3 mins in development finance/ wk48 (November 22–30)

My weekly reading list for those interested in development finance and Impact investing focused on developing countries.

Development Finance

IFC and World Bank

• (-/11/20) e-Conomy Africa 2020 — Africa’s $180 Billion Internet Economy Future — “IFC”
• (-/11/20) PODCAST: Episode 04: When challenges meet tech solutions in Africa — Featuring SweepSouth’s Aisha Pandor — “IFC”
• (-/11/20) A Tailored Solution to Support Small Business in Mongolia — “IFC”
• (26/11/20) World Bank Prices First Global Dual Tranche New Zealand Dollar Bonds Totaling NZD 1.3 Billion — “WorldBank”
• (25/11/20) IFC, Government of Netherlands and International Agencies Join Forces to Support Refugee and Host Communities in Jordan — “IFC”
• (25/11/20) IFC Supports Albania to Establish Electricity Wholesale Market, Bolster Power Sector — “IFC”
• (24/11/20) New Blue Loan to Help Indorama Ventures Recycle 50 Billion PET Bottles a Year by 2025 — “IFC”
• (19/11/20) Groundbreaking Study Examines Cost-Benefit of Workplace Responses to Gender-Based Violence — “IFC”
• (19/11/20) Q&A: Stephanie von Friedeburg, IFC — “Environmental Finance”
• (18/11/20) Association of Serbian Banks Joins Sustainable Banking Network — “IFC”
• (17/11/20) Helping Sovereign Debt Managers Meet Investor Expectations for ESG Information — “WorldBank”
• (16/11/20) IFC and Australian Government Help Create and Retain Jobs for 12,000 Women in Sri Lanka — “IFC”
• (16/11/20) IFC, Somalia Sign Landmark Agreements to Strengthen Private Sector Growth, Encourage Investment — “IFC”
• (16/11/20) IFC’s investment in a Mali Mineral Lime Producer to Boost Agribusiness and support Mining Sectors’ local content — “IFC”

CDC Group

• (24/11/20) Can the public and private sectors collaborate to meet development challenges? — CDC”
• (23/11/20) A statement on the completion of the restructuring of Feronia- “CDC”
• (17/11/20) Impact Investment consortium to create $750 million biopharmaceutical platform to broaden access of vital specialty generic drugs across Africa- CDC”

EBRD

• (30/11/20) How real world inventions shape the future of urban infrastructure -”EBRD”
• (27/11/20) Romanian retailers are ready for the start of the holiday shopping season — “EBRD”
• (27/11/20) EBRD and EU support small businesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina — “EBRD”
• (27/11/20) Improving connectivity in Montenegro — “EBRD”

EIB

• (30/11/20) Palestine: #TeamEurope — EU, EIB and The National Bank join forces to support SMEs — “EIB”
• (30/11/20) France: EIB supports AB Science in its COVID-19 development programme — “EIB”
• (26/11/20) Institute supports new Climate Chair at Sciences Po -”EIB”
• (24/11/20) Serbia: EIB supports digitalisation of schools with €65 million — “EIB”

Asian Development Bank

• (24/11/20) ADB, Indorama Ventures Sign $100 Million Blue Loan to Boost Recycling, Reduce Ocean Plastic Waste — “ADB”
• (24/11/20) $600 Million ADB Loan to Expand Energy Access in Eastern Indonesia — “ADB”
• (23/11/20) How Asian countries can bring tourism back to life — Matthias Helble- “ADB”

African Development Bank Group

• [(30/11/20) African Development Bank invests in pioneering SPARK+ Africa Fund to deliver clean cooking solutions — “AFrDB”](https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/african-development-bank-invests-pioneering-spark-africa-fund-deliver-clean-cooking-solutions-39574?)

FinnFund

• (30/11/20) The youth has found their voice — next, they need opportunities — “FinnFund”
• (24/11/20) Finnfund continues to drive financial inclusion by investing in Myanmar’s microfinance sector — FinnFund”

BIO

• (30/11/20) A statement on the completion of the restructuring of Feronia / PHC — “BIO”

FMO

• (27/11/20) FMO supports Ameriabank in successfully placing its first ever Green Bond- “FMO”

Proparco

• (30/11/20) Choose Africa: Afd Group Mobilizes an Additional 1 Billion Euros to Support Msmes Affected by the Crisis in Africa — “Proparco”
• (26/11/20) In Costa Rica, PROPARCO has reaffirmed its commitment to SMEs to support them during the Covid-19 crisis — “Proparco”
• (23/11/20) Proparco grants a $5 million loan to Credo Bank in Georgia — “Proparco”

Misc content in Development Finance

• (03/12/20) A Kingdom of sand — “South East Asia Globe”
• (01/12/11) Companies, business groups and investors call on UK Prime Minister to deliver strong Paris Agreement pledge and urge businesses to join the campaign — Corporate Leaders Groups — “Corporate Leaders”
• (30/11/20) Sustainable investments one-third of U.S. assets — “Pensions & Investments”
• (29/11/20) Indian govt won’t spend enough on mental healthcare. Impact investing could be the solution — “The Pint”
• (27/11/20) Ex Bank of England boss Carney: impact investors are alchemists for the world’s ‘insurmountable problems’ — “Pioneers Post”
• (27/11/20) — Cleaning up the seafood business, for double-digit returns — “Forbes”
• (26/11/20) Canadian ESG Assets Surge to $3.2 Trillion — “BusinessWire”
• (24/11/20) Indonesia’s Sovereign Request Fund — “The Diplomat”
• (23/11/20) We Gotta Start Somewhere: Techstars Music Will Fund a More Equitable Music Business — “RollingStone”
• (20/11/20) The rise of gender lens investing in Asia — “qrius”

Misc content around technology of interest

• (26/11/20) How Singapore polices financial crime with RegTech — “TechWire”
• (24/11/20) Telus announces $100 million tech-focused social impact fund — “Betakit”
• (25/11/20) Digital B2B lender Cash-IN-Asia bags S$5m funding in DeClout-led round — “The Business Times”
• (24/11/20) Can a Computer Devise a Theory of Everything? — “New York Times”
• (23/11/20) 500 Startups partners with government unit to support tech startups in Cambodia — “Tech In Asia”
• (23/11/20) The psychological benefits of writing by hand — “Fast Company”
• (18/11/20) How China could shape the future of technology — “BBC”

Subscription Required

• (01/12/20) Reinventing Workers for the Post-Covid Economy — “The New York Times”
• (23/11/20) Bain Capital raises $800m for second impact investing fund — “Private Equity News”
• (17/11/20) ESG falls down the investment agenda — “Financial Times”
• (16/11/20) New Delhi’s toxic air exacerbates coronavirus threat — “Financial Times”
• (14/11/20) Better disposable coffee cups- “The Economist”
• (14/11/20) Why self-help books are so popular in China — The Economist”
• (12/11/20) Frogs and princes — “The Economist”
• (02/11/20) Africa’s booming tech hub of Lagos braces as pandemic bites — “Financial Times”

Enjoy.

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