devinitorg/iati-policy-markers huggingface dataset:
ARAB INSURANCE GROUP Summary Of Project Information (SPI)       Project Name    Bahrain-Arab Insurance Group (ARIG)        Capital Restructuring & Privatization        Region    Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa      Sector   Project No008556   Projected Board DateOctober 8, 1997   Company NameArab Insurance Group   Technical Partner and/or Major Shareholders    	The company, prior to its privatization, is currently owned one-third each by the governments of the U.A.E., Kuwait and Libya.    Project Cost Including proposed IFC investment    	Total Project Cost: US$250 million, IFC Investment: US$10 million (equity).  Underwriting of up to US$7.5 million.    Location of project and Description of site    	Bahrain    Description of Company and Purpose of Project   (include IFCs Role and Development Impact)    	The project involves assisting ARIG with a US$250 million capital increase to meet growing business opportunities provided by the liberalization of the insurance sector in the Arab world.  The project involves the privatization of a leading financial institution whose objective is to promote insurance in a region where this sector is underdeveloped.    Environmental Category and Issues    	This is a category C project according to IFCs environmental review procedure.  No further review is necessary       Date SPI sent to PIC     September 8, 1997      This Summary of Project Information is prepared and distributed to the public in advance of consideration of the proposed transaction by the Corporations Board of Directors.  It is provided for the purpose of enhancing the transparency of IFCs activities and should not be construed as presuming the outcome of IFC Board consideration.    For Additional Information contact:  Corporate Relations Unit -   telephone: (202) 473-7711   facsimile: (202) 974-4384
Ayla Networks IFC proposes an investment of up to $5.0 million to support the growth of Sunnyvale, California-based Ayla Networks (Ayla or the Company), a software and data service company founded in 2010, which provides seamless Internet connectivity, cloud-based data management, and smartphone application development software to home appliance and device manufacturers, as it expands its service to China.  IFCs investment is proposed on the basis of attractive market growth opportunities, initial success in gaining traction with customers, demonstration of their technology in the US and China, and the Companys partnerships with strong companies in their value chain, in particular chip and chipset makers that allow Ayla to embed their software into consumer products. It is expected that Ayla''s scale up of its software and service offering in China ultimately allow residents to have better control of their home energy use, which studies show leads to reductions of 10%-15%.   Once residents are able to control their plugs, heating & cooling, lighting and appliances via a smartphone app, a consumer will be able to set up rules to control equipment linked to occupancy or temperature (e.g. turn down air conditioning when no one is home unless outside temperature passes 34 degrees Celsius) or other factors.  Early experience in the US with users of the Nest thermostat, which has similar features to the thermostats that Ayla''s connectivity technology will support, has yielded savings.
InfraCo Project The project is to establish a credit facility of up to $30 million for use by companies developed by InfraCo. InfraCo is a privately managed, donor funded infrastructure project developer which aims to identify viable infrastructure projects in the energy, water, transport and agribusiness sectors in frontier countries.  Once potential projects have been identified, InfraCo will carry out the necessary project development - due diligence, feasibility studies and negotiations on significant project agreements - to the point where the project is ready for financing or construction.  The development rights will then be sold through a transparent process to private sector developers/financiers.  Sales may take the form of either a one time development fee or ongoing royalty payments (or carried equity interest) from the company that buys the prepared project.  It is expected that by doing this, InfraCo should facilitate the realization of projects which would otherwise not be developed.  InfraCo will target projects in Africa and in frontier countries in South Asia and South-East Asia.  Countries targeted will depend on the sector but will include, for instance, Gambia, Senegal, Mozambique, Namibia, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Indonesia.  InfraCo aims to develop and sell about two projects a year with a typical size of $25 to $50 million each.  They may be sold at different stages: as developed concepts, as developed and funded projects or, in the case of rehabilitations and expansions, as operating projects. Projects will be chosen on the basis of development value as well as commercial viability.  The credit facility would form part of a wider non-exclusive cooperation agreement between IFC and InfraCo.
