…global private capital tripled to $112bn in 2026
The World Bank Group’s private capital mobilisation across Africa has risen by nearly 150 percent over the past four years, reaching approximately $22 billion in fiscal year 2026, as the institution intensifies efforts to bring more private investment into developing economies
Private capital mobilised for Africa increased from about $9 billion in FY22 to $22 billion in FY26, making the continent one of the beneficiaries of the World Bank Group’s broader push to use its financing and expertise to attract private capital into developing economies
Globally, private capital mobilised by the World Bank Group more than tripled over the same period, rising from $35 billion in FY22 to a record $112 billion in FY26
Combined with the Group’s own financing, total financing and mobilisation in developing economies exceeded $200 billion in FY26
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The growth in private capital mobilisation was broad-based. Mobilisation to lower-middle-income countries rose from $14 billion in FY22 to $37 billion in FY26, while mobilisation to upper-middle-income countries increased from $12 billion to $50 billion
In low-income countries, where attracting private capital remains more challenging, mobilisation was maintained at about $3 billion
The World Bank Group attributed the growth to changes introduced over the past three years to make its engagement with the private sector faster and simpler, while bringing its public and private sector operations closer together
The institution said it had begun developing integrated strategies for individual countries based on their development needs and priorities, with a single point of contact across its public and private sector work
The Private Sector Investment Lab also helped identify practical barriers holding back investment in developing economies and developed a work plan to address them
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The World Bank Group said it had pursued measures across the institution to improve the business and regulatory environment, expand guarantees and local-currency financing, address foreign-exchange challenges, increase equity tools and create new ways for institutional investors to participate at scale
It also issued more than $25 billion in guarantees in FY26, surpassing its goal of $20 billion in annual issuance by 2030, four years ahead of schedule
The growth in guarantees was led by the World Bank Group Guarantee Platform, established in 2024 to provide clients and investors with a single, simpler access point to guarantee products across the institution
“Three years ago, our shareholders and clients were clear: utilize World Bank Group financing and knowledge to mobilize more private capital and become a better partner to the private sector. We changed how we work to do that faster, simpler, and as one World Bank Group,” Ajay Banga, World Bank Group president, said
“The result is $112 billion mobilized this year, more than three times where we started. But the number only matters if the capital goes where it can create opportunity and jobs,” he said
The World Bank Group said job creation remains its central priority, noting that 1.2 billion young people in developing economies are expected to reach working age over the next 10 to 15 years, while only about 420 million jobs are projected to be created
The private sector currently creates nine out of 10 jobs in developing economies, making increased private investment central to efforts to expand employment and economic opportunities
The Group’s jobs strategy focuses on investing in human and physical infrastructure, creating business-ready regulatory environments and helping the private sector scale
It is targeting five job-rich sectors where these foundations can unlock investment and employment at scale: infrastructure and energy, agribusiness, healthcare, tourism and value-added manufacturing
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In FY26, 55 percent of total financing, including the Group’s own financing and capital mobilised, went to these job-rich sectors
The World Bank Group said private investment was also reaching lower-income economies, where regional and local investors are increasingly complementing global capital in financing businesses and creating jobs
The institution is now seeking to expand the range of investors participating in developing economies through its originate-to-distribute work, which aims to package and distribute investments to institutional investors at greater scale
The initiative is intended to connect more of the world’s pools of long-term capital with investment opportunities in developing economies as the World Bank Group seeks to mobilise more capital from more
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