Tag Archives: IFC

Can interest rates make babies? The hidden demographic effects of monetary policy (Part 1)

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Monetary policy is often portrayed as a technical lever—moving interest rates to manage inflation and aggregate demand. Yet recent evidence suggests its reach may extend far deeper into household life than previously imagined. Beyond spending and borrowing, central bank decisions might be shaping one of society’s most fundamental choices: whether and when to have children.

Across both advanced and emerging economies, fertility rates have fallen to historic lows. This demographic transition is transforming labor markets, altering savings behavior, and affecting long-term growth potential. As governments worry about aging populations and shrinking workforces, an overlooked question emerges: could monetary policy itself be influencing fertility—and, if so, what does that mean for economic development?

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Six ways to make tourism projects work for people, places, and prosperity

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Tourism generates 10 percent of global GDP and supports 1 in 10 jobs worldwide. Because of this, it’s a key sector of interest for the World Bank Group.

Over the past decade, the World Bank Group has mobi­lized over US$10 billion to support tourism development across 80 countries.  But what makes a good project that delivers on its objectives?

A new World Bank report, Lessons Learned from a Decade of World Bank Experience, examines what works—and what doesn’t in the design of tourism projects. The findings point to six key ingredients that help tourism projects deliver real development impact on the ground.

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Senegal Launches AgriConnect Compact to Transform its Agriculture Sector

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DAKAR, February 10, 2026 – The Government of Senegal, in partnership with the World Bank Group, today announced the launch of the AgriConnect Senegal Compact. This strategic initiative aims to transform the country’s agri-food systems and improve food security for millions of Senegalese.

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Unlocking Development through the Power of Co-financing

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2026 — On February 11, the World Bank Group, together with the Moroccan Ministry of Economy and Finance and AFD Group, will convene a high-level forum — The Power of Co-Financing — to strengthen collaboration on co-financing among development partners and countries.

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Strengthening Health Systems in Sahel’s Fragile Communities

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Results Highlights

​Between 2018 and 2024, results achieved included: 

  • ​Expanded and improved health services: Over 5 million people in Mali and Mauritania accessed basic health services, half of them women, far exceeding the original goal of 3.65 million. Health centers in targeted regions of both countries significantly improved quality through better equipment, staff training, and patient care.  
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From Risk to Resilience: Strengthening Preparedness for Wildfires and Earthquakes in Europe

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Wildfires in Europe are becoming more frequent and severe, with record areas burnt in 2025. Spreading into regions once considered low risk, wildfires increasingly threaten lives, communities, and infrastructure.
  • More than one-third of the EU population lives in seismic zones, yet awareness is dangerously low. Aging housing and vulnerable critical services leave people exposed, while secondary hazards such as landslides, soil liquification, and tsunamis can worsen earthquake impacts.
  • Strategic investments in resilient infrastructure, early-warning systems, and recovery planning, including post-disaster financing, can help reduce risks, protect people, and strengthen preparedness.
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Powering Prosperity: Unlocking East Asia’s Renewable Energy for Growth and Competitiveness

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With vast, untapped renewable resources, East Asia can accelerate its clean energy transition—boosting competitiveness, creating millions of jobs, and strengthening energy security. A new World Bank report charts how.

East Asia’s industrial rise has been powered by coal in recent decades – delivering rapid growth – but also making the region a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Today, the economics and the imperatives have shifted. A new World Bank Group report, Green Horizon: East Asia’s Sustainable Energy Future, finds that the region’s enormous, but largely untapped, renewable energy potential can fuel the next wave of growth, secure affordable energy, and enhance competitiveness.

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Women, Business and the Law 2026

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You are receiving this email because you signed up for our World Bank Live Updates. We want to let you know that we have a new event coming up.  

February 24, 2026 <a href=”https://t.newsletterext.worldbank.org/r/?id=h2b2ee0f5,eee3225,ef2b99c&e=cDE9PGIgc3R5bGU9J2NvbG9yOg&s=zGT66GYPFF33l5dYVLcOjlfn37s7L0niNs2YVRGL9uE#004370;font-size:16px;’>Women, Business and the Law 2026—Benchmarking Laws for Jobs and Inclusive GrowthWomen, Business and the Law 2026—Benchmarking Laws for Jobs and Inclusive Growth Location: Online
Advancing women’s economic participation is a key driver of growth and job creation. Estimates suggest that removing barriers to women’s economic participation could raise global output by 15–20 percent. Yet progress remains uneven, with many countries facing persistent gaps in legislation, implementing policies and institutions, and legal enforcement.

Join us online or in person in the Preston Auditorium at the World Bank Group Headquarters in Washington, DC, for the global launch of Women, Business and the Law 2026,a flagship World Bank Group report that examines the legal and policy factors shaping women’s access to economic opportunities. Drawing on data from 190 economies, the report benchmarks progress across 10 dimensions of women’s economic life, including pay, assets, entrepreneurship, childcare, and workplace protections.
  This event will explore where gaps remain, which reforms have proven effective, and how legal and policy choices can support more inclusive and competitive economies. Policymakers, researchers, business leaders, and development practitioners will discuss the evidence behind women’s economic rights and their implications for growth and jobs.

Welcome and Opening
– Sumi Somaskanda, Chief Anchor, BBC News
– Indermit Gill, Chief Economist and Senior VP of Development Economics, WBG
– Paschal Donohoe, Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer, WBG

Key Messages of Women, Business and the Law 2026

– Tea Trumbic, Manager, Women, Business and the Law, WBG Voice of an Entrepreneur
– Lina Maria Useche Jaramillo

Panel — Legal reforms and actions needed to accelerate inclusive growth
– Gargee Ghosh, President of Global Policy and Advocacy, Gates Foundation
– Norman Loayza, Director, Policy Indicators Group, WBG
– H.E. Wafa Bani Mustafa, Minister of Social Development, Jordan
– Moderated by: Sumi Somaskanda Closing Remarks
 
“Credit: World Bank Group. All rights reserved”

Growing Waste Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa Costs US$7.2 billion a year, Threatens Growth and Tourism

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New World Bank report calls for more investment in better waste management and circular economy

WASHINGTON, January 27, 2026 — The Middle East and North Africa region generates more waste per person than the global average and causes an estimated US$7.2 billion in environmental damage each year, according to a new World Bank report: Waste Management in the Middle East and North Africa.

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