ABSTRACT
IFC was founded in 1956 as a member of the World Bank Group (WBG) to stimulate economic growth in developing countries through the direct financing of private sector investments. IFC also mobilizes capital in international financial markets, and provides technical assistance and advice to governments and businesses. From 2013 IFC participated in the first WBG Strategy aimed at reducing extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity by 2030. IFC’s Advisory Services, in the form of advice, dialogue, problem solving and training, aim to promote best practices, improve business standards, increase access to finance, develop a regulatory environment that facilitates entrepreneurship and private sector growth, promote environmental and social sustainability, and enhance infrastructure. IFC manages, jointly financed with the World Bank and MIGA, the Foreign Investment Advisory Service (FIAS), which provides technical assistance and advice on promoting foreign investment and strengthening a country’s investment framework, at the request of governments.
