Micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Kazakhstan stand to benefit from a new investment which aims to help businesses recover from the economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, resume operations, and adapt to the post-crisis environment.

Even before the COVID-19 crisis, access to finance was the biggest obstacle for doing business in Armenia. Has it increased following the pandemic?

The investment will help reduce traditional banking costs and improve supply chains boosting financial access, productivity and exports.

The $2 billion IFC commitment will support the continent's economic recovery from the pandemic by sustaining and creating jobs and business activity.

This note summarizes key findings extracted from October 2020 survey responses to gauge the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on financial institutions around the world.

The investment will help to keep small and medium-sized enterprises open and preserve jobs, which is critical to sustaining the Bangladeshi economy.

After launching IFC's DigiLab Finance program in the Western Balkans and Georgia late last year, it is now expanding to new markets in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Ukraine, a move that is expected to promote financial inclusion.

Under the project, an expansion of IFC's Distressed Asset Recovery Program's work in India, IFC will invest up to $100 million in the J.C. Flowers India Opportunities Fund if certain conditions are met, with an initial commitment of $40 million.

The financing package consists of $130 million from IFC's own-account and a $270 million syndicated loan from a group of 10 banks.

This study aims to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women-led MSMEs in 13 African countries hoping to contribute to further strengthening of outcomes for those MSMEs.