devinitorg/iati-policy-markers huggingface dataset:
PickMe Project 0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0.0000          Digital Mobility Solutions Lanka (Private) Limited (PickMe) is a Sri Lankan technology company which provides a ride hailing application that enables customers to hail a vehicle (motor rickshaw, car or minibus) through their smartphone. The proposed investment will support PickMes nationwide expansion plans. 1.	Impact on the Sri Lankan Venture Capital ecosystem: The Sri Lankan start-up ecosystem is nascent and, while seed funding is generally available, there is a lack of institutional funding for Series A onwards. Outside of the software sector, connections and exposure to other more developed ecosystems (e.g. Silicon Valley, India, Singapore) is limited. The government is making efforts to promote entrepreneurship through promotion of networking events, incubators etc. by bodies such as Startup Sri Lanka and SLASSCOM. Due to the small scale of the ecosystem, there is a lack of mentors/advisors to assist young entrepreneurs in starting and growing their businesses. The success of PickMe would have a strong demonstration effect which is expected to foster entrepreneurship and attract both entrepreneurs and institutional investors to Sri Lanka.   

2.	Impact on drivers as SMEs: PickMe has a positive impact on its drivers, through increased earnings, financial inclusion and training. As outlined above, the Company provides drivers with an opportunity to double their earnings by reducing idle time spent waiting for customers. PickMe contributes to financial inclusion and literacy as it requires its drivers to open bank accounts, through which they can receive real time payment transfers, which enables them to begin building a credit history. PickMe also provides training to its drivers on customer service which enhances their self-esteem and status in society as they can interact in a more professional manner with customers.   

3.	Convenient, reliable, and affordable transportation: As there are limited attractive transportation options for Sri Lankan consumers, especially women who do not own their own vehicles. PickMe enables consumers to move around cities in a safe, convenient, reliable and affordable manner. Consumers using a vehicle hailed through PickMe are safer than consumers using vehicles hailed informally as (i) PickMe checks that vehicles are adequately insured to carry passengers and (ii) the PickMe app includes a SOS button that gives the rider an option of alerting the police in case of an emergency. A 2015 survey commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) revealed that 90 per cent of women in Sri Lanka have experienced sexual harassment on public transport, while only 4 per cent sought help from the Police. These barriers pose a threat to gender parity, the physical and mental wellbeing of women, as well as female labor force participation, which is currently at only 35 per cent, significantly lower than some other countries in the region.
Asiri Hospital The purpose of the project is to (i) expand and transfer the operations of the existing 100-bed Asiri Central Hospitals Plc (ACHP) to a new 262-bed purpose built facility that will be owned by Central Hospital (Pvt) Limited (CHL); and (ii) restructure a portion of the total short-term debt of three hospitals in the Asiri Group (the Group): Asiri Hospital Limited (AHL), Asiri Surgical Hospital Plc (ASHL) and CHL to create a more efficient capital structure for the hospitals. The project is expected to have a strong development impact by: (i) increasing the access to quality medical care in Sri Lanka; (ii) demonstrating best patient and medical care practices; (iii) creating skilled job opportunities; (iv) generating an increase in taxes paid to government; and (v) enhancing the skills of staff through training provided.
Sanasa Project The Project comprises a proposed IFC equity investment in Sanasa Development Bank (the Bank or SDB). SDB is the apex credit institution for thrift and credit co-operative societies and has led the co-operative movement in the country for several decades.  In 1997, SDB was registered as a licensed Specialized Bank by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and it now functions as the key financial institution for the Sanasa movement. SDB comprises over 8,500 rural co-operative and via this vast network, it reaches nearly a million microfinance customers. SDB has over half a million account relationships, making it the largest Microfinance Institution in the country both in terms of outreach and portfolio. The Bank has been internationally recognized in the field of microfinance. Most recently, SDB was ranked 2nd best MFI in the world by Micro Finance Exchange Institution (MIX, an institution founded by CGAP for the purposes of microfinance industry benchmarking).

IFC intends to take up to 10% of SDBs total equity capital via the issue of new shares.  IFC will provide SDB with funding to strengthen its capital, access to international best practices in the operational and governance areas, and help the Bank develop a more robust and scalable business model. The proposed project is expected to have a significant development impact in enhancing the Bank's ability to expand its outreach in the microfinance sector and result in improved economic development and poverty reduction.  The Project will also help in improving access to credit in underserved areas which are more difficult for the formal banking sector to reach. Moreover, the Project will also increase access to finance for women as a significant proportion of SDB's MFI clients are expected to be women.  Finally, the Project is expected to create a demonstration effect for other investors to invest into the microfinance segment.
