Development finance

The European Investment Bank and the European Commission have joined forces with immunotherapy company BioNTech to advance a mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Rwanda.

Investment volumes are set to significantly increase from 2025 to 2027 across Ukraine, potential new EU member states and neighbouring regions, with a focus on strategic infrastructure and private sector development.

Climate Investor Two, which invests in water, waste and oceans infrastructure, is now the world’s largest climate adaptation infrastructure fund focused on emerging markets.

The guidance highlights some of the barriers to scaling blended finance and provides strategic advice and practical insights to help policymakers and practitioners use it more effectively.

The commitment reinforces European support for Vietnam’s just energy transition partnership, aimed at accelerating its move to net zero.

The early commitment of DKK 1.1bn aims to bolster support from the fund’s other development partners and accelerate the delivery of the 2030 SDGs and Paris Agreement climate agenda on the African continent.

Although Vietnam has made progress in reducing poverty and growing its economy in recent years, its small and medium-sized businesses often struggle to access financing, according to the DFI.

Norfund has joined AIIM’s IDEAS Fund and the Mahlako Energy Fund to launch Anthem, a large-scale renewable energy platform which integrates several businesses and projects covering wind, solar PV and a hydroelectric plant.

The French-African fund attracted investments from institutional investors, development banks, pension funds and European and African family offices.

The investment brings total assets under management to around $95m, which will be used to support SMEs in developing countries working in the fields of renewable energy and sustainable agriculture.