ESIP Learn Capital Coinvestment Fund The Summary of Investment Information is re-posted as per below to reflect the co-investment nature of this proposed investment with IFCs existing investee fund Learn Capital Venture Partners III, L.P. (Learn Capital Fund, Project #32429  https://disclosures.ifc.org/#/projectDetail/SII/32429  )   The SII will reflect IFCs revised proposed investment of up to US$15 million in a co-investment vehicle (IFC Co-investment Fund), of which the first investment would be in Andela Inc.  The project consists of an IFC equity investment of up to US$15 million in a co-investment vehicle (IFC Co-investment Fund or the Project) with IFCs existing investee fund Learn Capital Fund. The purpose of the vehicle is for IFC to participate in co-investment opportunities with Learn Capital Fund on a selective basis.  The first project consists of an equity investment of up to $500,000 in Andela Inc, an education start-up that recruits and trains local talents in Africa to become fully employable in the innovation economy through a New Economy Skills Training (NEST) curriculum. - Accelerate the introduction and expansion of latest education technologies in selected markets, contributing to improved access, quality, efficiency and relevance of local education systems.  - Promote innovation in early stage technology companies through the access to growth capital for expansion in emerging markets.   - Provide a demonstration effect of the potential for the private sector to bring innovative solutions to long-standing problems in education systems in emerging markets, mainly through the use of technology.
BlaBlaCar Project Founded in 2006, BlaBlaCar (or the Company) is a global, online marketplace for buses and carpooling.  The Company provides long-distance bus and car travel solutions for its members.   IFC is considering an investment of up to US$15 million in BlaBlaCar. The funding will primarily be used to expand the Companys operations in emerging markets. The development impact of the project will be via:   (i)Project Outcomes (Stakeholders): Improved access to long-distance transportation services for passengers.  (ii)Project Outcomes (Environment): GHG emission avoidance, through increased capacity utilization of personal vehicles.   (iii)Contribution to Market Creation (Competitiveness): Creating a competitive market for long-distance carpooling services in emerging markets.
AxeTrading Project The project is an equity investment of up to US$5 million in AxeTrading Limited (the Company), a business-to-business software developer focused on providing capital market solutions in electronic trading of fixed income (FI) securities. The Company, founded in 2009 in London, serves local bond markets in emerging market countries, providing high-quality software solutions at a competitive price, including: a) an FI execution management system for wholesale- and retail-trading for local banks, brokers and investment managers and b) a wholesale FI market-making for local exchanges. The Project is expected to provide improved pricing transparency for traded debt securities, in countries developing their bond markets and fulfill requirements under new regulations, particularly countries in Africa, ASEAN and Latin America. The investment will also help establish better market infrastructure needed for more dynamic domestic private debt securities markets that are better able to meet the needs of issuers and investors.
ESIP Sigfox table, .k-table{ border-collapse:collapse; width:100%; table-layout:fixed; margin-bottom: 15px;} .k-table, .k-table td, table, table td {outline: 0;border: 1px solid #000; } .k-table td, table td { padding: 5px; }        Sigfox SA (Sigfox or the Company) is building and operating the worlds leading provider of connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT). The company has built a global network to connect billions of devices to the Internet while consuming as little energy as possible, as simply as possible. As of October 2016, the network roll-out has been launched across 27 countries.            The Company is seeking to raise up to EUR200 million of expansion capital to fund (i) the continued rollout of Sigfoxs network across the globe, including through joint-venture in particular in emerging markets, (ii) the expansion of teams across regions and functions, (iii) research & development investments and (iv) other general corporate & operating expenses. IFC is considering an investment of up to EUR15 million in the Series E equity round. (i) Technology transfer to the next generation of IoT networks out of Europe to emerging markets. As a use case example, switching for GPRS to Sigfox LPWA could reduce communication costs for Distributed Energy Services Companies (DESCOs) operating in Africa and Asia by up to 80%. 
(ii) Low cost connected sensors and devices generate a wealth of data which are used to improve resource efficiency and safety across all industry verticals, including supply chain, energy management, transport, production machinery, health monitoring, security, etc.
Baku Tiblisi-Ceyhan Pipeline ACG Development Phase 1 Project Description The Azeri Chirag deepwater Gunashli (ACG) fields operated by BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) Limited contain an estimated 5.4 billion bbls of recoverable crude oil reserves.  They will be developed in four separate phases, the first of which, the Early Oil project, was financed by IFC and EBRD in 1998 and is producing approximately 140,000 barrels of oil a day.  The second stage, called Phase 1, is currently being considered for separate financing by IFC and EBRD although the financing of the Phase 1 project will be conducted in parallel with the BTC project.  Phase 2 was sanctioned in September of 2002, while Phase 3 is in the project development stage.  Following the completion of all of the phases in 2009, the ACG field peak production of crude is expected to be over one million barrels of oil per day based on proved plus probable reserve estimates.    BTC Project Description: The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (   http://www.ifc.org/btc   ), or BTC, pipeline will transport up to one million barrels of oil per day (bpd) of crude oil primarily from the ACG field.  The 1,760 km pipeline, which starts at the Sangachal Terminal near Baku in Azerbaijan, passes through Georgia and ends at a new marine terminal at Ceyhan on the Mediterranean coast in Turkey, is due to become operational in early 2005.    ACG production is currently shipped primarily through the Western Route Export Pipeline, (WREP) completed as part of the Early Oil project, ending in Supsa, Georgia; however, the current capacity of this route is approximately 150,000 bpd.  In addition, the Northern Route pipeline to Novorossiysk, Russia has a capacity of 115,000 bpd. The BTC pipeline became a necessity because of current constraints on capacity that would limit the ability to bring ACG crude to market.  Early conceptual development of the project took into account the need for a dedicated export route for the ACG field that would not require the shipment of Caspian oil through the Bosphorus Straits thereby significantly reducing environmental risk.