NDB Loan Package The project involves providing a loan of US$ 24 Mn to NDB, for on-lending to their SME business.  National Development Bank PLC (NDB) is a listed Sri Lankan bank, which was established via a merger of the National Development Bank of Sri Lanka (NDBSL) and its commercial banking subsidiary, NDB Bank Limited (NBL), in August 2005. NDB provides a broad range of financial products and services, including project finance, Bancassurance, housing finance, investment banking and stock-broking services via subsidiaries and associate companies. Three decades of conflict in the past had limited the Sri Lankan government''s capacity to support the SME sector and thereby to allocate crucial resources to boost lagging incomes. The proposed project will help in addressing this constraint by funding the Bank''s operations/expansion and promoting financial inclusion by means of financing of SMEs.  The proposed project would facilitate private sector development via access to credit for growing SMEs in Sri Lanka. Given the importance of SMEs in Sri Lanka, the cascading effect of this finance would go a long way in creating employment, reducing poverty and stimulating the economy.
INCaF EcoPower Small Hydropower Projects Eco-Power Ltd was incorporated in 1998, with the sole purpose of implementing and operating mini-hydro power projects. Since then it has commissioned 17.3 MW of installed capacity which it owns. 

Eco Power is implementing CDM projects based on run-of-river hydro generation assets that are displacing fossil fuel based generation in the Sri Lankan grid (mostly diesel and fuel oil). The total installed capacity of the projects is presently 12.6 MW (made up of 4 plants whose capacity range from 2.4-4.8 MW). The three remaining projects (3 to 9.9 MW) are in different phases of development and will enter operations between January 2006 and June 2007, at which time final installed capacity will be 31 MW. These projects when bundled together will enable Eco Power to sell up to an estimated 115,000 tonnes/year of Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol
Asia Private Power Limited (APPL)-Swap Summary Of Project Information (SPI)       Project Name    Sri Lanka - Asia Power (Private) Limited      Region      Asia          Sector       Project No.7979   Projected Board DateNovember 29, 1996   Company NameAsia Power (Private) Limited (APPL)   Technical Partner and/or Major Shareholders    	Klockner Humboldt Deutz, Great Britain Ltd. (31.8%), Nissho Iwai, Japan (18.27%) and Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor, Denmark (6.8%).    Project Cost Including proposed IFC investment    	US$5 million loan equivalent exposure to undertake a swap.    Location of project and Description of site    	The plant is located about 20 km from the capital city of Colombo in South Western Sri Lanka.    Description of Company and Purpose of Project    	The objective of this Project is to allow the APPL to hedge its interest rate and currency risk.  The APPL has requested that IFC arrange an interest rate swap on the IFC B loan in order to effectively convert this loan from variable rate into US dollar fixed rate.  In addition, since the APPL intends to borrow US$10 million equivalent from DEG, which may be denominated in Deutschemarks, they have requested that IFC arrange a currency swap into fixed rate US dollars so as to reduce the resultant currency risk.  These swap transactions will be priced on the basis of standard IFC pricing guidelines for client risk management transactions. IFCs total exposure under these swap transactions is estimated at approximately US$2 million.     	This Project will further support the developmental initiatives cited in IFCs previous investment in the Project.  Currency and interest rate risk management would improve the stability of the Companys future cashflows and enhance its economic viability.    Environmental Category and Issues    	The proposed transaction is of a financial nature only, and accordingly is classified as a category C Project according to IFCs environmental review guidelines and procedures.  No further environmental review is required.       Date SPI sent to PIC     November 14, 1996      For Additional Information contact:  Corporate Relations Unit -   telephone: (202) 473-7711   facsimile: (202) 676-0365  Environmental documents for this project are available at http://www.ifc.org and from the World Bank InfoShop (http://www.worldbank.org/html/pic/aboutinfo.html).
NDB Debt Syndication National Development Bank PLC (NDB or Bank) is a mid-sized private bank in Sri Lanka. The proposed IFC project consists of: (a) an up to 7-year Senior A Loan of up to US$ 20 million for IFCs own account to support the Banks lending program to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka as well as a debt syndication of (b) parallel loans for the amount of up to US$ 60 million and (c) B loans for the amount of up to US$ 75 million. 1. Expanding Access to Finance in a Post-Conflict Frontier Country: Political uncertainty over the last 3 decades had limited the Sri Lankan government''s capacity to support the MSME sector and thereby to allocate crucial resources to boost lagging incomes. The proposed project will help in addressing this constraint by funding the Bank''s operations/expansion and promoting financial inclusion by means of financing of MSMEs.  2. Private Sector Development: The proposed Project would facilitate private sector development via access to credit for growing SMEs in Sri Lanka. Given the importance of SMEs in Sri Lanka, the cascading effect of this finance would go a long way in creating employment, reducing poverty and stimulating the economy.
