devinitorg/iati-policy-markers huggingface dataset:
Bangladesh RMG Sector Fire & Safety Program IFC proposes to establish a comprehensive sectorial program to strengthen safety infrastructure in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh. Under the program, IFC would engage with selected local banks (Partner Banks) to provide financing to RMG enterprises to implement structural, electrical and fire safety (SEF) retrofitting/ civil works and renovations upgrades and essential for worker safety (the Program).  This is fundamental not only from an environmental and social perspective but also from a competitive angle as the RMG sector accounts for significant employment, export earnings and manufacturing in the country.   The SEF safety necessary upgrades are identified in the corrective action plans (CAPs) carried out by (i) the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (Alliance) (ii) the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety (Accord) and similar credible institutions such as National Tripartite Plan of Action on Fire Safety and Structural Integrity in the garment Sector of Bangladesh (NTPA). Support for the backbone of Bangladesh Industry and economy: RMG sector represents 78% of exports (2nd largest exporter after China) and 15% of GDP (15 to 20% annual growth rate). Any disruptions to the RMG sector would stall progress on alleviating poverty. The proposed safety upgrades are a vital element in helping Bangladesh to maintain its global market position in the RMG sector.  Improve all workers (including women) working conditions: about 90% of RMG sectors workers are women from poor backgrounds and families at the base of the pyramid with limited or no financial safety net. Improved SEF standards will help save lives and protect the livelihood of families relying on the income from RMG sector employees.  Enhancing E&S capacity: Utilizing IFC''s in-house E&S expertise to help create capacity in Partner Banks to monitor E&S standards and compliance, which would contribute to improving the overall working environment of Bangladesh RMG sector.  Establishing a prototype to engage other donors and development agencies to support worker safety in Bangladesh. Job Creation: RMG sector has been the largest employer in Bangladesh, employing 3.7 million workers. By some estimates, it has the potential of generating 10.6 million additional jobs in the next 10 years.
InfraV - PSA BAY TERMINAL International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group (WBG), together with PSA International Pte Ltd (PSAI) are collaborating on the co-development of a new container terminal in Ananda Bazar, North Halishohor, Bangladesh (the Project). The Project is being developed under a Government-to- Government Public Private Partnership approach. PSAI is currently carrying out its feasibility studies for the Project. Subject to being awarded, PSAI is expected to be the lead developer of the Project and will work together with IFC as co-developers. PSA may invite other partners as co-developers of the Project. The Project footprint will be located in the larger area of the Bay Terminal port project, under development by the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA). CPAs broader Bay Terminal port development is not part of the Project proposed to be financed by IFC.   IFC and PSAI are working together through an early stage, upstream Joint Development Agreement, under which IFC is expected to contribute up to $3.0 million to the development budget for project development expenses. This is a nationally critical project which is expected to be the first-ever private port concession in Bangladesh. It will contribute to more efficient trade flows for Bangladesh, improving Bangladesh's connectivity with the regional economy.
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          The project consists of a short-term loan (Working Capital Solutions, WCS) for up to $40 million to BRAC Bank Ltd. (the Bank or BRAC Bank) to support the foreign currency needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh. The financing provided is a fit with the World Bank and IFC strategy of promoting economic growth by providing access to finance to underserved market segments and promoting international trade, thereby leading to improved competitiveness, job retention and creation. 
       
       
           
       
       
         The Bank was established in 2001 
           
         to assist the development of rural SMEs whose financial needs were not met by the conventional banking channels and has total assets of $3.5 billion as of September 30, 2017. 1.	Improved Access to Credit: The Project will increase access to finance for credit-constrained, export-oriented companies and SMEs to meet working capital requirements. It will also expand financial intermediation. IFC's investment will further support business growth and spur job creation in the SME and export-oriented segments.

