3 mins in development finance/ wk49 (December 1–7)
5 min readDec 13, 2020
My weekly reading list for those interested in development finance and Impact investing focused on developing countries.
Development Finance
IFC
- (11/11/20) VIDEO: Africa Talks Tech: Transforming Africa’s Digital Marketplace
- (-/12/20) Getting to the Root of Africa’s Food Challenges — “IFC”
- (01/12/20) Reforms by Bankers’ Association of Vanuatu to Make Debit Cards More Accessible and Affordable — “IFC”
- (01/12/20)Abdullah Jefri Appointed New IFC Country Manager in the Levant, Focus on Growth and Jobs — “IFC”
- (01/12/20) Lebanon is in a Deliberate Depression with Unprecedented Consequences for its Human Capital, Stability, and Prosperity — “WorldBank”
- (02/12/20) IFC, Aavas Financiers to Help Catalyze Affordable Green Housing Finance for Low-income Borrowers in India — “IFC”
- (02/12/20) With IFC Support, Gazipur Set to Develop Bangladesh’s First Public-Private Wastewater Management Project — “IFC”
- (02/12/20) Pandemic Threatens to Push 72 Million More Children into Learning Poverty — “Worldbank”
- (03/12/20) IFC Appoints New Country Manager for the Philippines — “IFC”
- (03/12/20) IFC Course to Equip Students with Green Design Skills, Drive Green Building Adoption in Vietnam — “IFC”
- (03/12/20) More Female Riders Could Boost Revenues for Ride-hailing in Sri Lanka, Finds New IFC Study — “IFC”
- (03/12/20) IFC Loan to I&M Bank Rwanda to Support SMEs, Economic Activity, and Jobs During COVID-19 — “IFC”
- (04/12/20) Timor-Leste: New Support for National Health System to Boost COVID-19 Response — “WorldBank”
- (06/12/20) Solar Power Provides a Lifeline to Afghanistan’s Hospitals — “ WorldBank”
- (07/12/20) Support for a stronger Samoa in the wake of COVID-19 — “WorldBank”
CDC
- (03/12/20) Introducing CDC’s Gender Toolkit — “CDC”
- (03/12/20) Gender-smart investing as an enabler of the just transition -”CDC”
EBRD
- (01/12/20) EBRD presents Green TFP awards-”EBRD”
- (02/12/20) EBRD and ENR launch first gender awareness campaign in Egypt — “EBRD”
- (02/12/20) Davr Bank joins EBRD’s Women in Business programme — “EBRD”
- (03/12/20) EBRD joins forces with Greece’s ABC Factors — “EBRD”
- (04/12/20) EBRD reduces its stake in Georgia’s TBC Bank to 5pc — “EBRD”
- (04/12/20) Kyrgyz pharmacy chain unlocks a greener path to success — “EBRD”
- (04/12/20) Kindergarten goes online in Kazakhstan amid coronavirus pandemic — “EBRD”
- (04/12/20) Addressing climate change is an opportunity, not a cost — “EBRD”
- (07/12/20) Five years on from Paris 2015, the next climate challenge — “EBRD”
- (07/12/20) EBRD and EU help SolarizEgypt promote rooftop solar panels in Egypt — “EBRD”
- (07/12/20) EBRD and National Bank of Moldova promote local currency lending — “EBRD”
EIB
- (01/12/20) Netherlands: European loan for Tergooi Hospital — “EID”
- (01/12/20) Austria: EIB Group cooperates with Hypo Vorarlberg to support climate action investments — “EIB”
- (01/12/20) EIB welcomes adoption of Territorial Agenda 2030 and will contribute to its successful implementation — “EIB”
- (01/12/20) France: EIB and Crédit Agricole join forces to support healthcare professionals — “EIB”
- (01/12/20) EIB Investment Survey — Businesses are intending to reduce investment due to the pandemic — “EIB”
- (02/12/20) Czech Republic: EIB signs a CZK 5 billion loan with ČEPS to modernise and reinforce the electricity transmission network — EIB”
- (02/12/20) Jordan: EIB supports priority water sector investments — “EIB”
- (03/12/20) EIB and Global Development Network strengthen global private sector impact investment best-practice — “EIB”
- (04/12/20) Mozambique: Team Europe provides EUR 110 million for Mozambique recovery from 2019 cyclones — “EIB”
- (04/12/20) Hungary: EIB supports healthcare sector during COVID-19 pandemic with €162.5 million — “EIB”
Asian Development Bank
- (01/12/20) ADB to Support Secondary Education Reforms in Sri Lanka with $400 Million Loan — “ADB”
- (01/12/20) ADB Approves $16 Million Grant to Help Marshall Islands Fight COVID-19 — “ADB”
- (01/12/20) ADB Approves $430 Million to Help Rehabilitate Power Distribution Networks in Uttar Pradesh, India — “ADB”
- (02/12/20) ADB, Gojek to Initiate Research on Digitization, COVID-19 Impact on MSMEs — “ADB”
- (02/12/20) ADB Approves $100 Million Grant to Support Afghanistan’s COVID-19 Response — “ADB”
- (02/12/20) ADB Affirms Commitment to Water and Sanitation in Finance Ministers’ Meeting — ADB”
