Finance for Development (F4D)

Supporting countries achieve resilient, stable, and transparent financial systems.

• Financial sector regulation & oversight (banks, non-banks, payments, intermediaries)

• Crisis management & safety nets 

• NPL management 

• Financial sector vulnerability analysis 

• Cyber security (financial sector specific)  

• Financial Sector Integrity 

Expanding safe, reliable, and efficient market infrastructures and financial inclusion.

• Digital financial services 

• Digital public infrastructure (use of digital ID in the financial sector, digital payments and use of data exchange frameworks to support open finance) 

• Innovation facilitators (regulatory sandbox, innovation hubs, and accelerators) 

• Remittances  

• Financial access & usage 

• Women’s financial inclusion 

• Consumer protection 

• Payment systems  

• Microfinance 

• Open Finance 

Bridging the gaps for strategic sectors in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs).

• MSME finance (including credit infrastructure)  

• Corporate finance 

• Housing finance 

• Infrastructure finance  

• Agriculture finance 

• Corporate debt restructuring & insolvency

Mobilizing long term finance by crowding-in private capital.

• Capital markets  

• Institutional investors  

• Competition in the financial system 

• Private capital facilitation

Strengthening the ability of people and countries to prevent, prepare, and recover from shocks, including against climate crises, is one of the critical elements of the World Bank’s vision and mission. F4D embeds climate finance-related work through all of its workstreams.   

• Conducting country climate risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities and assessing supervisory responses 
• Assessing financial sector impacts of climate risks, adapt regulatory and supervisory approaches 
• Developing instruments to mobilize investors for green and sustainable development (e.g., green bonds, green mortgages, sustainable agriculture

Digital Financial Service (DFS) is playing a rapidly evolving cross cutting function that is deeply changing financial systems, and as such constitutes a key topic across all F4D pillars.

• Developing frameworks for a greater role of digital financial services  
• Adapting regulatory frameworks to fit new actors, contain risks of arbitrage, and adopt proportional rules 
• Supporting clients in addressing risks such as cybersecurity concerns, over indebtedness, data governance and privacy.

F4D focuses on increasing women’s economic participation by building knowledge and data and supporting regulatory and market infrastructure reforms that improve women access to financial services.

• Gender-sensitive knowledge and data generation
• Implementation of gender-smart policies leveraging existing tools and frameworks