International Finance Cooperation (IFC)
About IFC
IFC is a member of the World Bank Group, and offers a wide variety of financial products for private sector projects in developing countries. IFC offers the following products and services:
- Loans
- Equity
- Trade and Supply Chain Finance
- Syndications
- Treasury Client Solutions
- Venture Capital
- Advisory
- Asset Management
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for IFC funding, a project must meet a number of criteria. The project must:
- Be located in a developing country* that is a member of IFC;
- Be in the private sector;
- Be technically sound;
- Have good prospects of being profitable;
- Benefit the local economy; and
- Be environmentally and socially sound, satisfying IFC environmental and social standards as well as those of the host country.
IFC does not lend directly to micro, small, and medium enterprises or individual entrepreneurs, but many of our investment clients are financial intermediaries that on-lend to smaller businesses.
Government Cooperation
Although IFC is primarily a financier of private sector projects, it may provide finance for a company with some government ownership, provided there is private sector participation and the venture is run on a commercial basis.Although IFC does not accept government guarantees for its financing, its work often requires close cooperation with government agencies in developing countries.
* Projects in sectors such as information technology may be located in an industrialized country if the benefits of the project primarily accrue to a developing country or countries.
To learn more about IFC and how to apply for its products and services, please visit IFC’s website.