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☆ Exclusive: World's top MDBs to launch debt-for-nature swap 'task force' - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The task force creation is the most significant step so far in showing that the global club of multilateral lenders, which between them have trillions of dollars worth of firepower, will significantly ramp up their support for these deals. Four sources involved in the plans, which are expected to be announced at the COP summit's 'finance day' on Monday, say the group will formally be called the "Task Force on Sustainability-linked Sovereign Financing for Nature and Climate". It will initially be chaired by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and U.S. government's Development Finance Institution (DFC), said three of the sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Both lenders have been involved in all the recent swaps which have also included Barbados and Gabon. At their simplest, the swaps work by buying up a country's bonds, often at a discount, and then replacing them with cheaper eco-labelled ones that come with the special MDB guarantees.

Persons: Chico Mendes, Amanda Perobelli, MDBs, Marc Jones, Christina Fincher Organizations: Chico, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, Institute for, Environment, Resources, REUTERS, Reuters, Force, Sustainability, Nature, Inter, American Development Bank, government's Development Finance, World Bank, European Investment Bank, Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, ADB, Infrastructure Development Bank, Reuters Graphics, Conservancy, Thomson Locations: Pocone, Mato Grosso, Brazil, Belize, Barbados, Gabon, Beijing, U.S, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Colombia, Ecuador

☆ World Bank and kin head for a $100 bln cash call
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

World Bank President Ajay Banga arrives for a signing ceremony with Thailand to host the 2026 International Monetary Fund and the World Bank annual meetings on the last day of this year's meeting, following last month's deadly earthquake, in Marrakech, Morocco, October 15, 2023. REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The World Bank and its fellow institutions are heading for a cash call. The World Bank and its regional peers, such as the African Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank, are well placed to help developing countries craft strategies to develop in a green way. Donald Trump may seem an unlikely supporter of the World Bank if he wins. The People’s Republic, for its part, will want to increase its stake in the World Bank as part of any capital increase.

Persons: Ajay Banga, Susana Vera, Fitch don’t, Chris Humphrey, Janet Yellen, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, There’s, David Cameron, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: Monetary Fund, World Bank, REUTERS, Reuters, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Group, FIRST, AAA, Bank, Moody’s, European Bank for Reconstruction, U.S, Thomson Locations: Thailand, Marrakech, Morocco, Washington, United States, China, Britain, Ukraine, U.S, Israel, Republic, United Kingdom, France

☆ Yellen supports 'significant' capital increase for IDB's private sector arm
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Yellen, who hosted a breakfast for leaders from the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity before a White House summit, said Treasury strongly supported efforts by IDB President Ilan Goldfajn to reform the regional development bank's private sector arm, IDB Invest, and backed a capital increase for it. "My team at Treasury is working closely with President (Ilan) Goldfajn and IDB Group shareholders to define the policy reforms and financial scenarios that would enable a significant capital increase for IDB Invest," she said. Yellen told an IDB conference on Thursday that additional capital would help increase IDB Invest's impact and ability to better mobilize private capital to the region, as APEP partners work to shift supply chains away from China and expand "nearshoring" options closer to home. Yellen also said on Thursday that the "originate-to-share" approach adopted by IDB Invest CEO James Scriven was pioneering a new way for multilateral development banks (MDBs) to leverage private sector capital, an innovation being closely watched by others. The move by IDB follows efforts by China to increase its influence in Latin America, through increased direct lending to Latin American governments and boosting trade ties to resource-rich South American countries.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Ilan Goldfajn, Ilan, Goldfajn, Yellen, James Scriven, Andrea Shalal, Christina Fincher, Paul Simao Organizations: . Treasury, Inter, American Development Bank, Americas, Economic Prosperity, Treasury, IDB Invest, IDB Group, IDB, Thomson Locations: United States, America, Caribbean, Washington, U.S, Latin America, China, Mexico