2.	Boost Export Competitiveness: IFC's investment will help to accelerate economic growth in Bangladesh by providing SMEs and exporters with trade finance solutions to their working capital requirements, and help them pay for imports needed in the value chain.
Rupshi Foods City Group (City or the Group) is a leading player in processing and marketing of food commodities in Bangladesh. City entities provide Guarantee to Rupshi Flour Mills (#43149) an existing client in good standing. The proposed project, Rupshi Foods Limited (RFL or the Company) will vertically integrate the Groups existing flour, sugar, and edible oil businesses with consumer products. The Company will produce candy and chocolate (6.4MT/day), cakes (181.6MT/day), biscuits and bakery items (100MT/day), condensed milk and powdered milk (70MT/day). The Company will be located in City Economic Zone, Rupshi, 30km from Dhaka (the Project) in the same economic zone as Rupshi Flour Mills. Project level impact (Economy wide effects): The Project will expand RFLs processing capacities and allow the Group to source more inputs from local suppliers, which will support domestic value addition and associated job creation. Using IFCs economic impact assessment framework we estimate that the Project will lead to an annual increase in GDP of US$ 239 million from 2030. This comprises 15,400 new jobs, 14,900 indirect jobs. The GDP (value added) multiplier is US$ 1.04 million per million US$ invested while the employment multiplier is 67 jobs per million US$ invested. Based on the financial model, revenue is projected to increase by 296 million US$.

Market level impact (Competitiveness): Triggering new product offerings and supporting greater domestic value addition. IFC expects the project, through demonstration and replication channel, to contribute to increasing competitiveness of the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) sector and specifically in the production of dairy, bakery and confectionery products. The proposed investment will showcase the potential for domestic vertical integration downstream to take advantage of lower costs, security of supply and quality of inputs, and spearhead a replicable business model for other players with strong brand recognition, distribution strategy, lower cost of production per in-house production and scale of inputs, to increase their market shares through improvements in resource use efficiency, product diversity, quality and certification in a country where food quality and safety is a major concern. This will raise the bar in the CPG sector in Bangladesh and catalyze adoption of similar practices by other industry players.
WCS Crisis Response City Bank The proposed Project is an up to US$40 million (under two separate tranches) Working Capital Solutions (WCS) facility to be extended to The City Bank Limited (City Bank or the Bank) in Bangladesh, under the FIG COVID-19 Emergency Response WCS Envelope (WCS Envelope). The WCS Envelope is designed to provide funding to existing IFC client banks in emerging markets that will then extend new trade-related or working capital loans to companies whose cash flows have been disrupted by the global outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. This proposed Project is a one-year facility, renewable for an additional one year, for a maximum aggregate tenor of two years. This Project will support working capital, trade finance and FX liquidity needs of the sub-borrowers (export/import-based SMEs and Corporates) through City Banks Off-Shore Banking Unit. This proposed Project is estimated to provide ~US$110 million of liquidity in aggregate over the maximum life of the Project (up to 2 years) to City Bank, which will then on lend to up to 70 or more export-import based corporate and SME customers and support critical sectors like RMG/textile, Power, Pharma, Chemical, Edible Oil etc.
 
By sustaining the Banks' ability to provide these services, IFC's proposed facility is intended to promote the resilience of trade finance markets, as well as broader stability that comes about by providing for the going concern of market participants in Bangladesh. Turbulence in global funding markets, among other factors, has made it difficult for the extensive network of clients and partner banks to maintain their role as an enabling platform for liquidity to multiple emerging markets, many experiencing their own acute liquidity shocks while the need for liquidity increases. IFC expects the facility to attract additional private sector investors and partners to support emerging market liquidity, strengthening the market's ability to absorb shocks imposed by the current crisis.
City: Rupshi Rupshi Flour Mills Limited (Rupshi or the Company) is a greenfield flour refining plant with a capacity of 5,000 MT per day in City Economic Zone in Rupshi, 30km south of Dhaka, Bangladesh (the Project). Once operational, the Company will produce Atta, Maida, and Semolina flours primarily targeting the domestic market.  The Company is a member of City Group, an established conglomerate consisting of leading food processing and packaged product companies in Bangladesh. City Group is promoted by Mr. Fazlur Rahman, with his wife Mrs. Hamida Rahman and his children Mr. Hasan Rahman, Ms. Shampa Rahman, Ms.Farzana Rahman, and Ms. Razia Sultana Deepa (together the Sponsors).  IFC is proposing to provide a senior secured A Loan of up to EUR 14 million of up to 8 years tenor; and an additional BDT 500 million in local currency denominated loan for a tenor of up to 6 years to support the Project. The balance of the project cost will be funded by Export Credit Agency (ECA) backed financing, local currency financing, and the Sponsors equity contribution. Food Security: The Project will contribute to improving Bangladesh's food security by supporting improved food safety standards and provide an alternative to the major staple, at competitive prices. The Project will support an increased production of flour that will meet growing domestic demand and partially replace informal mills with hygienic flour of superior quality.