Raiffeisen Bank Yugoslavia RBYU is anticipated to provide essential services to international joint ventures currently present or being established in Yugoslavia as well as to the local enterprises.  Initially, the bank is expected to focus on providing the most basic services such as:  (i) transaction services, (ii) loan products, (iii) deposits, (iv) letters of credit and guarantees, and (v) treasury operations.  Further down the road, RBYU would also extend term loans to large and medium size Yugoslav corporate clients, provide services to retail clients and support payments from international organizations.    RZB''s investment in Yugoslavia is a notable event for the Yugoslavia''s banking sector.  If RBYU is successful, it will have a demonstration effect and will attract other western banks to invest in FR Yugoslavia.  Therefore, it is important for IFC to support RBYU.  The envisaged IFC investment will help to establish a solid intermediary for long-term funding  to the corporate and retail sectors.  The availability of good quality retail banking products to the general public is an important development of a banking sector.  This project will facilitate the development of viable financial sector intermediaries in Yugoslavia, which is currently one of the most important objectives of the IFC and the World Bank in Yugoslavia.
Voxiva Project Voxiva is a leading provider of data capturing solutions for highly distributed data entry systems.  It makes use of commonly available devices like cell phones, touch-tone phones (including pay phones), as well as PCs to enter data from a large number of data collectors.  Such systems are ideal for capturing data in the field, where communication infrastructure is rudimentary and access to PCs is insignificant or non existent.  Voxivas systems are primarily used in the public health and safety markets. Voxivas users submit health, crime or inventory data with accuracy and at a fraction of the cost of the alternative  paper based systems - and make this data available immediately to related decision makers.  Such systems are now live in remote areas of countries such as Peru, Argentina, Rwanda, Kenya, Indonesia, India and Nigeria. Better intelligence, targeted action: Voxivas solutions will allow governments to identify more quickly and better understand the patterns and location of disease outbreaks. With greater knowledge governments will be able to allocate resources more quickly (medical staff, drugs and medical equipment) to affected areas, better containing the spread of the disease and managing its treatment.   Efficient deployment of resources:     Healthcare and related costs rank, in most countries, as the 2nd or 3rd largest (public) budgetary expense.  Paradoxically, the most resource constrained countries squander more healthcare dollars because of lack of information systems that track usage, establish accountability and focus efforts.  Voxivas inventory management tools will enable governments to manage drug inventories and their location encouraging better use and preventing wastage.  Better value for the money:     Voxivas solutions cost only a fraction of the products offered by other software companies.  The high cost of deploying other technologies has left thousands of cities and towns in the developing world without an adequate citizen alert system, made implementation of integrated health systems impossible for both developed and developing countries etc. Voxivas systems, reachable by and able to reach every cell phone in a country, are of enormous value to the public and to governments in emergency situations.   No upfront costs for deployment:     Voxivas new push towards a recurring revenue model, will allow governments to deploy such economic systems without paying upfront, but paying for usage (pay-as-you-go).  This smoothes the budgetary needs and removes a significant adoption barrier.
