By Andrew Herscowitz, Chief Development Officer, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
The story of bringing electricity to every corner of the world is a two-sided story of both unprecedented progress in recent years, as well as daunting challenges that remain to reach the most remote populations.
Even as the global population grew, the number of people living without electricity fell from 1.2 billion in 2010 to 840 million in 2019, according to data from the World Health Organization. Despite those strides, there is reason for concern that progress could stall. Most of the communities that still lack a reliable source…
As a Government agency committed to advancing women’s economic empowerment around the world, U.S. International Development Finance Institution (DFC) also strives to empower the women inside the organization.
Women comprise half of DFC’s leadership and span all departments from portfolio management to loan origination, legal affairs, external affairs, and human resources. This strong representation of female leadership has helped guide DFC’s successful track record of investing in development around the world, and reaching some of the most underserved communities, including women. …
By Anthony Randazzo, Director, Social Enterprise Finance and Ken Olsen, Director, Capital Markets
One of the great challenges facing the impact investing world today is the mismatch between the demand for impact assets that provide market returns and the available supply. Simply put, too many impact dollars are chasing too few impact assets.
Development finance institutions (DFIs) like the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) can help address this imbalance. DFC currently has more than $33 billion invested in the developing world, delivering tangible impact on the lives of millions of people living in poverty. One avenue through which DFC…
By Algene Sajery, Vice President of DFC’s Office of External Affairs and Head of DFC’s Global Gender Equity Initiatives
Second in a series of blogs on U.S. International Development Finance Corporation’s new Development Strategy, the Roadmap for Impact
By Merryl Burpoe, Senior Advisor, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
When a disaster strikes, whether it’s a pandemic, a natural disaster, or political violence, the world’s low-income and underrepresented communities tend to suffer the most.
Lacking typical safety nets including access to credit, many smallholder farmers, small business owners, and laborers struggle to support themselves and their families. Over 1.7 billion people worldwide have never had a bank account, making it challenging to access loans and other financial services even in ordinary times. …
First in a series of blogs on U.S. International Development Finance Corporation’s new Development Strategy, the Roadmap for Impact
By Andrew Herscowitz, Chief Development Officer, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) recently announced our comprehensive $75 billion development strategy, the Roadmap for Impact, directly benefitting people in less developed countries around the world. Through this Roadmap, we will work with the private sector and across sectors — from healthcare to energy — to help countries attract critical investment that can provide direct benefits to businesses, individuals, and communities.
A critical component of DFC’s strategy is focused on food security and agriculture. Through this new Roadmap, by 2025, we committed to the goal of investing…
A Comprehensive $75 Billion Investment Strategy directly benefitting People in Less-Developed Countries
By Andrew Herscowitz, Chief Development Officer, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
During our first year in operation, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has supported projects that will unlock billions of dollars that advance development in emerging markets across the world. More than 60 percent of projects approved this year located in low-income and lower-middle income countries and in fragile states. …
By Charity Wallace, Managing Director, Global Women’s Issues, US International Development Finance Corporation
Arguably the biggest missed market opportunity is that of women. Women account for 50 percent of the global working age population. Research shows that if women participate more equally in the economy, global GDP could increase by 26 percent or $12 trillion USD by 2025, and in Latin America alone, women could add an estimated $2.6 trillion to GDP by 2025 if the gender gap is bridged.
Yet despite recognition of the opportunity that women represent, on virtually every global measure, women are more economically excluded than…
By Katie Naeve and Charity Wallace
When you run a small enterprise in a rural community, it’s difficult to access the financing you need to grow. If you’re a woman running one of these enterprises, it’s even harder. The International Finance Corporation estimates that up to 70% of women-owned enterprises in emerging markets are overlooked by lenders.
These women-owned enterprises face a $1.7 trillion financing gap — but the costs of not investing in women are so much higher than that. A study by Boston Consulting Group found that for every dollar of investment raised, female-run startups generated 78 cents…
By, Adam Boehler, Chief Executive Officer, and Andrew Herscowitz, Chief Development Officer, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
Six months after U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) launched, the new agency has established a strong track record of supporting investment in these places that are most in need of capital, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As this fact sheet shows, almost three-quarters of the projects DFC has approved since January were in low income and lower-middle income countries, or in fragile states. …
DFC.gov
U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. Investing in development and advancing U.S. foreign policy. Twitter: @DFCgov
