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International Finance Corporation

MDB
United States
iSustain score 100Complex· 12–24 months

Private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, investing in climate-smart businesses and infrastructure in Africa.

Geographic focus

Central Asia
East Asia
Eastern Europe
Global
Latin America & Caribbean
Middle East
Pacific Islands
Pan-African
South Asia
Southeast Asia

Sector appetite

Renewable Energy
Financial Institutions
Manufacturing
Agribusiness

Finance instruments

Debt
Equity
Mezzanine
Guarantees

Project stages

Growth
Construction
Operational

Typical ticket size

$10m – $300m

Readiness requirements

Corporate governance standards, IFC Performance Standards compliance

Partnership preferences

Private sponsors with strong track record

Contact

africa@ifc.org

iSustain relevance score

  • Regional focus & relevance30/30
  • Access & contactability25/25
  • Financing programmes & instruments — 5 open or rolling15/15
  • Instrument breadth15/15
  • Data freshness15/15

Weighted 0–100: Africa focus 30, access & contactability 25, live windows 15, instrument breadth 15, data freshness 15.

Access difficulty

Complex· 12–24 months

Sovereign or government counterparty required; published application route; minimum ticket $5m+.

  • Counterparty requirement — Sovereign or government counterparty5/5
  • Application process — Published application route0/3
  • Ticket floor — Minimum ticket $5m+2/3
  • Readiness burden — 0 readiness requirements identified0/2
  • Internal approval process — Board / institutional approval cycles2/2

A rating of how hard this capital is to reach — not a prediction of whether an application will succeed. Built from the counterparty required, the published application route, the minimum ticket, the readiness evidence expected and the internal approval process.

Instruments & programmes

What a client can actually approach this organisation for, and how access works.

IFC Climate Finance - Direct Investment

Facility
Debt
Open

Senior, subordinated and mezzanine debt for private climate-aligned projects and companies in Africa.

Access route

Direct application

Ticket size

$5m – $200m — Typically $5m–$200m; larger via syndication

Geographic focus

Central Asia
Eastern Europe
Latin America & Caribbean
Middle East
Pan-African
South Asia
Southeast Asia

Sector focus

Renewable Energy
Climate Mitigation
Infrastructure
Manufacturing

Project stages

Construction
Operational

Eligibility

Private companies and projects; IFC does not lend to governments.

How to access

Contact the IFC country office or submit a project through the IFC website.

IFC Direct Investment & Climate Finance

Facility
Debt
Rolling

Long-term debt, equity and blended concessional finance for private companies and projects in emerging markets, with a large share now tagged to climate mitigation, adaptation and green buildings.

Access route

Direct application

Ticket size

— — Typically $5m–$100m+ per transaction

Geographic focus

Global
South Asia
Southeast Asia
Latin America & Caribbean
Central Asia
Eastern Europe
Middle East
Sub-Saharan Africa

Sector focus

Renewable Energy
Manufacturing
Agribusiness
Financial Institutions
Infrastructure

Project stages

Growth
Scale-up
Construction

Eligibility

Private sector companies and projects in IFC member developing countries, meeting IFC Performance Standards.

How to access

Submit an investment proposal to the relevant IFC regional or industry team; screening is followed by full appraisal.

IFC Equity & Fund Investments

Fund Window
Equity
Open

Direct equity and investments into African climate, infrastructure and SME funds as an anchor limited partner.

Access route

By invitation / relationship

Ticket size

$5m – $100m — $5m–$100m equity tickets

Geographic focus

Central Asia
Eastern Europe
Latin America & Caribbean
Middle East
Pan-African
South Asia
Southeast Asia

Sector focus

Climate Tech
Infrastructure
Financial Services

Project stages

Growth
Scale-up

Eligibility

Growth companies and fund managers meeting IFC E&S standards.

How to access

Approach IFC Funds team or the relevant industry group.

IFC Global Trade Finance Programme

Facility
Trade Finance
Open

Guarantees covering payment risk of African issuing banks on trade transactions, including climate-smart trade lines.

Access route

Via financial intermediary

Ticket size

— — Bank-level limits

Geographic focus

Central Asia
Eastern Europe
Latin America & Caribbean
Middle East
Pan-African
South Asia
Southeast Asia

Sector focus

Trade
Financial Institutions
Agribusiness

Project stages

Operational

Eligibility

Confirming and issuing banks in the programme network.

How to access

Your bank applies to join the GTFP network.

IFC Green, Blue & Social Bonds

Green Bond
Green Bonds
Open

IFC issues and anchors green/blue bonds and helps African banks and corporates issue their own under the Green Bond Technical Assistance Programme.

Access route

Via financial intermediary

Ticket size

$10m+ — Anchor investments typically $10m+

Geographic focus

Eastern Europe
Latin America & Caribbean
Middle East
Pan-African
South Asia
Southeast Asia

Sector focus

Financial Institutions
Renewable Energy
Water

Project stages

Construction
Operational

Eligibility

Banks and corporates with an eligible green asset pipeline.

How to access

Approach IFC Financial Institutions Group or the GB-TAP team.

IFC Scaling Solar / Scaling Mini-Grids

Programme
Advisory
Open

Standardised tender and financing packages that bring utility-scale solar and mini-grid programmes to market quickly.

Access route

Sovereign / government only

Ticket size

— — Advisory plus IFC debt/equity at financial close

Geographic focus

Central Asia
Pan-African
South Asia
Southeast Asia

Sector focus

Renewable Energy
Energy Access
Mini-grids

Project stages

Concept
Feasibility
Development

Eligibility

Governments and utilities; developers then bid into the tender.

How to access

Government requests the programme; developers respond to the public tender.

How to access International Finance Corporation

How do you get IFC financing?

Companies approach IFC directly with an investment proposal. IFC invests in private-sector projects through loans, equity, guarantees and blended concessional finance.

What size projects does IFC finance?

IFC typically focuses on larger transactions, so smaller businesses are often reached through IFC-backed banks and funds.

Does IFC finance climate projects?

Yes. Renewable energy, green buildings, climate-smart agriculture and green bonds are core areas.

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