GTLP SMBC II The proposed project falls under the Global Trade Liquidity Program (GTLP), an innovative and well received trade finance program launched by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in 2009.  GTLP provides liquidity or guarantees to global or regional banks with large financial institution networks.  Through GTLP, banks are able to grow their credit limits, manage risk, and support trade in Emerging Markets (EMs). The most significant, expected project-level effect is increased trade finance for importers and exporters - as many as 1800 companies will be directly supported across 24 EMs, as well as sustained support of as many as 65 emerging market issuing banks EMIBs' capacity to provide trade finance. In terms of market creation, the enhanced capital structure of the transaction allows IFC to mobilize capital at scale via an enabling platform channel and promote integration of new investors into the trade finance asset class via the demonstration and replication channel. Specifically, the project is expected to have the following development impacts: 

- Increase access to trade finance for importers and exporters in EMs 
-	Sustain the capacity for EMIBs to provide trade finance 
-	Economy-wide effects: GDP growth and job creation
Novica United Founded in 1998, Novica is an Internet-based artisan marketplace which enables a network of over 10,000 artisans located in emerging markets to sell their products to international retail and wholesale buyers.  The company has created a global infrastructure that includes on-line retail, wholesale and catalog distribution channels, served by a network of sourcing hubs in seven developing countries.    The companys goal from its inception was to create a destination on the Internet for sales of locally produced arts and handicrafts.  This has been accomplished by providing professional and strategic resources to its artists, all of whom are located in the emerging markets, as well as by providing a scaleable technology platform that enables online sales to customers in the developed world.  The company is allowing artists to increase their standard of living and hire additional workers and is also helping to spread the use of technology among a group of people that were not previously part of the global marketplace.    Novica has had, and will continue to have, a significant impact on the earning potential of numerous low-income artisans, due to higher volume sales and better prices for their goods.  As part of its stated Novica Law of Pricing, the company pays the artisans more for their product than alternative purchasers, yet keeps end prices relatively low, contributing to higher volumes.    Novica''s focus on quality and authenticity also enables the artisans to preserve their cultural heritage and prevents the loss of high quality skills that occurs when artisans are forced to focus on low cost buyers.  For smaller artisans, the rolling purchases facilitated by Internet sales help them avoid "boom and bust" cycles that characterize contracts with traditional exporters, allowing them to build up working and human capital in a sustainable manner.    A strengthened relationship with IFC would benefit Novica in many ways.  The company is already working with artisan groups and with IFCs Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) department to build supplier capacity, which allows the groups to access more profitable markets and hire additional employees.  There is also potential for IFCs Microfinance and Small Business Group (part of Global Financial Markets) to facilitate discussions between Novicas artists and IFCs micro finance portfolio companies.  This could enable Novicas artisans to secure small loans from these credit providers.  Novica believes these loans could enable its artisans to take increased inventory risk, and allow smaller artisans to increase their scale.    It is expected that many Novica artisans who currently have little or no access to formal credit institutions in their own countries will benefit from introduction and access to financial services from IFCs portfolio of dedicated micro finance institutions, enhanced access to working capital and other services that micro finance banks typically provide to self-employed artisans and other micro entrepreneurs.  IFCs experience has shown that this can have a major positive impact in reducing poverty and unemployment in emerging markets worldwide.
GTLP CITI V Increment The project is an increase to an existing funded risk sharing facility with Citibank, N.A. (Citi) in a portfolio of trade-related assets (the existing project #45495 originally disclosed in June 2021), in which IFC shares risk up to 50%-50% in a portfolio of trade related assets. The proposed investment will increase the portfolio by $800 million. By sustaining Citi's ability to provide trade finance services, despite global macroeconomic challenges, the Project is intended to address the global trade finance gap and increase and/or maintain access to trade finance for ultimate stakeholders including Emerging Markets Issuing Banks ("EMIBs") and underlying importers and exporters in Emerging Markets. In addition, it is aimed at promoting global financial and economic integration by increasing the delivery of trade finance to EMIBs, resulting in more support of trade activities across markets through a wide geographical coverage and potentially grow the enabling platform of the correspondent banking network for EMIBs.
Intra-Regional Trade Enhancement Facility Summary Of Project Information (SPI)       Project Name    Intra-Regional Trade Enhancement Facility                     Region    Central and Eastern Europe / CIS      Sector   Project No007172   Projected Board DateFebruary 17, 1996    Company NameN/A   Technical Partner and/or Major Shareholders    	Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich A.G.    Project Cost Including proposed IFC investment    	US$40 million, including an IFC guarantee of up to US$20 million    Location of project and Description of site    	Central and Eastern Europe and the European part of the CIS    Description of Company and Purpose of Project    	The project involves the establishment of a US$40 million five year revolving trade enhancement facility for guaranteeing the credit risk of selected banks within Central and Eastern Europe and the European part of the CIS (the Region) engaged in trade finance.  The co-guarantor of the facility will be Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich A.G. (RZB), a leading Austrian commercial bank.  RZB and IFC will each assume 50% of the risk exposure under the facility.  The facility will offer private exporters and importers in the Region the ability to cover credit risks deriving from commercial transactions through letters of credit or guarantees issued by selected banks in the Region and co-guaranteed by RZB and IFC, thereby facilitating trade within the Region.     Environmental Category and Issues    	This is a category C project according to IFC''s environmental review procedure.  No further environmental review is therefore required.                         Date SPI sent to PIC January 17, 1996   For Additional Information contact:  Corporate Relations Unit -   telephone: (202) 473-7711   facsimile: (202) 676-0365