IFC’s Work with Financial Institutions

The banking sector and debt capital markets can play an important role in bridging the developing world’s massive financing gaps by mobilizing savings to key sectors, like housing, climate, and infrastructure. Yet most developing countries lack the necessary preconditions for a healthy capital market: stable macroeconomic fundamentals, a sound banking system, a good institutional and regulatory framework, an efficient market infrastructure, and sufficient market size.

IFC works through financial institutions to provide much-needed access to finance for millions of individuals and micro, small, and medium enterprises that we would never be able to reach directly. The Financial Institutions Group (FIG) supports the World Bank Group goal of achieving universal access to finance, an important part of the World Bank Group strategy to end extreme poverty and build shared prosperity. Working with local financial intermediaries allows IFC to support far more micro, small, and medium enterprises than we would on our own.

A company or entrepreneur seeking to establish a new venture or expand an existing enterprise can approach IFC directly.

The investment proposal can be submitted to the IFC field office that is closest to the location of the proposed project.