Mercantile Leasing Limited Summary Of Project Information (SPI)       Project Name    Sri Lanka: MLL              Region    Asia        Sector       Project No008207   Projected Board DateMay 30,1998   Company NameMercantile Leasing Limited   Technical Partner and/or Major Shareholders    	MLL is a broad based publicly quoted leasing company with institutional investors as the major shareholders. The two largest shareholders are Capital Development and Investment Co (CDIC), a leading institutional source of equity and quasi-equity in Sri Lanka , and National Development Bank (NDB), a development finance institution with majority private ownership.   	   Project Cost Including proposed IFC investment    IFC is considering a co-guarantee of a 5-year debenture issue in an amount equivalent to up to SLRS220 million (approximately US$3.67 million) and a convertible loan of up to US$1.8 million.    Location of project and Description of site    	Colombo, Sri Lanka   	   Description of Company and Purpose of Project    	MLL is one of the three specialist leasing companies in Sri Lanka. Long term rupee funds made available through the IFC guarantee will enable the Company to diversify its funding, write longer term leases and correct a maturity mismatch in its portfolio. The IFC loan will enable MLL to write dollar leases for imported equipment, a product it does not currently offer.    	   Environmental Category and Issues    	This is a Financial Intermediary (FI) category project according to IFCs environmental review procedure. For relevant operations, MLL will be required to implement an environmental management system consistent with host country requirements and World Bank policies and guidelines.  In addition, IFC will assess MLLs capability to implement the system.    	     Date SPI sent to PIC     April 22, 1998      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
NDB Housing Summary Of Project Information (SPI)       Project Name:    Sri Lanka:  NDB Housing      Region:South and Southeast Asia   Sector:   Project No:009313   Projected Board Date:May 23, 1999   Company Name:NDB Housing Finance Company Limited   Technical Partner and/or Major Shareholders    	The Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC) of India is the technical partner. Founded in 1977 by ICICI, IFC and The Agha Khan Foundation as the first private housing finance company in India, it is currently the market leader in housing finance in India with 56% market share. HDFC has played a key role in efforts to bring about regulatory changes aimed at market oriented housing finance in India.     Project Cost Including proposed IFC investment    	NDB Housing will have an initial capitalization of Rupees 600 million (approximately US$9 million equivalent). IFC''s proposed equity investment of up to $1.4 million is for 15% of the Company''s capital.     Location of project and Description of site    	Colombo, Sri Lanka    Description of Company and Purpose of Project    	   IFC has been invited to invest up to $1.4 million for a 15% equity stake in a new private sector housing finance company to be called NDB Housing Finance Company Limited (NDB Housing), that will target the housing finance needs of Sri Lankas middle class.  NDB Housing is sponsored by the National Development Bank (NDB), the larger of the two former development finance institutions (DFIs) in Sri Lanka, that will hold about 55% of the Company. The provision of housing finance remains an urgent need in Sri Lanka, since the annual demand for housing finance is estimated at about $350 million, of which only 25% is serviced by financial institutions at present.  About 66% of the supply of housing finance currently comes from state-owned institutions, while the remaining 34% is provided by private commercial banks. The proposed project will bring best housing finance industry practices and will have a strong demonstrative effect on this important sector.        Environmental Category and Issues    	This is a Category C project according to IFC''s environmental review procedure.  No further environmental review is required.     The  is  from the InfoShop.        Date SPI sent to InfoShop:     April 14, 1999      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
Alliance Loan 0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0.0000          The proposed project is a secured, 5-year, local currency, senior loan of up to US$10mn equivalent  ,     to Alliance Finance Company PLC (Alliance), a   mid-sized   licensed finance company (LFC) in Sri Lanka   (the Project)  . The funding will support the expansion of Alliances MSME por  tfolio related to   the agriculture sector,   with a  n     emphasis   on financing climate-smart agriculture solutions and women-owned enterprises  .   Alliance   is   mainly   engaged in   vehicle financing,   and   15  % of its   Mar  ch   31, 2018   portfolio   wa  s exposed to the a  griculture and   f  orestry sector.    The Project will be supported by the IFC-Canada Climate Blended Finance Program and the WEOF facilities, with a focus on promoting respectively, Climate Smart Agri (CSA) practices and Women owned SME financing in agribusiness space. Out of the up to US$10 million financing for this project, up to US$2 million will be carved out for CSA and funded by the IFC-Canada Climate Blended Finance Program. The WEOF will provide pricing incentives based on targets reached by the project.     The   agriculture sector employs 26  % of   Sri Lanka  s work force, represents 2  4  % of exports and accounted for a third of poverty reduction over the past 15 years. However, its contribution to GDP fell from 20.5% to   6.9  % in the same period. Further, inclement weather conditions have led to a 1% reduction in GDP growth in recent years.   Moreover  , lack of investments in technology, value additions, efficient and climate smart practices are   obstacles in realising its true potential. This has made the sector less competitive in the global market  ,   severing it from global agri-value chains.     The proposed project is part of IFCs Sri Lanka Agriculture Finance Program, which aims to provide a holistic solution to bridge an estimated agriculture financing gap of US$ 2bn. The Program would   consist of   the following   components  :    1.   Capacity development of   Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs)  :   on agri value chain financing and develop  ment of related   products    2.   Awareness creation:   modern, efficient practices to enhance quality and productivity among agri-value chain players    3.   Risk mitigation:   i  ntroduc  tion of   agri insurance products and climate smart agricultural practices    4.   Improve   e  nabling   e  nvironment:   w  ork  ing   on policy measures to improve the enabling environment in line with   G  overnments Vision 2025    5.   Funding:   p  rovide funding to chosen PFIs to lend to agri value chain players    To achieve this IFC will work closely with the World Bank, government stake holders and private sector partners. 1. Through the proposed project, Alliance expects to provide funding to an estimated 7,000 agriculture related MSMEs in Sri Lanka over the next 5 years.

