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Dec 14, 2022

Sector Overview | Sustainable Mining

Metals and minerals underpin the devices, vehicles, and infrastructure that link the world, connect the unconnected, and bridge the digital divide. They are necessary ingredients for a low-carbon future and foundational to the goal of equitable, inclusive, and sustainable growth. In many resource-rich developing countries, mining is a major contributor to GDP, creating jobs, and generating revenue for governments. Sustainable mining also offers the opportunity to bring tangible long-term benefits to the people who live in the surrounding communities.

English | 2 pages | IFC 2022

Jan 18, 2022

Sustainability-Linked Finance—Mobilizing Capital for Sustainability in Emerging Markets

Sustainability-linked finance is designed to incentivize the borrower’s achievement of environmental, social, or governance targets through pricing incentives. Launched in 2017, it has now become the fastest-growing sustainable finance instrument, with over $809 billion issued to date in sustainability-linked loans and bonds. Yet these instruments are still nascent in emerging markets, which represent only 5 percent of total issuance to date. This note shares examples of recent sustainability-linked financing, including several involving IFC in various roles, to highlight how investors can utilize these new instruments in emerging markets and mitigate greenwashing risks.

English | 8 Pages—January—Note 110 | IFC 2022

Jan 18, 2022

Case Study: Grupo Roemmers

There’s something special about companies that last 100 years. Comparatively few large companies do, and very few of those were founded in emerging economies. But last year, Grupo Roemmers, based in Buenos Aires, celebrated its 100th anniversary. This pharmaceutical company limited its business to Argentina until the mid-1970s. Since then, it has grown rapidly throughout Latin America and the Caribbean through a very effective strategy and management style. It sets up separate businesses for each country or local area where it does business. It gives local leaders autonomy to make decisions but engenders a deep commitment to the Roemmers culture and management system. And it sells affordable generic prescription pharmaceuticals with a mix tailored to the aging populations of each local market.

Jan 14, 2022

Sector Overview | Telecoms, Media & Technology

Telecommunications, media, and technology are the building blocks of the modern world. Digital infrastructure underpins every aspect of society and the economy. Smart cities, e-government, financial services, manufacturing and e-commerce all rely on strong digital infrastructure. Strengthening the digital capacity of developing countries enables inclusive growth, economic stability and improved quality of life for all citizens, including the most vulnerable.

English | 2 pages | IFC 2022

Jan 14, 2022

Sector Overview | Transport

Investing in ports, airports, roads, railways and other transportation infrastructure bolsters international trade, creates jobs, and reduces urban congestion. Through more efficient, safe and affordable movement of people and goods, transportation fosters both economic growth and sustainable development.

English | 2 pages | IFC 2022

Jan 14, 2022

Sector Overview | Global Infrastructure

Sustainable infrastructure is critical for addressing development challenges in emerging markets and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. Expanding access to essential services—electricity, telecommunications, transportation, water, and sanitation—enables inclusive growth and helps create markets and opportunity. IFC offers long-term financing, sustainability-linked financing, and industry-leading expertise to partner with the private sector to not only develop infrastructure projects that provide essential services, but also ensure social and environmental standards are met.

English | 2 pages | IFC 2022

Jan 14, 2022

Sector Overview | Energy

Energy access drives inclusive growth, creates jobs and strengthens economies. IFC helps bridge the development divide in emerging markets by financing power generation, transmission and distribution projects. IFC’s investment and advisory work takes place across a range of technologies, with an emphasis on low-cost renewable energy.

English | 2 pages | IFC 2022

Jan 14, 2022

Sector Overview | Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory

Across the infrastructure sector, companies are facing increasing demands for corporate transparency and stakeholder engagement. Institutional investors and shareholders are aware of the connection between stronger environmental, social, and governance standards and reduced project risks. Many leading companies are exploring new ways to ensure that local communities share in the benefits of their projects and that their operations remain sustainable for the long term.

English | 2 pages | IFC 2020

Jan 14, 2022

Sector Overview | Water

More than a quarter of the world’s population lacks access to safe drinking water. In many countries, the existing water infrastructure provides neither comprehensive sanitation services nor adequate wastewater treatment. With the COVID-19 pandemic still challenging public health services around the world, and regional ecosystems threatened by polluted wastewater, financing the expansion of water infrastructure is more important than ever. Water service improvements are complex and expensive. IFC works with clients in emerging markets to build innovative, market-oriented and long-term solutions to water infrastructure challenges.

English | 2 pages | IFC 2022

Jan 14, 2022

Sector Overview | Municipal & Environmental Infrastructure

As cities in emerging economies continue to grow, access to safe water, sustainable waste management and other municipal infrastructure must expand to meet demand. More than 150 million city dwellers lack efficient, affordable connections to water services and 700 million live without adequate sanitation, according to the United Nations. Lack of clean water is a serious public health concern, especially in the wake of the COVD-19 pandemic. Poor sanitation also poses significant environmental challenges. The cost and complexity of addressing these problems is very high. As a result, innovative market-oriented long-term solutions are needed.