☆ Yellen says World Bank needs 'cultural change' to better mobilize private capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEN GUERIR, Morocco, Oct 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday the World Bank had made progress in reforming its operations to better address climate change and other global challenges, but still needed "cultural change" to mobilize private sector capital. But more efforts were needed to equip World Bank staff to deliver the desired results, Yellen said. The reforms of the World Bank and other multilateral development banks (MDBs) are a key topic at this week's annual meetings in Morocco of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. But government funding would never suffice, Yellen added, calling on the MDBs to establish concrete private capital mobilization targets and incentives for staff to meet them. She said the World Bank's International Finance Corp and MIGA divisions should expand their lending, guarantee and insurance instruments, and find new ways to smartly manage foreign exchange risk.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Elizabeth Frantz, BEN GUERIR, Ajay Banga, Yellen, Banga, Andrea Shalal, Catherine Evans Organizations: Treasury, Treasury Department, REUTERS, . Treasury, Bank, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Bank's International Finance Corp, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Morocco, Ben Guerir

☆ US Treasury pushing development banks for progress on next phase of reforms by April
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the U.S. Treasury building in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2023. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has been pushing for reforms to expand the World Bank's lending for a year, after an expert panel review concluded that the institutions, government shareholders and credit rating agencies were too timid about financial risks. The Treasury official said World Bank governors were expected to sign off on the new measures this week and mapped out previously unreported details on the callable capital issue, including the timetable for action. Any new proposal on treatment of callable capital will require approval by the shareholders of each of the respective multilateral development banks, bank officials have said. "You've got to work on global challenges like climate fragility and pandemics and poverty and boosting shared prosperity all at once because they are all mutually reinforcing and intertwined," the Treasury official said.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, MDBs, Janet Yellen, You've, Andrea Shalal, Mark Porter Organizations: Department of, U.S . Treasury, REUTERS, Treasury, U.S . Treasury Department, World Bank, Bank, Reuters, Rockefeller Foundation, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, MARRAKECH, Morocco, U.S, Marrakech

☆ Asian Development Bank says the world faces 'immense' funding challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Asia and the rest of the world face "immense" challenges, and the Asian Development Bank must work with others to address those issues, its director general told CNBC on Friday. "The challenge that we are facing in this region and also globally, are immense, including climate change. "So this is a limitation for different countries to take more debt for their sustainable development and climate change." He said multilateral development banks "can and must take bold action to help address the challenges." "First of all, we need to ramp up our lending capacity ... but also, we need extra efforts to mobilize more money from private sector," he said.

Persons: Tomoyuki Kimura, CNBC's Tanvir Gill, Covid Organizations: Asian Development Bank, CNBC, ADB Locations: Asia, New Delhi

☆ Yellen to attend India G20 summit, focus on economy, climate, Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen addresses the media, along with Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on the sidelines of a G20 meeting at Gandhinagar, India, July 17, 2023. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will travel to New Delhi to participate in the G20 leaders summit from Sept. 7-10, making her fourth visit to India in 10 months, the Treasury Department said on Thursday. Yellen intends to focus at the summit on strengthening the global economy and supporting low- and middle-income countries by advancing efforts on debt restructurings, the evolution of multilateral development banks (MDBs) and building International Monetary Fund trust fund resources, the Treasury said. The Treasury said Yellen also will rally America's G20 allies to maintain economic support for Ukraine and increase costs on Russia over Moscow's continuing war in Ukraine. Reporting by David Lawder Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Nirmala Sitharaman, Amit Dave, Yellen, Moscow's, Yi Gang, David Lawder, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Treasury, Indian Finance, REUTERS, Rights, . Treasury, Monetary Fund, Bank, People's Bank of, Thomson Locations: Gandhinagar, India, New Delhi, Ukraine, Russia, China, U.S, Indonesia, People's Bank of China's, Beijing

☆ Rich nations pledge to unlock hundreds of billions of dollars for climate fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

World leaders and finance leaders attend the closing session of the New Global Financial Pact Summit, in Paris on June 23, 2023. The leaders, gathered at a summit in Paris to thrash out funding for the climate transition and post-COVID debt burdens of poor countries, said their plans would secure billions of dollars of matching investment from the private sector. An overdue pledge of $100 billion in climate finance for developing nations was also now in sight, they said. The announcements mark a scaling up of action from the development banks in the fight against climate change and set a direction for further change ahead of their annual meetings later in the year. However, some climate activists were critical of the results.

