The International Finance Corporation (IFC) was established in 1956.

It supports the goals of the World Bank Group being to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity.

The IFC has a global presence in more than 100 countries in a network consisting of hundreds of financial institutions and more than 2000 client firms.

It is owned by 184 member countries that determine its policies and guide its programmes and activities through a board of governors and a board of directors.

The IFC was founded on the idea that the private sector is essential to development and it is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries.

It invests in, provides advice to and mobilises finance for private financial institutions and companies in developing countries helping them to achieve sustainable growth.

The IFC is a key player in global efforts to address climate change and in harnessing the private sector to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

It is an active issuer of ESG bonds, including green bonds and social bonds.

The IFC sees good ESG standards as fundamental to the success of private sector investments and it works with financial institutions to introduce those standards, as well as risk management, to their lending practices.

In addition, the IFC works with regulators and stock exchanges to introduce ESG standards to markets.

As part of this work, the IFC participated in the creation of the Sustainable Banking Network being a community of financial sector regulatory agencies and banking associations from emerging markets committed to advancing sustainable finance in line with international good practice.

The IFC has a sustainability framework, including performance standards on environmental and social sustainability, which are designed to help its clients’ performance on those issues.

Advance economic development by encouraging the growth of private enterprise in developing countries.

The IFC raises capital predominantly through issuing bonds in international capital markets to fund loans to clients and maintain financial strength. Through their funding program, IFC issues bonds in a variety of markets, formats and currencies, including global benchmarks bonds, green and social bonds, uridashi notes, private placements, and discount notes.

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