    Employment and broader value creation: Through this investment, the Group will be able to expand its flour milling operations, and will create an estimated 250 direct jobs at Rupshi's facilities, accompanied by further indirect and induced jobs throughout the value chain. 


    Market creation: The Project will aid the formalization of the milling sector by increasing the size of the formal market and the expected partial displacement of the informal mills will promote better quality standards in the industry.
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         The Project is expected to be commissioned by January 2021. The sole offtaker for the Project will be Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB). General Electric (GE) will be the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor for the Project. 1) Reduce power deficit: The Project will be one of the largest IPPs to be commissioned in Bangladesh, which continues to have a severe power deficit. It is expected to contribute to improve the resilience of the electricity sector by helping reduce the acute supply shortage with a high-efficiency dual fuel plant. 
2) Reduce overall power generation cost: The Project has a competitive tariff compared to other gas fired plants in the country, and much lower than oil based rental power plants; which offers a strategic solution to Bangladesh's long-term power needs and helps the country to lower its power generation cost.   
3) Greater access to energy: Power produced from the Project is expected to reach about 6.87 million consumers in Bangladesh.
4) Employment generation: The Project is likely to create jobs for locals (both direct and indirect) during construction (800-1000) and operation phases (80).
Frontier Fund (Bermuda) Ltd. The Frontier Fund (Bermuda) Ltd (Frontier or the Fund) is a Bermuda-registered investment fund that will focus on investing in listed securities as well as the securities of privately-held companies in Bangladesh.  The Fund is currently structured as an open-ended fund and had a first closing in June 2008 but accepts new investments and redemptions semi-annually after an initial 3 year lock-up period. The Funds target sectors include pharmaceuticals, auto and ancillaries, healthcare, education, financial services, retail and distribution, telecommunications and consumer goods. This project is in line with IFCs overall strategy in Bangladesh, a frontier IDA country, which prioritizes an investment program for the development of capital markets and institution building, infrastructure, general manufacturing and services and innovative projects in health and education.  In addition, the project is expected to have the following development impact:  Employment growth: The Fund is expected to invest in growth companies that will generate new jobs. Support for SMEs:  This Fund will support equity investment in small and mid-sized companies, most of which are expected to qualify at the time of investment as SMEs under the World Bank Groups definition. Strengthen Corporate Governance:  With the help of IFC, the Fund manager will draw on a list of corporate governance initiatives and screens to pursue with investees. The Fund will help implement practicable steps in improving the corporate governance of investees through activist investing and monitoring.
bKash Project bKash Limited (bKash or the Company) is a mobile payment joint venture in Bangladesh between BRAC Bank (51% shareholding) and Money in Motion (49% shareholding). The Company intends to leverage the distribution network of its partners and work with mobile network operators to offer a mobile payment platform that would enable financial services across rural and urban areas in Bangladesh. The Company launched operations in July 2011 and currently has a subscriber base of around 443 thousand customers. IFC is considering a potential equity investment of up to US$10 million in bKash. The project will have the following development impacts:  - Increased access to finance through mobile payment: The project is intended to increase access to finance through mobile payment/banking to broader segments of the country including the unbanked and the base of the pyramid.  -Enabling integration into the formal banking system: The project will help develop a track record of banking transactions for the bKash customers and aid their eventual integration into the formal banking system and access other financial services such as credit and insurance  - Facilitating commerce: The Project will help create a mobile banking/payment platform that will reduce transaction costs and overcome geographic barriers, helping to facilitate commerce in the country amongst broader segments of the population.
WCS Bank Asia II The project consists of a short-term loan (Working Capital Solutions, WCS) for up to $40 million to Bank Asia Ltd. (the Bank or Bank Asia) to support the foreign currency needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh. The financing provided is a fit with the World Bank and IFC strategy of promoting economic growth by providing access to finance to underserved market segments and promoting international trade, thereby leading to improved competitiveness, job retention and creation.                  The Bank was incorporated on September 28, 1999 and has total assets of $3.2 billion as of December 31, 2016. i.	Improved Access to Credit: The Project will increase access to finance for credit-constrained, export-oriented companies and SMEs to meet working capital requirements. It will also expand financial intermediation. IFC's investment will further support business growth and spur job creation in the SME and export-oriented segments. ii.	Boost Export Competitiveness: IFC's investment will help to accelerate economic growth in Bangladesh by providing SMEs and exporters with trade finance solutions to their working capital requirements, and help them pay for imports needed in the value chain.
Labaid Cardiac and General Hospital Limited The proposed investment is to contribute up to US$8.1 Million loan equivalent in Bangladesh Taka (BDT) to Labaid Cardiac and General Hospital (LCGH or the Company or the Borrower) as a senior-secured A loan from IFC (the A Loan). The project is expected to be supported by the IDA20 Private Sector Window Local Currency Facility (PSW LCF). IFC Loan will be used by the Company to set up a new 100 bed multi-specialty hospital in the emerging residential area of Uttara, a large suburb located 15 kilometers north of Dhaka city. The Project will improve access to affordable, high quality care for patients living in Uttara and neighboring areas by offering a variety of treatments that are currently not available or difficult to access in the vicinity. The Project will increase competitiveness in the sector as the new hospital will pursue accreditation from leading international bodies and enhance the standard of care through a strong demonstration effect. The Project is expected to contribute to employment creation by generating 500 direct jobs. Stakeholders - patients:  Given the extent of unmet demand in the country with an average of 8 beds per 10,000 people compared to WHO recommendation of 30 beds per 10,000 people greater private sector participation is needed in setting up new hospitals and IFC expects that the Project will be a step in this direction. At present there are no 100 bed multi-specialty hospitals operational in the area and to access such care patients travel for more than 2 hours to the center of Dhaka city making it highly inconvenient and expensive. IFC expects the Project to provide care to over 105,000 patients on an annual basis providing them a continuum of services across outpatient, inpatient, diagnostics and pharmacy. 

