Who We Are

The International Finance Cooperative (IFC) improves the lives of people in developing countries by investing in private sector growth. We connect economic development with humanitarian needs to create real progress for the people and places that need it most.

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IFC – a member of the World Bank Group - is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector.

Our Mission

For more than 60 years, we’ve leveraged the power of the private sector for global good. Today, we’re using that experience to transform ideas into investments for green growth, inclusive jobs, and impactful projects. 

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Leading the Way in Private Sector Development

Our vision is simple - the private sector drives progress. For over 60 years, we've transformed this belief into reality throughout the developing world.

As pioneers in impact investing, we fuel growth where it's needed most. Our strategic capital empowers visionary entrepreneurs to bring sustainable solutions to scale while our expertise builds successful business environments and creates opportunities for all.

Yet our impact extends beyond dollars and policy reforms. We plant seeds of human potential in the world's toughest soil. Our investments generate jobs, unlock innovation, and cultivate markets that lift millions out of poverty. We mobilize a global community of partners united by a shared purpose - to create opportunity where it's needed most.

For us, a job is more than a paycheck. It is dignity. It is hope for a better future. Opportunity by opportunity, we are building that future - one where inclusive, sustainable growth empowers all people to achieve their aspirations.

Our Leadership

IFC's Management Team shapes the organization’s strategies and policies with support from a diverse and dedicated staff. With decades of development experience, a diversity of knowledge, and distinct cultural perspectives, the Management Team ensures IFC’s work is fit for purpose in a changing world. 

Makhtar Diop
Managing Director
Workers build a new, energy-efficient library at the campus of the Lebanese American University in Byblos, Lebanon, in April 2018. Photo © Marwan Namaani/International Finance Cooperative
43.7 B
in total investment commitments in FY23

Our History

60 years ago, IFC pioneered the idea of the private sector as a catalyst for progress in developing countries.

Today, IFC’s enduring impact spans more than 100 nations. Since 1956, we’ve empowered entrepreneurs all over the world, turning bold ideas into engines of inclusive growth with millions of jobs created, lives uplifted, and communities transformed.