Publications

Mar 7, 2019

Making Progress: Sri Lankan Businesses Advance Gender Equality

The SheWorks Sri Lanka partnership was established in March 2018. As the partnership completes its first year, this report captures group-level progress towards realizing SheWorks commitments. SheWorks members are spread across Sri Lanka’s different priority sectors, such as Garments and Apparel, Tourism, Information Technology, Banking and Finance. This report consolidates 18 members’ learnings and best practices around the recruitment, retention, and promotion of employees.

English | 47 pages | 2019

Jan 25, 2019

Assessment of State of Risk Finance for MSMEs in India

This study aims to assess the state of risk capital finance to the MSME sector in India. It focuses on analyzing the forms, sources and availability of risk capital products, such as equity, venture debt and unsecured debt to the sector.

Jan 25, 2019

Financing India’s MSMEs - Estimation of Debt Requirement of MSMEs in India

This study aims to provide an assessment of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise sector finance in India

Dec 12, 2018

Report—Tackling Childcare in Sri Lanka: The Business Case for Employer-Supported Childcare

The Tackling Childcare in Sri Lanka report highlights how employer-supported childcare can yield business benefits and how it can be a win-win-win for employees, children and communities. The report shows how 10 Sri Lankan employers provide their employees with childcare-related benefits in a variety of ways.

English | 100 pages | IFC

Nov 13, 2018

Creating Markets in Nepal: Country Private Sector Diagnostic

The Country Private Sector Diagnostic looks into opportunities and constraints holding back private sector growth in Nepal, and identifies tourism, agribusiness, education, health and IT as sectors that could play a key role in enabling Nepal’s growth strategy.

English | 104 pages | 2018 IFC

Jun 7, 2018

Cutting Through the Cloth Ceiling

Assessing how IFC’s Work-Progression & Productivity Toolkit helps female workers achieve promotion and boost productivity in Bangladesh’s readymade garment factories

Apr 5, 2018

CASE STUDY: BYJU'S—Cultivating a Love of Learning in K-12

How a Learning App is Promoting Deep Conceptual Understanding that is Improving Educational Outcomes in India

Nov 29, 2017

MAKING AGRICULTURE CLIMATE-SMART: A Business Perspective From South Asia

Accelerating investment in climate-smart agriculture requires governments to create supportive environments, the private sector to commit to greener supply chains, for farmers to adopt more sustainable agronomic practices, and for financial institutions to offer innovative financing models. IFC, through its investment and advisory services, is committed to being a trusted partner and helping clients achieve the results that they desire.

English | 48 Pages | November 2017 | IFC

Apr 21, 2017

Barriers Constraining the Low and Middle Income Housing Finance Market in Bangladesh

Poor living conditions, particularly in urban areas, continue to undermine economic growth and poverty reduction efforts. The need for improvement in the existing housing finance system and expanding access to underserved segments has been highlighted in several studies by different government and international agencies. The Finance and Markets Global Practice at the World Bank Group (WBG) has been consistently working in partnership with GOB, regulatory and apex institutions and private sector players in financial services. This study is a continuation of WBG’s past efforts towards improving and deepening the housing finance markets in Bangladesh.

English | 72 Pages | IFC, 2017

Sep 16, 2016

NephroPlus

NephroCare Health Services Private Limited (NephroPlus) is a provider network of kidney dialysis services across 15 states in India. Founded in 2010, NephroPlus delivers these services in large metropolitan areas as well as underserved, small cities at prices that are 30 to 40 percent lower than hospitals. As of 2015, the company has 75 centers across India that service more than 6,000 patients and provide approximately 50,000 dialysis treatments each month. This case study is in the 2016 Built for Change report which features companies that are employing unique strategies to integrate people living at the base of the pyramid into the companies’ business operations.

Sep 16, 2016

Bridge International Academies

Bridge International Academies is an education organization founded in 2008 in Kenya, and grown to serve almost 100,000 students in over 470 locations in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and India. The company offers affordable, low-cost education to primary school children in underserved, low-income communities. The schools employ low-cost technology to provide teaching content to its teachers and to monitor the delivery of the content and teaching techniques on a real time basis. The company reaches more than 40 million customers in 15 countries in Africa and Asia. This case study is in the 2016 Built for Change report which features companies that are employing unique strategies to integrate people living at the base of the pyramid into the companies’ business operations.

Sep 16, 2016

bKash

bKash is a mobile financial services company founded in 2010 in Bangladesh. The company brings the unbanked into the formal financial system. It has played a major role in building Bangladesh’s mobile financial services industry from scratch and is the country’s leading player, accounting for 75 percent of the market. It enables 23million people who once dealt only in cash to send remittances, save, and pay for products and services using their mobile phones. This case study is in the 2016 Built for Change report which features companies that are employing unique strategies to integrate people living at the base of the pyramid into the companies’ business operations.

