International financial institutions
Finnish companies and their partners can benefit from a wide range of business opportunities financed by International Financial Institutions (IFIs), while enhancing sustainable business.
- The most relevant IFI financed business opportunities, industries and sectors
- Strategically interesting IFI financed regions or countries
- The most relevant IFIs and their business opportunities
IFIs provide a large and growing, yet underutilized, global market for Finnish companies and their partners, representing a less risky financing source especially in emerging and developing markets.
IFIs refer mainly to multilateral development banks – such as the World Bank and the regional development banks – promoting sustainable social and economic development. EU development financing is also considered in this framework.
About The IFI Financed Market
IFIs account for some 150 billion USD of annual financial flows towards developing markets alone. Most IFIs work mainly in developing countries and some provide financing also for developed economies especially in Europe. IFI financed business opportunities cover a wide range of industries including energy, transport, mining, water supply and sanitation, urban and rural development, health and education.
Main Business
Opportunities
Public Procurement Opportunities
Finnish companies and their partners can compete for IFI financed public procurement opportunities, particularly when Finland is a member country of the IFI in question. IFIs finance governments and other public entities in their countries of operations and part of this financing generates public procurement opportunities. These range from large-scale infrastructure works and goods to solutions and services.
Investment Financing Opportunities
Finnish companies and their partners can seek benefit from IFI investment financing for bankable private sector projects in IFI countries of operations, either as investors or as suppliers. IFIs can also mobilize significant third-party resources for the bankable investment projects. While most investment opportunities directly financed by IFIs tend to focus on large-scale investment opportunities, a few venture funding and networking initiatives focusing on smaller companies have also emerged recently.
Nordic institutions
Nordic Development Fund (NDF)
NDF financing generates public procurement opportunities in Asia, Africa and Latin America with focus on climate change and development issues. NDF provides also financing for bankable private sector investment projects.
Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO)
The NEFCO provides financing for bankable private sector investment projects on green economy worldwide. Its financing generates also procurement opportunities.
Nordic Investment Bank (NIB)
The NIB provides financing for bankable private sector investment projects with focus on environmental benefits in Nordic and Baltic countries. Its financing generates also procurement opportunities.
European Union (EU) Institutions
European Commission (EC)
The EC manages much of the EU financing for the EU partner countries, generating public procurement opportunities worldwide. Find out more from our IFI Snapshot as well as from the EU Funding (in Finnish) and the EC webpages.
European Investment Bank (EIB)
The EIB provides financing for bankable private sector investment projects mainly within the EU, but also worldwide. Its financing generates also (public) procurement opportunities. Find out more from our IFI Snapshot as well as from the EU Funding (in Finnish) and the EIB webpages.
The World Bank Group
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
The IFC provides financing for bankable private sector investment projects worldwide. Find out more from our IFI Snapshot and the IFC webpage.
World Bank
World Bank financing generates public procurement opportunities worldwide. Find out more from our IFI Snapshot and the World Bank webpage.
Regional development banks with Finnish membership
African Development Bank (AFDB) Group
AfDB Group financing generates public procurement opportunities in Africa. AfDB provides also financing for bankable private sector investment projects. Find out more from our IFI Snapshot and the AfDB webpage.
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
ADB financing generates public procurement opportunities in Asia and the Pacific. The ADB provides also financing for bankable private sector investment projects. Find out more from our IFI Snapshot and the ADB webpage.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
AIIB financing generates public procurement opportunities mainly in Asia. The AIIB provides also financing for bankable private sector investment projects benefitting economic development in Asia. Find out more from our IFI Snapshot and the AIIB webpage.
Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB)
CEB financing generates public procurement opportunities in Europe with focus on social and human development in Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe. Find out more from the CEB webpage.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
The EBRD provides financing for bankable private sector investment projects in Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia as well as in the South and East Mediterranean. Its financing generates also (public) procurement opportunities. Find out more from our IFI Snapshot and the EBRD webpage.
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) GROUP
IDB financing generates public procurement opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean. IDB Invest provides financing for bankable private sector investment projects. Find out more from our IFI Snapshot as well as from the IDB and The IDB Invest webpages.
Selected others
IFIs that do not have Finland as their member country may also provide some business opportunities for Finnish companies, for example through partnerships. They include:
Snapshot of International Financial Institutions – Opportunities for Sustainable Business
This 2021 handbook provides a structured information package on the IFI financed market and related business opportunities.
Guide to Procurements by Development Financiers: Handbook for Companies towards 150 billion EUR Markets (In Finnish)
This 2019 guide by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland provides a wealth of information on the procurements by the international development financiers, including IFIs.
Business Finland, together with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, helps Finnish companies to better access sustainable IFI financed business opportunities. We help Finnish companies to explore and access IFI financed procurement and investment opportunities by:
- Providing insights and advice on IFIs, IFI financed business opportunities and related requirements.
- Building dialogue and proving networking opportunities with IFIs and other stakeholders in the IFI financed markets.
- Promoting Finnish offering towards IFIs and other stakeholders as appropriate.
For Whom
Our services are meant for Business Finland customers as well as for their partners such as research organizations.