Persons: Lewis Joly, LEWIS JOLY, Janet Yellen, Harjeet Singh Organizations: New Global Financial, Getty Images, Bank, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Reuters, U.S, IMF, Paris Summit, Climate Action Locations: Paris

☆ EU's lending arm to explore climate emergency repayment pause clauses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"The EIB is exploring ways to scale up climate finance," it said in a statement on Friday at an international summit being held in Paris. EIB Global, the arm of the bank that lends outside the EU, invests around 10 billion euros ($10.87 billion) a year. It is estimated that roughly half of that money goes to countries that could be eligble for the new clauses. "We know that more climate disasters are coming," Maria Shaw-Barragan, a Director of Lending the bank told Reuters. "So it makes sense for the MDBs, and bilateral lenders, to include these clauses in order to give countries some breathing space."

Persons: Maria Shaw, Barragan, Marc Jones, Mark Heinrich, Louise Heavens Organizations: European Investment, LONDON, European Investment Bank, World Bank, EIB, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paris

☆ HIGHLIGHTS-What world leaders said at the Paris finance summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, June 22 (Reuters) - Following are highlights of what world leaders said at a summit in Paris on Thursday to boost crisis financing for poor countries, reform post-war financial systems and free up funds to tackle climate change. ON REFORM"Even with the capital that the World Bank and the MDBs (multinational development banks) have, there is clearly potential ...to increase financing capacity," said U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, whose country is the World Bank's biggest shareholder. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen delivers her speech at the U.S embassy to France, ahead of the Global Climate Finance conference, in Paris, France June 22, 2023 World leaders, heads of international organizations and activists are gathering in Paris for a two-day summit aimed at seeking better responses to tackle poverty and climate change issues by reshaping the global financial system. ON FAILURE OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL ARCHITECTURE"It is clear that the international financial architecture has failed in its mission to provide a global safety net for developing countries," said U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Reporting by Leigh Thomas, John Irish, Elizabeth Pineau, Silvia Aloisi; Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Yellen, Lewis Joly, Emmanuel Macron, General Antonio Guterres, Leigh Thomas, John Irish, Elizabeth Pineau, Silvia Aloisi, Christina Fincher Organizations: World Bank, Treasury, U.S . Treasury, U.S, Global Climate Finance, Bank, Thomson Locations: Paris, U.S, France

☆ World Bank should add disaster clauses to debt agreements- Yellen
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Such clauses could be part of a broader reform of the World Bank to free up more funds, Yellen told journalists in the French capital. "We would also like to see the World Bank offer borrowers the option to add climate resilient debt clauses to their loan agreements. These clauses would help ease pressures on countries if a natural disaster strikes," she said. Yellen, whose country is the World Bank's biggest shareholder, added multilateral development banks should be reformed to become more efficient before shareholders think of injecting more money into them. "Even with the capital that the World Bank and the MDBs have there is clearly potential ...to increase financing capacity," she said, adding an additional 200 billion dollars could be unlocked over a decade.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Read, Yellen, Leigh Thomas, Silvia Aloisi, Toby Chopra Organizations: . Treasury, U.S, Global Climate Finance, World Bank, Bank, Thomson Locations: France, Paris, PARIS

☆ World Bank must drive private investment in climate transition, new chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 11 (Reuters) - The World Bank must use "informed risk-taking" to encourage private investors to get more engaged in helping developing countries deal with climate change and leapfrog fossil-fuel energy sources, its new president Ajay Banga said on Sunday. Private sector capital was critical since funds from governments, philanthrophy, the World Bank and other multilateral development banks (MDBs) would never suffice to help poor countries adapt to and mitigate climate change, said Banga, a former Mastercard CEO who took office on June 2. Private companies were bound to deliver returns for shareholders and could not take on the risks involved, but the bank could help, he said. The Indian-born executive was nominated by the U.S. for the job precisely because of his previous work in the private sector, and he has pledged to identify barriers for greater investment and find ways to maximize the bank's impact. Banga told CNN he would also work closely with other multilateral lenders and development organizations, noting that he would be joined in his visits this week by Inter-American Development Bank President Ilan Golfajn.