Sep 16, 2016

MicroEnsure

MicroEnsure has developed pioneering insurance solutions for low-income people in Africa and Asia living on less than $4 per day. Founded in 2008, the company has introduced over 200 types of insurance for life, health, and accidents for the poor, and distributes its products through mobile network operators, microfinance institutions, and other organizations that low-income customers trust. The company reaches more than 40 million customers in 15 countries in Africa and Asia. This case study is in the 2016 Built for Change report which features companies that are employing unique strategies to integrate people living at the base of the pyramid into the companies’ business operations.

Sep 16, 2016

Probiotech

Probiotech is a leading processor and producer of animal health and nutrition products in Nepal. The agribusiness was founded in 2000 and produces animal feed for small-scale farmers in Nepal, among other lines of work. The company improves the productivity of its 12,000 feed customers by offering training on farm management and by leveraging its extensive distribution network to provide high quality inputs. This case study is in the 2016 Built for Change report which features companies that are employing unique strategies to integrate people living at the base of the pyramid into the companies’ business operations.

Aug 9, 2016

Remediation Financing in Bangladesh’s Ready Made Garment Sector

This study provides an overview of the financial needs to remedy structural, electrical and fire safety issues in Bangladesh apparel export factories and identifies constraints in accessing financing and barriers to remediation. It helps understand the current context for remediation in Bangladesh and what is needed for factories to access financing for necessary improvements. It also provides key stakeholders with relevant information to design further interventions.

60 Pages | © 2016 IFC | Complimentary

Apr 25, 2016

HDWG 2016 General Forum Presentations

On August 18, Myanmar's Hydropower Developers' Working Group held its first General Forum in Yangon. The following presentations include a range of speakers from the working group's Executive Committee and IFC.

Apr 4, 2016

Factsheet: IFC in India – Promoting Sustainable Private Sector-led Growth

This 6-page factsheet on IFC’s work in India outlines the problem statement, covers the strategic context, and elaborates our major initiatives in the country which includes strengthening capital markets, enabling financial inclusion, boosting access to energy, expanding access to affordable healthcare, supporting creation of jobs, promoting water security, and ensuring food security.

English | 6 Pages | IFC, 2016

Oct 19, 2015

FIG Advisory Services: Asia Pacific Quarterly Report

Feb 4, 2015

Landscape of Inclusive Business models of Healthcare in India: Business Model Innovations

IFC’s new study ‘Landscape of Inclusive Business Models of Healthcare in India' aims to inform the healthcare ecosystem of the opportunities in the health inclusive business space and suggestions for catalyzing growth of innovative business models in the health sector. While the innovative models have shown great potential, only a few have gone to scale and thereby maximized impact. The study analyzes the ecosystem in which they operate including regulatory issues, value chains, support services, as well as enterprise-level issues. This would enable stakeholders to gauge what is needed and examine what role they can play to improve the ecosystem.

Feb 4, 2015

Corridors for Shared Prosperity: Spotlight on India-Africa Inclusive Business Transfer

IFC’s new study ‘Corridors for Shared Prosperity’ contributes to building a shared understanding of successful approaches and challenges in replication. It proposes a framework for systematic replication using examples of 11 Indian inclusive businesses that have been replicated across border. It analyzes the demand for inclusive business models in Africa in three high-impact focus sectors for transfer: agriculture, healthcare and renewable energy, and discusses key drivers of transfer of inclusive models from India to Africa. The study is a foundational effort to encourage systematic transfer of Indian inclusive business models, and to lay down a framework based on empirical evidence to guide such work.

Nov 27, 2014

Improving Productivity in the Poultry Sector in Bangladesh

IFC worked with Bangladeshi farmers to help them adopt clean energy technology that converts cow and chicken waste to biogas, which is then used to generate electricity.

Region: South Asia / Strategic Priority: Agribusiness, SME's

Nov 26, 2014

Strengthening Poultry Supply Chains in Nepal

IFC worked with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and farmers in the Nepalese poultry sector to strengthen their technical skills, increase profitability, and expand access to markets.

Region: South Asia / Strategic Priority: Agribusiness / Key Topic: Gender

Nov 25, 2014

Addressing Food Safety and Traceability in India

IFC partnered with Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., an Indian company that is a leading international producer of processed fruits and vegetables, to increase farmers’ water efficiency and help fruit and vegetable suppliers meet international food safety standards.

Region: South Asia / Strategic Priority: Agribusiness / Key Topic: Food Safety

Nov 24, 2014

Improving the Productivity of Sugar Farmers in India

IFC worked with DSCL Sugar, the fifth largest sugar company in India, to improve the productivity of farmers in its supply chain by training them in advanced farming techniques.

Region: South Asia / Strategic Priorities: Agribusiness

Nov 23, 2014

Addressing Water Security in the Agricultural Sector in India

IFC worked with Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., an IFC investment and advisory client, to conduct a Water Footprint Assessment which helps companies reduce water-related risks, improve water efficiency, and mitigate social and environmental impact.

Region: South Asia / Strategic Priority: Agribusiness