, Issues With Data Were at Heart of Sustainable-Investing Problems | Wall Street Journal
- (26.09.21) There’s Another Gender Pay Gap: Stock Options | Wall Street Journal
Upcoming Webinars
- September 23: Promoting Inclusive Financial Services to Build a Fully Connected, Digital World (By Li Xianhui)
- September 26–29: Africa Climate Week | African Development Bank
- September 27: The role of impact investors in digital infrastructure in Africa | CDC Group
- September 29: Enabling impact led investments in emerging markets | CDC Group
- October 11: Launch of CDC’s ESG Toolkit for Financial Institutions | CDC Group
- October 12–14: The Ultimate FinTech & InsurTech LIVE Event | FinTech, InsurTech
- November, 1–5: Hybrid Hong Kong Fintech Week 2021 | SmartStream
If you have suggestions for articles that should be featured in future lists, please drop me a note and follow me on LinkedIn.