English | 2 pages | IFC 2022

Jan 14, 2022

Infrastructure Sectors Overview

Infrastructure Sectors Overview

English | 2022 IFC

Jan 13, 2022

Banking on FinTech in Emerging Markets

Despite near-universal access to financial services in advanced economies, financial exclusion is stubbornly persistent in many emerging markets, leaving huge swaths of low-income populations unbanked or underbanked. FinTech companies, which apply innovative technologies to deliver such services in new ways, have begun to tap into the enormous unmet demand that this represents. These companies are starting to thrive in emerging markets, though regulatory issues, particularly weak consumer protection measures, remain to be resolved in many countries. If these can be overcome, and more progress toward universal access to digital infrastructure can be made, FinTechs will continue to scale and spread.

English | 8 Pages—January—Note 109 | IFC 2022

Jan 13, 2022

グリーンボンド・インパクト・レポート　(2021年度）

IFCのグリーンボンド・プログラムに関するインパクト・レポートの日本語訳です。2021年度の最新データまで掲載しています。

Jan 3, 2022

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at IFC―Key Facts and Developments in FY21

IFC is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and to investing in new and different ways to advance the DEI agenda across the organization.

Dec 22, 2021

Business Case Update 4 Lower NPLs for Women Owned SMEs

IFC’s annual survey of its banking clients continues to provide insight into the potential size and financial performance of women-owned small and medium enterprises (WSMEs) and why financial institutions should pay greater attention to this segment.

Dec 17, 2021

What Gets Measured Gets Done: Using a Corporate Scorecard to Drive Greater Investment Impact

In 2018, IFC’s shareholders authorized a capital increase of $5.5 billion, the largest increase in its history. The capital increase was based on a strategy that emphasizes creating markets and mobilizing private capital, and came with ambitious operational undertakings designed to ensure IFC’s place at the forefront of development finance, and to reinvigorate development in the world’s most challenging environments. To help implement these hefty undertakings, measure progress, and motivate staff, IFC took a fresh look at how the Corporation uses operational targets to achieve strategic goals and overhauled its corporate scorecard. Institutions seeking to implement a transformational strategy, as well as impact investors and development finance institutions balancing financial and impact objectives, can learn from how the revamped scorecard balances risk-taking with prudence, innovation with traditional business priorities, and speed with governance, to drive greater investment impact.

English | 8 Pages—December—Note 108 | IFC 2021

Dec 16, 2021

The Plurinational State of Bolivia: Country Private Sector Diagnostic

The Bolivia CPSD identifies barriers and opportunities to a dynamic private sector and opportunities for private investment in logistics, agricultural, and forestry.

English | 174 pages | 2021 IFC

Dec 15, 2021

Short Term Effects of COVID-19 on Digital Infrastructure in Emerging Markets

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the value of digital connectivity and has had numerous and at times contrasting effects on the digital infrastructure sector. Among these effects are an increased demand for quality digital connectivity, driven by falling telecommunications prices in certain countries and an increase in network capacity in others, set against a backdrop in emerging markets (EMs) of a digital divide that pre-dated the pandemic. This note leverages data from industry sources and an IFC survey of digital infrastructure companies to assess the short-term effects of COVID-19 on digital infrastructure in emerging markets. The note concludes with a discussion of emerging trends and their implications for public policy and corporate and investment strategies in support of the development of the digital infrastructure sector in emerging markets in the recovery phase of the pandemic and beyond.

Dec 13, 2021

Malayan Insurance: The Case for Insuring Women for a Better Tomorrow

Established in the Philippines, Malayan Insurance Company (MICO) is the country’s largest non-life insurer. The company has partnered with IFC for the past few years, with support from the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative, to develop a strategy for becoming the non-life insurer of choice for Filipino women. This case study explores the innovative solutions implemented by MICO under this partnership—a suite of women’s personal accident, property, business, and vehicle insurance solutions, with value added services.

English | 8 pages | 2021 IFC

Dec 10, 2021

IFC ESG Guidebook

IFC has created this guidebook as part of a broader effort to raise awareness of ESG issues among companies and investors in developing markets.

84 pages | © December 2021 IFC | Complimentary

Dec 10, 2021

IFC ESG Guidebook

IFC has created this guidebook as part of a broader effort to raise awareness of ESG issues among companies and investors in developing markets.

84 pages | © December 2021 IFC | Complimentary

Dec 7, 2021

Consumer and Market Study in Southwest and West Nile Refugee-Hosting Areas in Uganda

This Consumer and Market Study explores economic activities, employment trends, consumption levels, access to finance, and consumer preferences of refugees and host communities in Uganda’s largest refugee-hosting areas in the Southwest and West Nile regions. The aim of this study is to understand the potential market of the eight reviewed districts and identify possible entry points for the private sector. Among the key findings, the study identified a large consumer market, worth about $485 million measured as annual consumption expenditure, and the potential to develop agribusiness value chains, formalize access to finance and engage private companies in the provision of solar products.

Dec 6, 2021

Creating Markets in Madagascar: Country Private Sector Diagnostic

Madagascar CPSD examines inclusive growth, job creation, and economic recovery from COVID-19 through private sector policy reforms and investments.

English - 125 pages | French - 142 pages | 2021 IFC

Dec 1, 2021

Gender-smart Business Solutions: Serena Hotels

Serena Hotels Takes Leadership Role in Tackling Barriers to Women’s Employment in Pakistan

English | 8 pages | IFC 2021

Nov 30, 2021

Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Central America

In collaboration with the Regional Center for the Promotion of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (CENPROMYPE), IFC conducted a study that evaluated the digital ecosystem within Central America.