3 mins in development finance/wk41 (Oct 5th-Oct 12th)
4 min readOct 22, 2020
My weekly reading list for those interested in development finance and Impact investing focused on developing countries.
Development Finance
IFC & World Bank
- (16/10/20) Virtual Meeting: Closing the Digital Divide | World Bank Live -”World Bank”
- (09/10/20) IFC and Union Bank Partner to Boost Access to Trade Finance in Nigeria -”IFC”
- (07/10/20) IFC Invests in Egyptian Private Equity Fund to Support Business Growth Amid COVID-19 -”IFC”
- *(06/10/20) IFC issues largest-ever sterling bond, raising $1 bn GBP to support private sector recovery in emerging markets -”IFC”
- (15/09/20) IFC and MBA work to improve access to funding for micro, small and medium enterprises through developing value chain finance in Mongolia -”IFC”
CDC
Asia Development Bank
- (14/10/20) Live Zoom Webinar: Harnessing Data in the Digital Age for Poverty Reduction -”ADB”
- *(09/10/20) $30 Million ADB Loan to Scale Up Myanmar’s COVID-19 Health Response -”ADB”
- (08/10/20) ADB Commits to Work with Indonesia for Sustainable Recovery from the Pandemic -”ADB”
- *( — /09/20) Publication: Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2020 Update: Wellness in Worrying Times -”ADB”
African Development Bank
- (09/10/20) African Development Bank makes pitch for strategic partnerships with Nordic businesses -”AFDB”
- (08/10/20) COVID-19 crisis is pushing us to refocus priorities, says Bank Vice President Quaynor in Global Infrastructure Forum event on infrastructure project preparation -”AFDB”
- (07/10/20) African Development Bank urges Japanese investors to seek investment partners in Africa -”AFDB”
SIFEM
- (07/10/20) SIFEM’s investments in Ukraine — a story of resilience in the face of adversity
- (30/09/20) Championing economic opportunities for women in Africa — first 2X Flagship Fund
- *(14/09/20) SIFEM invests USD 8 million in Myanmar — first SIFEM investment for microfinance in Myanmar
DEG
DFC
FMO
Proparco
- *(08/10/20) Proparco And Bpifrance Launch Averroes Africa, Their New Fund Of Funds To Promote The Development Of The Private Equity Industry In Africa -”Proparco”
- (06/10/20)PROPARCO is supporting a major player in the agriculture sector in Zimbabwe and Zambia | Proparco — Groupe Agence Française de Développement -”Proparco”
EBRD
- (09/10/20) How best to build back better -”EBRD”
- *(07/10/20) EBRD to aim for a majority of green investments by 2025 -”EBRD”
NorFund
- ( — /09/20) Avoiding 8 million tonnes CO2 emissions annually -”Norfund”
- ( — / — /20) Expanding Energy Access In Africa -”NorFund”
Misc content in development finance
- ( — / — /20) Amethis Finance: Best Private Equity Impact Investing Team Sub-Saharan Africa 2020 | -”CFI”
- ( — /10/20) China’s influence on the global middle class -”Brookings”
- (11/10/20) World Bank Confirms Economic Downturn in Sub-Saharan Africa -”ModernDiplomacy”
- (06/10/20) Salesforce Ventures Launches Second $100 Million Impact Fund -”Salesforce News”
- (05/10/20) Webinar: (14/10/20) Kate Fox I Baillie Gifford — “Phenix Capital”
- (01/10/20) ‘We are at the cusp of a sustainable investing revolution’: Goldman Sachs -”Finance Yahoo”
- *(23/09/20) How Impact Investments Can Strengthen Rural Economies in the Age of Covid-19 | Center for Strategic and International Studies -”CSIS”
- (14/09/20) Regulators, organizations look to fill ESG standards void | Advisor’s Edge -”Advisor”
- (08/10/20) What are the biggest risks to business? New data shows climate concerns are rising -”WorldEconomicForum”
- (07/10/20) On-the-job training or cash handouts? A Rwandan study discovered which was better for youth job prospects -”WorldEconomicForum”
- (08/10/20) How to Promote Chinese Foreign Trade in the Post-Pandemic Era? -”TheDiplomat”
Misc content around technology of interest
- (07/10/20) Keeping Up With ASEAN’s E-Commerce Boom -”ASean”
- (06/10/20) (VIDEO INTERVIEW) When is solar tech more than an energy play? When it’s also helping tackle homelessness -”Tech For Impact”
- (06/10/20) How the pandemic made fintech matter again in Myanmar -”TechWireAsia”
- (05/10/20) Reinventing the SPAC | -”Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn”
- *(02/10/20) The Foundations of an Inclusive, Tech-Enabled Economic Recovery in Asia -”TheDiplomat”
- (02/09/20) E-Wallet Adoption On The Rise In ASEAN -”ASean”
- *(23/09/20) Fintech in Nigeria | -”McKinsey”
- (22/09/20) Understanding China’s Digital Yuan -”FPRI”
SEA Country Views
- (11/10/20) Vietnam- India cooperation against China’s aggressiveness -”Modern diplomacy”
- (10/10/20) Indonesia’s omnibus law dilemma: Favorable or misfortune? -”ModernDiplomacy”
- (10/10/20) Cambodian cabinet endorse 629 public investment projects for 2021–2023 -”KhmerTimes”
- (09/10/20) Turkish body seeks $1.5B trade with Indonesian SMEs -”AA”
- (09/10/20) Can Cambodia’s Looming Microfinance Disaster be Averted? -”TheDiplomat”
- (09/10/20) Cambodia’s poverty rate may double, due to COVID-19’s economic effect, says UNDP -”KhmerTimes”
- (08/10/20) Government extends IDPoor scheme -”KhmerTimes”
- (03/10/20) Vietnam enters third wave of business reforms -”AA”
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The Economist
Financial Times
- (07/10/20) Covid-19 will push millions in middle-income nations into poverty, warns World Bank -”Financial Times”
- (06/10/20) From AI to facial recognition: how China is setting the rules in new tech -”Financial Times”
- (04/10/20) Save the planet — and make money too -”Financial Times”
Impact Alpha
Enjoy.
If you have suggestions for articles that should be featured in future lists, please drop me a note and follow LinkedIN.
