Setting Standards

Credible standards inspire investor confidence and stimulate the flow of private capital. IFC has led pioneering work on global principles and industry-specific guidance that helped create climate business opportunities across sectors and geographies.

  • More than 90 banks and financial institutions have voluntarily adopted the Equator Principles, which are based on IFC's Environmental and Social Performance Standards.
  • Through our Green Bond Program launched in 2010, IFC was one of the earliest issuers of green bonds and plays a leading role in developing guidelines and procedures for the market. To date, we have issued more than $10 billion worth of green bonds. A decade ago, that product was virtually non-existent. Last year, green bonds brought in nearly $170 billion to fund climate investments.
  • IFC has developed a new approach to greening equity investments in financial institutions. This approach is creating momentum by helping client financial institutions increase their climate-related lending while reducing their exposure to coal to zero or near zero by 2030.
  • IFC’s system for certifying green buildings — called EDGE — has won global recognition. To date, EDGE has certified over 23 million square meters of floor area. The Building Resilience Index developed by IFC helps real estate investors evaluate location-specific, climate-related risks for a real estate project or portfolio, and the resilience measures that have been implemented.
  • We also work with the WB and other MDBs as part of the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC), a voluntary initiative that catalyzes action towards the successful implementation of carbon pricing around the world.