By mobilizing private capital and collaborating with development partners, IFC is transforming lives and enhancing water security in developing countries.
IFC is at the forefront of addressing global water challenges by leveraging private sector participation. Our investments and initiatives are driving sustainable development and fostering innovations in emerging markets that improve access to clean water resources and support the health, productivity, and resilience of the world’s ocean and waterways.
Examples of IFC’s work
Explore IFC's impactful projects, success stories, and key publications that highlight our commitment to enhancing water security in developing countries.
- OCP Green Water (2024): To provide sustainable water for fertilizer production, farmers, and households in Morocco, IFC committed a €100 million loan (about US$108 million) to OCP Group, the world leader in plant nutrition solutions and phosphate-based fertilizers. The loan will support the construction of a 219-kilometer water pipeline and pumping station to transport desalinated water from OCP's existing and planned desalination plants in Jorf Lasfar on the Atlantic Ocean to the company's production operations in Khouribga in central Morocco. Morocco is working hard to tackle severe water stress, affecting agricultural production and impacting the country's economic development. This project will provide OCP with a sustainable and reliable source of water and will free up water for use by farmers, businesses, and consumers in and around Khouribga.
- City of Cape Town (2024): IFC's $149 million (in local currency) senior loan is complemented by a mobilization of $192 million for a total long-term financing of $341 million to the City of Cape Town. This financing will support infrastructure upgrades and replacements, including to electrical and transport infrastructure, and the expansion of water, sanitation and wastewater management infrastructure prioritized under the city's 10-year infrastructure investment plan. With a tenor of 18 years, IFC's loan will help the city to invest sustainably in assets with long operational lifespans. IFC's investment builds on its existing partnership with the city, which includes the provision of advice under IFC's Cities Initiative, supported by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of Switzerland. The guidance included identifying and assessing solutions to improve energy services and climate change mitigation actions.
- SABESP (2022, 2023, 2024): IFC committed three loans to SABESP, the largest water and sanitation service provider in Brazil and among the largest worldwide based on number of customers served. The proceeds will be used for capital expenditures related to the clean-up of the Pinheiros River, the improvement and universalization of sanitation services, and the optimization of water supply operations in São Paulo state. The investment represents the first pure play blue loan in Latin America. IFC will also help the company assess its physical and commercial water losses and will propose a preliminary action plan to reach pre-determined targets. By reducing water losses, the company can improve its operational efficiency and enhance its climate resilience. Through the Utilities for Climate (U4C) network and by integrating our investment with early-stage advisory services, IFC is helping water utilities such as SABESP manage climate risks and improve water resilience.
- Georgia Global Utilities (GGU) (2024): IFC acted as an anchor investor to a $300 million green bond issued by GGU, Georgia's largest privately-owned water supply and wastewater utility company. The project is expected to enhance water services for GGU’s 1.3 million customers, or approximately 35 percent of Georgia's population, in the capital of Tbilisi and nearby cities of Rustavi and Mtskheta. The proceeds of the bond issuance will be used to refinance GGU's existing loans to establish a sustainable capital structure and finance the company's green capital expenditures program, which aims to reduce water losses, improve energy efficiency, and connect approximately 40,000 new customers to water services by 2028.
- SANASA (2023, 2024): IFC committed a blue loan of 260 million Brazilian reals (approximately $52 million) and a B -loan of $50 million to SANASA, a water utility company operating in Campinas, a city of 1.3 million residents in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The loan will help SANASA expand its water supply systems and sewage treatment capacity. It also will help the company achieve its objective of 100 percent service coverage by 2026, and improve operational resilience, enhance service quality, and increase efficiency. Under IFC's Utilities for Climate (U4C) initiative, the partnership also includes advisory services to support the company's 2023-2025 investment plan, blue loan certification, diagnostic of the IT system, and operational resiliency.
- CMGP (2023): In October 2023, IFC collaborated with Banque Centrale Populaire and Compagnie Marocaine de Goutte-à-Goutte et de Pompage (CMGP), both in Morocco – to expand micro-irrigation and promote effective water management for thousands of farmers and agri-SMEs in the country
- T. Rowe Price Emerging Market Global Blue Bond Strategy: In 2023, IFC and T. Rowe Price launched a pioneering global blue bond strategy to increase access to finance for blue projects in emerging markets and help improve market standards for the nascent blue bond market. The strategy is expected to mobilize international capital from eligible investors to support blue-labeled investments in emerging markets globally through blue bonds issued by financial institutions and real sector companies.
- SeABank: To catalyze a viable blue finance market while fostering green bonds and supporting smaller businesses in Viet Nam, IFC is providing a financing package of $150 million to Southeast Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SeABank). The investment entails the first blue bond in Viet Nam and the first green bond by a private commercial bank in the country. IFC's investment will allow SeABank to expand its funding for aquaculture, fisheries, and clean water supply.
- Axis Bank: IFC is partnering with Axis Bank, one of the largest private sector banks in India, to provide a $500 million loan to help develop a blue finance market and scale up financing energy efficient projects in India. This is IFC’s first blue investment in India and the first blue transaction by a financial institution in the country. The loan will not only catalyze private sector investment in this emerging asset class, but also raise direct long-term funding for investments in wastewater management, reduction of marine pollution, restoration of ecosystems, sustainable shipping, and offshore renewable energy.
- Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB: In 2024, IFC announced the issuance of its first green bond designed to promote ocean-friendly projects and critical clean water resource protection in developing countries. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, the bond offers investors the opportunity to join in financing IFC projects that promote access to water and basic sanitation, such as providing sewage services in Brazil and promoting sustainable fishing in Ecuador.