Persons: Ajay Banga, Banga, CNN's, Fareed Zakaria, Ilan Golfajn, Andrea Shalal, Mark Porter, Jan Harvey Organizations: Fareed Zakaria GPS, World Bank, Mastercard, U.S, CNN, Inter, American Development Bank, Thomson Locations: Banga, Peru, Jamaica

It would see the IMF and other MDBs "cut the excessive macro-risk premia on developing countries with $100 billion per year of foreign exchange guarantees", for financing in more volatile domestic currencies rather than the dollar or euro. A report by the World Bank and other big multilateral lenders said they gave $51 billion in 2021 alongside $13 billion from private finance. Outlines of the proposals have been sent to the key groups preparing the discussions over the last couple of weeks. "This is a call to arms" the source said, referring to the document and its intention to galvanise more concrete action from the IMF and multilateral lenders. The proposals put forward in the April document, which also include redistributing other IMF money, are likely to form a key part of the negotiating position of developing countries at the next round of annual climate talks in Dubai later this year.

☆ Yellen wants more World Bank reforms in coming months, eyes subnational lending
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Yellen told Reuters World Bank shareholders had "extremely productive" discussions last week after approving an initial round of reforms to ensure the bank can better tackle issues such as climate change, pandemics and conflict, alongside its work to reduce poverty. Now they expected the bank to take further actions on a "rolling basis," in the run up to the October annual meetings in Morocco, she said. Yellen said private sector executives told her they were upbeat that new incentives and reforms at the World Bank could free up more private capital for development goals. Malpass told Reuters the bank would draft a work plan for reforms to continue over the summer. "We'll explore additional avenues to provide resources directly from the MDBs and enable private sector capital."

☆ Exclusive: To measure progress on sovereign debt, look to actual deals -World Bank's Malpass
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Speaking a day after the first meeting of a new sovereign debt roundtable, Malpass told Reuters several other issues still needed to be resolved, including China's previous insistence that multilateral development banks also accept losses as part of debt restructuring deals. "Progress in debt restructurings will be measured by actual countries that achieve a restructuring. Reuters reported Beijing was poised to drop its demand that multilateral development banks share in debt restructuring losses, partly in exchange for the IMF and World Bank providing earlier access to their debt sustainability analyses for countries receiving debt treatments. China had also raised concerns about how to deal with domestic debt restructuring and how to treat project loans and projects with dedicated revenues, he said. Private sector creditors who also participated in Wednesday's meeting had indicated that they would want to participate in debt restructuring deals as part of their fiduciary responsibility, Malpass said, calling that a positive development.

☆ Analysis: No China, no deal: Bid to break sovereign debt logjams gets weary thumbs up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Libgeorge Marc Jones | Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) - The latest bid by the world's leading institutions and creditors to speed up debt restructurings and get bankrupt countries back on their feet has been greeted by a mix of cautious optimism and weary scepticism by veteran crisis watchers. The somewhat loose framework around sovereign restructurings has seen Beijing seek to influence the traditional rules of engagement in these processes. The Common Framework platform introduced by leading G20 nations in 2020 aimed to bring all creditors, including China, together and streamline negotiations. Anna Ashton, director of China research at Eurasia Group, said this week’s developments underscored the benefits for China to give some ground on some of its concerns. "China is a difficult partner to talk to but we need China at the table for the solution of debt problems, because otherwise we won't see any progress," Lindner said.

☆ Sovereign debtors, creditors agree on steps to jumpstart debt restructurings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - Global creditors, debtor nations and international financial institutions on Wednesday agreed to improve data sharing, set clearer timetables and take other steps aimed at jumpstarting debt restructuring processes. Reuters reported Beijing was poised to drop its demand that multilateral development banks share in debt restructuring losses, partly in exchange for the IMF and World Bank providing earlier access to their debt sustainability analyses for countries receiving debt treatments. The statement said the debt roundtable participants agreed on the importance to urgently improve information sharing on macroeconomic projections and debt sustainability assessments in debt treatment cases. "This work will also help in clarifying potential timetables to accelerate debt restructurings," the statement said. It said the IMF, World Bank and the G20 presidency will continue to work closely together and with other partners to further support the international response to current debt challenges.

