The World Bank Group’s delegation to WBAF 2019 includes representatives of central banks, credit guarantee companies, and public funds from Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq who are responsible for the management of ‘fund of funds’ and include angel investing as part of their investment strategy. The World Bank Group’s projects in these four countries range from US$30 to $100 million. These include Innov Invest in Morocco, iSME in Lebanon, ISSF in Jordan, and SBGs in Iraq. The main aim of this year’s delegation is to support start-ups and the ecosystem in Africa and the Middle East.
The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Established in 1944, the World Bank Group is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with more than 10,000 employees in more than 120 offices worldwide. It provides low-interest loans and grants to developing countries. These support a wide array of investments in areas such as education, health, public administration, and infrastructure in private-sector development, agriculture, and environmental and natural resource management. Some projects are co-financed with governments, other multilateral institutions, commercial banks, export credit agencies, and private-sector investors.
The World Bank Group also provides or facilitates financing through trust fund partnerships with bilateral and multilateral donors and supports developing countries through policy advice, research and analysis, and technical assistance. The analytical work of the World Bank Group often underpins the financing and helps inform developing countries’ own investments.
The World Bank Group’s delegation to WBAF 2019 includes representatives of central banks, credit guarantee companies, and public funds from Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq who are responsible for the management of ‘fund of funds’ and include angel investing as part of their investment strategy. The World Bank Group’s projects in these four countries range from US$30 to $100 million. These include Innov Invest in Morocco, iSME in Lebanon, ISSF in Jordan, and SBGs in Iraq. The main aim of this year’s delegation is to support start-ups and the ecosystem in Africa and the Middle East.
Often referred to as the Davos of the early and post-early equity investment and capital markets of the world, the World Congress of Angel Investors is affiliated with the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI). The theme of this year’s event is ‘Connecting Private Equity Funds with Angel Investors to Ease Access to Second and Further Rounds of Investment’. Joining the Congress are more than 1,000 angel investors, VCs, private equity fund managers, stock exchange executives, representatives of investment agencies, chamber of commerce representatives, bank executives, policymakers, co-investment fund managers, executives of global business angel networks and VCs. Global start-ups will be featured on the Global Fundraising Stage on 19 February 2019. The World Excellence Awards the Congress will salute the outstanding successes of 2018.
About the World Bank
The World Bank Group has set two goals for 2030: (a) to end extreme poverty by decreasing the percentage of people living on less than $1.90 a day to no more than 3% and (b) to promote shared prosperity by fostering the income growth of the bottom 40% of every country. The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. It is not a bank in the ordinary sense but a unique partnership to reduce poverty and support development. The World Bank Group comprises five institutions managed by their member countries.
About the World Business Angels Investment Forum
An affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) is an international organisation aiming to ease access to finance for businesses from start-up to scale-up, with the ultimate goal of generating more jobs and more social justice worldwide. It is committed to collaborating globally to empower world economic development by creating innovative financial instruments for innovators, start-ups, and SMEs. The Forum interacts with leaders in all areas of society, first and foremost in business and political spheres, to help assess needs and establish goals, bearing in mind that the public interest is of paramount importance. WBAF engages a wide range of institutions, both public and private, local and international, commercial and academic to help shape the global agenda.
About GPFI
The Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) is an inclusive platform for all G20 countries, interested non-G20 countries, and relevant stakeholders to carry forward work on financial inclusion, including implementation of the G20 Financial Inclusion Action Plan endorsed at the G20 Summit in Seoul. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands is the Honorary Patron of the GPFI.