2. This will contribute towards climate resilience via climate smart agriculture.

3. Sustainable agri-finance will help address food security, job creation, and overall economic growth.
JKH Services John Keells Holdings PLC (JKH) is one of the largest listed companies on the Colombo Stock Exchange, with business interests primarily in Transportation, Consumer Foods, Retail, Leisure, Property and Financial Services.     JKH was incorporated as a public limited liability company in 1979 and obtained a listing on the Colombo Stock Exchange in 1986. Having issued Global Depository Receipts (GDRs) which were listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, JKH became the first Sri Lankan company to be listed overseas. JKH is a full member of the World Economic Forum and a Participant member of the UN Global Compact.     The Holding Company of the Group, John Keells Holdings PLC, is based at Colombo and has offices and businesses located across Sri Lanka and the Maldives.     The Project, which is sponsored by JKH, consists of (i) the expansion of its supermarket chain, (ii) the completion//refurbishment/expansion of hotel properties in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and (iii) general corporate uses associated with JKHs retail and leisure businesses. The most significant, expected Project-level outcome is the economy-wide effects from direct and indirect job creation as well as skill development training programs the Company provides to its employees, farmers and other suppliers. Beyond the Project, IFC anticipates that the investment will promote greater competitiveness by expanding modern retail in Sri Lanka especially in secondary provinces, which will stimulate increased competition, improved labor force, and better industry practices.
MAS Capital II MAS Holdings (Private) Limited (MAS or the Group) manages a portfolio of businesses and has operated in the realm of apparel and textile manufacturing for over 30 years. It is also the largest apparel and textile manufacturer in South Asia. The organization is headquartered in Sri Lanka with 61 manufacturing facilities placed across 16 countries, with design locations placed in key style centers across the globe and over  93,000 people involved in its operation. Today, the Group manages a more diverse portfolio of businesses across IT, brands, wearable technology, Femtech, medical apparel, start-ups and fabric parks worldwide.     MAS Capital (Private) Limited (MCAP or the Company) is a wholly owned subsidiary of MAS and the holding company of the Groups apparel pillar.      The Project consists of financing the medium- and long-term working capital requirements, capital expenditure and general corporate purposes of MCAPs existing operations in Sri Lanka. At the project level it is expected to support MCAP sustain its operations to counter the impact of the COVID19
pandemic whilst preserving jobs in Sri Lanka. The Project will also ensure continued production of high value added items and foreign exchange earnings to support the Sri Lankan economy.
At the market level, the Project will help to protect exports growth and promote resilience whilst limiting
disruptions along the domestic and global supply chain.
Emerald Sri Lanka Fund I Limited The proposed project is an investment in Emerald Sri Lanka Fund I Limited (Fund), a private equity fund which aims to invest in small and mid-sized businesses seeking growth or expansion capital in Sri Lanka. The Fund will take significant minority stakes in 10-12 well run companies. The Fund will add value by providing support and expertise on capital structures, financial reporting, business development, management development, corporate governance, strategy etc. to the portfolio companies. Development of private equity industry: The Fund is expected to be the first private equity fund dedicated to investing in Sri Lanka and will pave the way for development of the private equity asset class in the country and encourage flow of private capital into financing growth of small and mid-sized private companies.  Private Sector Development: The Fund is expected to promote sustainable growth in companies that do not have access to other sources of capital. The Fund will add value to portfolio companies through capacity building, improved corporate governance, and providing operational expertise.    Access to Finance to MSMEs: The Fund will provide capital to capital strained MSMEs.   Job Creation: Supporting high growth MSMEs in the growth phase leads to substantial job creation, at a greater rate than the national average.