Tag: IFC

Closing the Gender Gap: New Report Highlights Strategies to Boost Housing Finance for Women in Emerging Markets

Stuart Mitchell

A new report from IFC explores how differentiated approaches and tailored financial products and services can expand access to housing finance for women in developing countries. The report, Her Home II: Housing Finance for Women in Ghana, Senegal, and Indonesia provides country-specific insights into the barriers women face in obtaining housing finance and what steps can be taken to overcome them. The report builds on the insights from the first Her Home study published in 2020, which found that increasing access to housing finance would not only benefit economic growth…

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IFC Issues 500 Million Canadian Dollar Social Bond to Support Underserved Communities in Emerging Markets

Stuart Mitchell

IFC issued a Benchmark Five-Year Social Bond, raising 500 million Canadian Dollars for sustainable investments supporting women entrepreneurs and low-income households in need of essential services. The transaction, which generated diverse investor interest, is IFC’s second in the Canadian Dollar market under its Social Bond Framework, following a 500 million Canadian Dollar transaction in January 2022. “It’s great to be back in the Maple market with our second Social Benchmark Bond,” said John Gandolfo, IFC Vice President and Treasurer, Treasury & Mobilization. “We’re committed to maintaining a diverse investor base…

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IFC Invests in EcoRodovias to Make Brazil’s Road Transport More Competitive and Sustainable

Stuart Mitchell

To make Brazil’s road transport more affordable with lower toll tariffs and lesser toll processing time, and support Brazil’s capital markets, IFC is investing BRL400 million (around $78 million) in a bridge corporate debenture issued by Concessionária de Rodovias Noroeste Paulista S.A (EcoNoroeste), an indirect subsidiary of EcoRodovias Infraestrutura e Logística, the leading Brazilian toll road operator. The financing supports the development of the road sector while continuing to attract private sector participation in toll roads. Roads are the backbone of Brazil’s transport and logistics matrix, handling around 65 percent of…

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IFC and Bank of Africa Group Deepen Partnership to Boost SME Financing in Africa

Stuart Mitchell

To support economic activity and job creation in 10 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, IFC has announced an investment in a risk-sharing facility for the Bank of Africa Group (BOA) that will ease access to finance for smaller businesses, including those in fragile and conflict-affected countries and in the Sahel. IFC will invest $77 million in the risk-sharing facility to scale up BOA’s lending to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including women-owned businesses, in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, and Togo. IFC’s investment will guarantee…

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Pinsent Masons advises IFC on landmark investment in Mongolia’s first ever green bond issuance

Stuart Mitchell

Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has advised International Finance Corporation (IFC) on its investment in Mongolia’s first ever green bond issuance. The firm advised on IFC’s investment, alongside Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, FMO, and US-based microfinance investor, MicroVest Capital Management, in Khan Bank’s US$60 million issuance of five-year green bonds.     Khan Bank, Mongolia’s largest commercial financial institution, will use funds raised by the issuance to grow its climate portfolio by funding projects that support renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable building and mobility. IFC’s investment supports Mongolia’s…

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