The increase formed part of a broader institutional effort to attract private investment into developing economies, expand access to risk-mitigation tools, and direct more financing toward business growth and job creation.

The Washington-based institution announced the results on September 17, 2026, following the close of its financial year on June 30.

Private capital mobilization across all developing economies more than tripled from $35 billion in the 2022 financial year to a record $112 billion in 2026.

Combined with the World Bank Group’s own financing, the private investment brought its total financing and mobilization for developing economies to more than $200 billion during the year.

The group also issued over $25 billion in guarantees, exceeding its target of $20 billion in annual guarantee issuance by 2030 four years ahead of schedule.

The World Bank Group attributed the results to reforms introduced over the past three years to simplify its operations, improve coordination between its public- and private-sector institutions, and give investors access to a wider range of financing and risk-management products.

“We changed how we work to do that—faster, simpler, and as one World Bank Group,” World Bank Group President Ajay Banga said.

Under the new operating model, the group has established a single country-level point of contact covering its public- and private-sector activities.

It has also started developing integrated country strategies that combine government priorities with opportunities for private investment.

The approach brings together the World Bank’s sovereign financing and policy support, the International Finance Corporation’s private-sector investments, and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency’s political risk insurance and credit-enhancement products. This structure allows the group to address regulatory, financing, and project-level barriers within the same country strategy.

The World Bank Group Guarantee Platform, launched in 2024, has supported the growth in guarantee issuance by providing a single access point for guarantee products across the institution. These instruments can reduce political, credit, and project risks that often limit private investment in developing markets.

The group has also expanded local-currency financing, equity investment tools, and measures intended to manage foreign-exchange risk.

These products are particularly relevant in African markets, where currency volatility, limited long-term financing, and perceptions of political risk can raise project costs or prevent otherwise viable investments from reaching financial close.

Private capital mobilization also increased across different income groups. It rose from $14 billion to $37 billion in lower-middle-income countries between the 2022 and 2026 financial years, while upper-middle-income countries recorded an increase from $12 billion to $50 billion.

Mobilization in low-income countries remained at about $3 billion, reflecting the continued difficulty of attracting commercial investment into markets with higher risks and weaker project pipelines.

The rise to $22 billion in Africa indicates that development finance institutions are playing a larger role in connecting private investors with projects and companies across the continent.

Guarantees, blended financing structures, and local-currency instruments can help governments and businesses secure capital for infrastructure, energy, agribusiness, healthcare, tourism, and manufacturing without relying entirely on public borrowing.

These sectors are central to the World Bank Group’s employment strategy. In the 2026 financial year, 55% of its own financing and mobilized capital went to sectors identified as having strong potential to support business expansion and employment.

The focus reflects a wider economic challenge facing developing countries. The World Bank Group estimates that 1.2 billion young people will reach working age over the next 10 to 15 years, while current projections indicate that only about 420 million jobs will be created.

Since private businesses generate nine out of every 10 jobs in developing economies, expanding investment into productive sectors will be essential to narrowing that gap.

For Africa, the increase in mobilized capital provides a larger pool of financing for commercially viable projects, but its economic effect will depend on where the funding is deployed and whether it supports operating businesses, infrastructure delivery, and sustained employment.

The World Bank Group’s next challenge is to build on the $22 billion mobilized by attracting a wider range of institutional, regional, and domestic investors into African markets.