3 mins in development finance/wk31

Photo by Jack Young on Unsplash

Introduction

Over the summer, I will share links to content I’ve recently digested that I think are relevant for those interested in Development Finance and Impact investing in general. Not all articles featured here are about the DFIs, but in my opinion, they address the markets we invest in and/or speak about subjects/ideas that we should be aware of.

You will note that I am partial to content on Financial Inclusion, Education and Asia in particular.

Key takeaways

Asia Development Bank committed $9.3billion by July 2020 in COVID response

EU-Vietnam trade agreement that scraps duties on 99% of all goods traded between the parties, entered into Force on August 1.

BIO publishes the three Business Continuity Toolkits for SMEs, Financial Institutions and Infrastructure projects. They recommend that these be read in parallel with their Guidance Note for Employers.

EBRD launched a mobile app to help business owners find the best green technologies that focus on improving energy efficiency, renewable energy, reducing water use and soil erosion.

Paper addressing the funding gap in sustainable agriculture and the role blended finance can play. It provides a good overview of how concessionary capital can be used in investment structures.

Development Finance

IFC

• (30/07/20) IFC and TEB Expand Partnership to Support Kosovo’s Women-Owned and Agribusiness SMEs
• (28/07/20) IFC launches the PaCT portal for information on best practices in the textile industry
• *(29/07/20) IFC To Provide $4 Billion To Boost Healthcare Supplies to Developing Countries Amid COVID-19

EIB

• (03/08/20) Georgia: Team Europe -The EIB`s lends EUR 10 million to Credo Bank under its Georgia Outreach Initiative to support MSMEs
• *(27/07/20) Digital fight against COVID-19 in Africa

CDC

• (28/07/20) CDC announces additional US$75 million trade finance deal with Absa as part of COVID-19 response

Asia Development Bank

• (04/08/2020) $1.5 Billion ADB Loan to Support Thailand’s COVID-19 Response
• *(03/08/2020) ADB’s COVID-19 Response Reaches $9.3 Billion to End-July 2020
• (31/07/20) ADB Finances Largest Private Gas Power Plant to Improve Access to Energy in Bangladesh
• (30/07/20) Pacific Economic Monitor discusses the impacts of COVID-19 and provides an overview of other current economic and development issues in Pacific developing member countries of ADB.
• (29/07/20) ADB, HSBC to Finance $1.2 Billion in Trade to Boost Supplies of Pandemic Products in Asia and the Pacific
• (28/07/20) ADB Provides $3 Million Grant to India to Combat COVID-19

AfDB

• (29/07/20) Conversation with Marieme Esther Dassanou, Coordinator of the African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa programme
• (28/07/20) Road to Annual Meetings: South African villagers find fresh water in ancient mountain springs
• (28/07/20) For 20 million Africans first-time access to clean water is proving crucial amid COVID-19

FMO

• (03/08/20) Monthly transaction overview — July
• (29/07/20) Above and beyond: how businesses are stepping up to lead the way through the pandemic

BIO

• *(29/07/20) BIO publishes three “Business Continuity Plan Toolkits” to share.

ERDB

• (28/07/20) EBRD boosts lending to Tunisian small businesses
• (29/07/20) EBRD and Visa form strategic partnership
• (28/07/20) EBRD and EU support green fruit farming in the Kyrgyz Republic
• (28/07/20) EBRD launches mobile app promoting green technologies

AIIB

• (30/07/20) AIIB priorities as Jin Liqun starts second term
• (28/07/20) AIIB’s Membership in Africa Grows as Liberia Joins the Bank
• (22/07/20) AIIB Approves USD250-Million Loan to Assist Pakistan to Mitigate Impact of COVID-19

Misc content in development finance

• (03/08/20) Fintech in emerging markets — Cracking the code of financial inclusion
• *(03/08/20) How can digital financial services help a world coping with COVID-19?
• (01/08/20) Will the post office be able to improve financial inclusion in Pakistan?
• *(31/07/20) Digital financial inclusion — Kenya and Nigeria case studies
• (30/07/20) Fight ‘shadow pandemic’ by overhauling funding strategy, women leaders say
• *(27/07/20) (Paper) Blended finance for agriculture: exploring the constraints and possibilities of combining financial instruments for sustainable transitions
• (23/07/20) An Opportunity To Reimagine Education Systems
• (22/07/20) Omidyar Network India’s ReSolve Initiative: Next phase of response to Covid-19 focuses on migration and MSMEs
• *(16/07/20) Mobile Money and COVID-19: What can we learn from East Africa?
• (15/07/20) UNESCO launches Global Skills Academy to boost employability of one million youth as recession looms.
• (10/06/20) Africa: A Correspondent Looks Back at 40 Years on the Continent (Spiegel)

Country views

India

• *(03/08/20) How Covid-19 will affect impact investing in India (Michael and Susan Dell Foundation)
• *(31/07/20) India’s continuing role in Nepal’s economic development
• (30/07/20) Is impact investing the road ahead for CSR In India?
• (28/07/20) Social Stock Exchange: New Funding Avenues For Non-Profit Organisations.
• (27/07/20) (Video Interview) Sandeep Parekh | Finsec Law Advisors | Doing Business in India | Mastering India
• (24/07/20) The “UPI moment” for MSME Lending in India
• *(9/07/20) India’s post–COVID-19 economic recovery: The M&A imperative (McKinsey)

Vietnam

• (03/08/20) Vietnam strives to reduce greenhouse gases in solid waste treatment
• *(31/07/20) EU-Vietnam trade agreement enters into force
• (28/07/20) Vietnam considers scrapping half of coal power plant pipeline in favour of gas and renewables

Myanmar

• (04/08/20) Japanese retailer Aeon to invest $180m in first Myanmar mall
• (29/07/20) Myanmar parliament approves ADB loans for infrastructure development

Indonesia

• (29/07/20) Indonesia Keeps Deficit High in 2021 as Covid-19 Uncertainties Persist
• (28/07/20) Indonesia in 2020 and Beyond: Bill Sullivan — Part Two: COVID-19, Economic Reform, Foreign Relations, 2024 Election
• (28/07/20) Corruption risk to Indonesia’s infrastructure push
• (27/07/20) Long road to recovery for Indonesia
• (23/07/20) Indonesia’s COVID-19 Response Pivots to Support Economic Recovery

Cambodia

• *(29/07/20) Will Cambodia’s Shift in Focus to Small-Scale Farming Work? Is the COVID-motivated shift enough to support all the laid-off garment industry workers? Who will really benefit?
• (29/07/20) Free trade agreement talks with Korea set to kick off on Thursday
• (27/07/20) (OpEd) $19 billion international reserves encourage more investment

Laos

• (04/08/20) BCPG eager to build Asean’s largest wind farm in Laos
• (16/07/20) Laos Has Tackled COVID-19, But It Is Drowning in Debt to International Finance

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The Economist

• (01/08/20) Has India’s moratorium on loan payments delayed the pain for banks?

Financial Times

• (30/07/20) Cash from abandoned bank accounts boosts UK social investment.
• (26/07/20) India eyes global online payments push as transactions boom

Nikkei Asian review

• (04/08/20) Mitsubishi Motors considering building first factory in Myanmar
• (28/07/20) Indonesia’s Traveloka raises $250m to counter plunging demand

Enjoy.

If you have suggestions for articles that should be featured in future lists, please drop me a note.