Insights & Reports

Actionable economic research to help unlock sustainable private investment in Emerging Markets.

How Private Capital—By and For Women—Can Be Good for Business

Private equity and venture capital are important sources of funding for companies, helping to shape their development at all stages. New IFC research finds that these funds could do more to channel capital to women-owned and run companies. The study also found that if these funds had more women making investment decisions, more funding would flow to women-owned businesses—and that this would not come at the price of lowering their portfolios’ financial performance.

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Trade Finance in Central America and Mexico

Expanding access to low-cost trade finance could boost goods trade as much as 9 percent in Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, new joint research from the International Finance Corporation and World Trade Organization finds.

Financing Firm Growth: The Role of Capital Markets in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Discover how equity and bond markets foster growth in developing economies, contributing $4 trillion in capital and generating 5 percent more jobs over three decades.

Emerging Market Green Bonds 2024

The seventh edition of the IFC-Amundi Green Bond report shows green, sustainability, sustainability-linked and social (GSSS) bond issuance hit a record $1 trillion in 2024, a 3 percent advance on the previous year.

Digital Opportunities in African Businesses

African firms seeking to increase their use of technology face a number of challenges including a higher cost of adoption compared with other regions. A new book by IFC researchers highlights what can be done to enable African businesses to take full advantage of digitalization, from investing in new infrastructure to funding tech startups.

Building Green: Sustainable Construction in Emerging Markets

Greener building technologies and climate-friendly capital markets could cut the construction sector’s carbon footprint as much as a fifth by 2035, creating a $3 trillion investment opportunity in emerging markets.

Featured Series

Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD)

Each CPSD examines a country's business environment and analyzes key sectors where private investment could drive growth with the right policies and regulations.