- (04/12/20) ADB Provides $16.9 Million Grant to Help Vanuatu Respond to COVID-19 — “ADB”
- (07/12/20) ADB President Urges CAREC Countries to Boost Regional Cooperation and Embrace Digitalization to Strengthen COVID-19 Recovery — “ADB”
- (07/12/20) CAREC Endorses Long-Term Strategy to Promote Safe, Sustainable, and Inclusive Tourism — “ABD”
African Development Bank
- (02/12/20) African Development Bank and partners roll out comprehensive report on the state of gender equality in Africa — “AfDB”
- (03/12/20) Local currency financing for off-grid energy solutions in Africa limited, needs scaling up — African Development Bank report — “AfDB”
- (03/12/20) Leave no one behind: Fostering Digital Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Africa — “AfDB”
- (03/12/20) Development Evaluation Week: African Development Bank marks 40 years of evaluating progress as experts mull SDGs and COVID-19 — “AfDB”
- (04/12/20) Uganda: African Development Fund approves $71.5 million in loans for road upgrading project — “AfDB”
- (04/12/20) The African Development Bank launches $50 million facility to support energy access companies through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic “AfDB”
- (04/12/20) COVID-19 pandemic offers African aviation a chance to reset — “AfDB”
- (07/12/20) Africa must forge strong partnerships, effectively manage its abundant natural resources, to rebuild faster post-COVID-19 — International Forum on African Leadership — AfDB”
FMO
- (06/11/2020) VIDEO: A message from the PE Financial Institutions team of FMO
- (01/12/20) Access to Energy Fund receives top-up for high impact renewable energy projects — “FMO”
- (07/12/20) Monthly transaction overview — November — “FMO”
Proparco
- (02/12/20) Equity Bank Holding: “with Proparco, We Share a Common Vision in Terms of Culture and Values” — “Proparco”
- (02/12/20) Proparco Is Supporting Atl, a Leasing Company for Tunisian Smes — “Proparco”
- (07/12/20) With Vitas, Proparco Is Supporting Entrepreneurs in Vulnerable Regions in Lebanon — “Proparco”
Misc content in Development Finance
- (04/12/20) How the U.S. Is Locking Out China from Latin America and the Caribbean — “Deal Street Asia”
- (04/12/20) MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: COFIDES Launches $145m Huruma Fund to Deliver Microfinance to 45k Farmers on 4 Continents — “MicroCapital”
- (04/12/20) Financing India: New opportunities exist, so do new challenges- “Financing India”
- (07/12/20) UN Supports IIX In Accelerating Its Women’s Livelihood Bond Series — “UN ESCAPS”
- (07/12/20) Fatima Gobi Ventures delays final close of $20m fund to early 2021 — “Deal Street Asia”
- (07/12/20) Here’s how you can size up climate change to tap into smart investment opportunities — “CNBC”
- (07/12/20) The unglamorous approach to impact investing in energy — “PV Magazine”
Misc content Technology
- (01/12/20) World’s first regulatory approval for cultivated meat begins “new space race for the future of food” -”GFI”
- (02/12/20) Innovation In Fintech Holds the Key To a Financially Inclusive India — “Entrepreneur”
- (05/12/20) To Step up Its Digital Transformation, Taiwan Needs a New Social Compact -”The Diplomat”
- (07/12/20) Moroccan geeks flock to ‘hackers’ paradise’ — “AfricaNews”
- (07/12/20) Despite COVID-19: Israeli Technological Innovation Sets New Capital Rounds Record; Approaches The $10 Billion Line — “Cision PR Newswire”
- (07/12/20) Asia Pacific Financial Services Industry organizations’ maturity in adopting innovation has ensured resilience amid the pandemic: Microsoft Study — “Microsoft”
- (07/12/20) FreshToHome To Receive Investments From ADIO For Desert Aquaculture Project — “ INC42”
Subscription Required
- (04/12/20) The Week in impact investing: Shifts — “Impact Alpha”
- (06/12/20) Next generation behind family offices’ ESG push — “Financial Times”
- (06/12/20) Demand grows for student-led impact investment funds — “Financial Times”
- (04/12/20) Chinese researchers claim to have achieved quantum supremacy- “Financial Times”
- (07/12/20) Online used car sales fuel Asia fundraising burst- “Financial Times”
- (07/12/20) Pandemic brings surge in business for Middle East’s fintechs — “Financial Times”
- (07/12/20) Secha Capital invests in a pair of green businesses in South Africa — “Impact Alpha”
Enjoy.
If you have suggestions for articles that should be featured in future lists, please drop me a note and follow LinkedIN.