☆ No China, no deal: Bid to break sovereign debt logjams gets weary thumbs up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Libgeorge Marc Jones | Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

☆ Sovereign debtors, creditors agree steps to jumpstart debt restructurings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - Global creditors, debtor nations and international financial institutions on Wednesday agreed to improve data-sharing, set clearer timetables and take other steps aimed at jumpstarting debt restructuring processes. "The discussion focused on the actions that can be taken now to accelerate debt restructuring processes and make them more efficient, including under the G20 Common Framework," the statement said. Participants agreed on the importance to urgently improve information sharing on macroeconomic projections and debt sustainability assessments in debt treatment cases, the statement said. "This work will also help in clarifying potential timetables to accelerate debt restructurings," the statement said. It said the IMF, World Bank and the G20 Presidency will continue to work closely together and with other partners to further support the international response to current debt challenges.

☆ Guest view: “1% for 1.5C” can power green finance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Mahmoud Mohieldin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Developing countries excluding China require approximately $2 trillion annually by 2030, as per the Finance for Climate Action report. But current arrangements to get climate finance from developed to developing states are inefficient, insufficient and unfair. The difference could be subsidized in part through the as-yet unpaid portion of the promised $100 billion climate finance pledge, estimated conservatively at $20 billion annually. And it helps minimize developing countries’ indebtedness, in comparison to the current practice. The scheme would also unlock concessional funds for adaptation and resilience projects, which relative to the mitigation of emissions remains the Cinderella of climate finance, attracting less than 10% of global climate finance.

The United States, the bank's largest shareholder, has been pressing the World Bank for months to take bolder action to increase funding to help developing countries address climate change, future pandemics and other global challenges. The World Bank provided $100 billion from 2020-2022 for global public goods, but estimates that developing countries and the private sector would need to spend far more - $2.4 trillion a year - to address such needs. Karim El Aynaoui, executive president of Moroccan think tank the Policy Center for the New South, said reforms of the World Bank and other multilateral development banks were long overdue and changes were needed to give greater voice to African countries and other developing nations. "The world has changed since the inception of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. U.S. officials are also working closely with other MDBs to advance reforms, including the Inter-American Development Bank, which adopted closely aligned measures at its annual meeting, including a push for more private capital.

JOHANNESBURG, March 27 (Reuters) - Multilateral development banks (MDBs) reluctant to offer debt relief need to shoulder an "equitable burden" in sovereign debt restructurings, a People's Bank of China official said on Monday. But with countries such as Zambia, Sri Lanka and Ghana having defaulted, China has faced criticism for holding up the debt restructuring processes. Jin also said that removing investments in "productive assets" from debt stock calculations in debt restructuring situations "should be encouraged". He acknowledged diverging opinions within China about debt restructuring, which he attributed partly to a lack of experience. "At most 15 years ago, in the multilateral forums China was always on the side of the borrowing countries," Jin said.

The key to it all, of course, is money, and as organized and funded now, the World Bank would be stretched to meet those goals. He also serves on the advisory board of Beyond Net Zero, a climate finance fund. This will be especially difficult for the World Bank's top shareholder, the United States, due to political brawling between the Biden administration and the Republican-majority House of Representatives. The House has major sway over the country's purse strings and its leaders are not disposed to widen the World Bank's role in fighting climate change. In fiscal 2022, the World Bank committed more than $104 billion to projects around the globe, according to the bank's annual report.

☆ Creative green finance can go a long way in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

PARIS, Jan 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Rich democracies are increasingly keen to help the Global South fight climate change. Though they will struggle to write big cheques, there are ways to make a little cash go a long way. The good news is rich countries have ways to get money flowing without dipping much into their own pockets. One plan is for multilateral development banks (MDBs) to use their balance sheets more aggressively to fight climate change. Rich countries should therefore put more capital into those MDBs that show the most enthusiasm for the task.

He said any new strategy should not require new finance from donor countries or for the banks to accept a lower credit rating. Kerry said if the World Bank and regional development banks could increase their lending by the hundreds of billions of dollars, it could leverage trillions in capital from the private sector and other sources. These calls intensified after World Bank President David Malpass in September initially declined to say at a public event whether he accepts the scientific consensus on global warming, which drew condemnation by the White House. Kerry said he would work with German State Secretary for Economic Cooperation and Development Jochen Flasbarth to develop the plan. "We just need a leadership that's ready to stand up, do what the laws allow," he said.

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