Economy wide effects: The Project is expected to generate value added and direct jobs as well as indirect jobs through business opportunities for local Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) as service providers. 

Competitiveness: The Project is expected to result, through demonstration effects, in increased competitiveness of the hospital sector. The Company's plans to pursue accreditation for this hospital from leading international bodies will help raise the bar on quality of care across the industry, potentially forcing the inefficient market players to up their game and motivating larger competitors to improve their quality practices
WCS City Project The proposed project consists of a senior loan of up to US$50 million to City Bank PLC (City Bank or Bank) in Bangladesh with a tenor of two years and with an option to rollover for an additional two years for a maximum tenor of four years. The proceeds of the investment will be used to meet the bank's immediate liquidity needs and extend loans to eligible sub-borrowers (export/import-based SMEs as per IFCs definition of targeted sectors) through its offshore banking units (OBU) to enable the Bank to continue to support key sectors of the Bangladeshi economy affected by COVID-19 and the subsequent global economic headwinds.   The Project will be supported by a pooled first loss guarantee of up to US$40 million provided by International Development Agency IDA Private Sector Window Blended Finance Facility (IDA-PSW BFF). The most significant expected project-level outcome is increased access to finance for SMEs in Bangladesh. Beyond the Project, IFC anticipates that its financing, via demonstration and replication channels, will contribute to building resilience of the SME finance market.
Bangladesh SME Liquidity Facility (BSLF) I Southeast Bank This Project will provide a systemic solution to address the US dollar liquidity requirement of the recently established offshore banking units (OBUs) of Southeast Bank (SEBL).  Through IFCs support of this Project, OBUs of SEBL will provide short-term trade and working capital financing solutions for SMEs and export-oriented enterprises located in Export Processing Zones in Bangladesh. The key indicators for this Project will be the increase in number and value of short term transactions to finance SME working capital needs, number of SMEs financed, female employment, number of jobs created and supported.

The Project will help accelerate economic growth in Bangladesh by providing SMEs and exporters with the necessary liquidity to finance their trade and working capital needs.

The demonstration effect of the IFC funding will encourage the entry of international banks to finance the local banking sector and increase their range of funding options. 

IFCs loan will support job preservation in the small business sector that may otherwise have been forced to reduce staff  in the face of financing constraints.