3 mins in development finance/wk34
Introduction
During the crisis, I decided to 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.
I publish this list weekly. I hope you enjov and please *follow* me for more updates.
Key takeaways wk34
An ADB brief highlights that over 90m+ migrants from Asia and the pacific are facing real job security due to COVID. A sudden stop in remittances could push millions into poverty or at a minimum, expose them to extreme difficulty in meeting basic essential needs.
Sir Ronald speaks about how impact investing can change capitalism and provides his view on Impact weighted metrics and the need to account for social injustice in stimulus packages.
UN highlights the urgency for governments to invest in educational systems to protect children's future. COVID’s impact on stalling the advancement in the democratization of education is real and needs to be addressed.
IFC raised a billion dollar bond to help emerging economies recover from the crisis. Semi-Annual coupon at 75bips.
IFC invests with Endiya Patners II, an Indian VC with roots in the early stage ecosystem, filling in the gap between seed and series A.
Tracking the VC impact landscape in the U.S- Over 160 startups either in Social or Sustainable tech have received some kind of funding (seed/series A) .
Development Finance
IFC & World Bank
- *(21/08/20) IFC Issues US Dollar 10-Year Global Bond, Raising $1 Billion to Support the Private Sector in Developing Countries
- (21/08/20) August 21, 2020: An update on our work at the World Bank Group
- (20/08/20) IFC and ECCB partner to expand Financial Access for SMEs in ECCU
- (18/08/20) IFC Partners with the Central Bank of Azerbaijan to Boost Digital Financial Services in Azerbaijan
- (18/08/20) IFC Supports Increased Broadband Connectivity Across Africa with WIOCC Loan
- (18/08/20) Women in Management, IFC Launch Tenth Professional and Career Women Awards 2020, Promoting Women’s Business Leadership in Sri Lanka — **Nominations open until Sep 15th**
- *(10/08/20) IFC invests $10 million in Endiya Partners Fund II; to support product start-ups, drive innovation
CDC
- (14/08/20) CDC’s Head of Asia speaks to VC Circle about India investments and post-COVID outlook
- (21/08/20) CDC commits US$10 million to leading Indian VC Chiratae Ventures
Asia Development Bank
- *(-/08/20) COVID-19 Impact on International Migration, Remittances, and Recipient Households in Developing Asia
- (18/08/20) ADB Approves $750,000 Technical Assistance to Develop Distance Education Platform in Armenia
- (14/08/20) Five Things to Know: Trends in Road and Railway Trade Efficiency in Central Asia
- *(10/08/20) Learning from the past for a bright post-pandemic future
AIIB
- (18/08/20) AIIB Approves $100-M Loan to Uzbekistan for Healthcare Emergency Response
- (17/08/20) AIIB’s First Loan to the Kyrgyz Republic Supports Private Sector’s Pandemic Response
- (14/08/20) AIIB Approves USD50-Million Loan to Fiji for COVID-19 Response
FMO
- (20/08/20) FMO invests USD 10 million into eco.business Fund to boost biodiversity conservation in sub-Saharan Africa
- (13/08/20) FMO ventures into Burkina Faso by leveraging on the expertise of the ACEP microfinance Group
Proparco
DEG
ERDB
DFC
- (21/08/20) Disrupt and compete: How Trump changed US foreign aid
- (21/08/20) EU Brexit negotiator wants ‘framework’ for development cooperation with UK
- (21/08/20) Global Fund seeks $5B as money runs out for COVID-19 response
- (21/08/20) Q&A: Leveling the playing field for women entrepreneurs in Nepal
- (21/08/20) New Women’s Empowerment Index for Kenyan Women and Girls
- (20/08/20) COVID-19 job losses accelerate in development sector, survey results say
- (19/08/20) DFC, Iraq Sign Memorandum of Understanding Supporting Investment in Development
- (18/08/20) U.S. Government Announces Bilateral Initiative to Advance Rural Development in Colombia
FINDEV
FinnFund
Misc content in development finance
- (23/09/20) ** WEBNINAR TO COME **Webinar 3: The Rise of the Green Economy (Webinar)
- (23/08/20) Impact Measurement: A Cautionary Tale
- (20/08/20) How COVID-19 could affect business travel and the aviation industry | World Economic Forum
- (20/08/20) Covid-19: The Deathknell of ESG Investing or A New Beginning?
- (20/08/20) One Acre Fund secures $20 million to catalyze institutional capital for African farmers
- (19/08/20) Climate Change Could Put $4.7 Trillion of Asia’s Annual GDP at Risk by 2050
- (18/08/20) 5 things COVID-19 has taught us about inequality
- (17/08/20) 5 lessons for investing in humanitarian tech
- (16/08/20) VC Impact Landscape in 2020
- (11/08/20) Sustainable investment funds just surpassed $1 trillion for the first time on record
- *(09/08/20) Sir Ronald Cohen: how impact investing will change capitalism
- (06/08/20) ** VIDEO ** How Nuveen is addressing some of the world’s biggest issues, such as climate change and income inequality, through a targeted investment fund
- *(05/08/20) UN Warns of ‘Generational Catastrophe’ as COVID-19 Impacts More Than 1.5 Billion Students
- (04/08/20) How do we move around in a zero-carbon world?
- (02/08/20) Loss of Greenland Ice Sheet Reached a Record Last Year
- (30/07/20) Pivot to People: It’s Time to Build the New Economy
- (16/07/ILO- 20 Practical Guide on Teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond
- (13/07/20) Nippon Life sets aside $280m for impact investments
- (19/05/20) Sustainable Investing Is Booming — But Where Is the Impact?
- (07/05/20) ** VIDEO **Mariana Mazzucato on New Economic Approaches
Misc content around technology of interest
- (22/08/20) Five VCs discuss how no-code is going horizontal across the world’s industries — TechCrunch
- (21/08/20) 3 reasons why responsibly-deployed technology is key to the COVID recovery
- (21/08/20) Blockchain, the amazing solution for almost nothing
- (18/08/20) What Can America Learn from Europe About Regulating Big Tech?
- (03/08/20) ** VIDEO ** Asia is off-track to meet the SDGs. Here’s how investors and corporates can fix that.
Country Views
India
- (18/08/20) How Indian family offices can tap into the startup opportunity with the right VC
- (14/08/20) RBI’s 24th Monetary Policy Meeting — Opportunity for FinTechs?
- (04/08/20) How the Ag-Tech Landscape in India Is Ripe for Innovation
Indonesia
- (19/08/20) How Indonesia Can Rev Up Its Faltering Economic Growth
- (19/08/20) Omnibus Law in Indonesia
- (11/08/20) Indonesia VCs reach for key growth sectors during pandemic as Mar-May placements beat 2019
- (10/08/20) Indonesian case highlights potential for long-term harms of corruption
Vietnam
- (13/08/20) Vietnam sees the first foreign bank to issue bonds in the country — Vietnam Insider
- (04/08/20) How coronavirus impacts Vietnam
Phillipines
Myanmar
Cambodia
Nepal
Subscription required
The Economist
- (15/08/20) Blended finance is struggling to take off
- (15/08/20) Covid-19 is causing a microcredit crunch
- (15/08/20) How American bosses juggle profits and purpose
