India’s digital payments journey has reshaped global imagination. At a moment when many countries still viewed fast payments as tools for high-value bank-to-bank settlement, India reimagined them as a universal service built for people and everyday life. That vision fundamentally reshaped understanding how payments could improve lives.
Continue readingWASHINGTON, January 20, 2026—“Frontier market” economies—a cluster of mostly middle-income economies regarded as the proving ground for the next generation of economic superstars—have largely failed to live up to their potential in recent decades, a new World Bank study has found. On average, investment growth per person in the 2020s so far has been less than half the rate in the 2010s. Yet the experience of the top performers among frontier markets reveals lessons for the 56 economies currently in the cluster.
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Education is the foundation to skills development and jobs, and the surest way out of poverty, empowering generations to earn an income and drive economic growth. A good education equips learners with key foundational skills—literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional competencies—which are essential for work and life. These skills help today’s children become tomorrow’s productive workers and enable workers to reskill or upskill later in life. The World Bank Group is the largest financier of education in the developing world, with a $26.4 billion portfolio across 81 countries, supporting 324 million students to date with better education.
On this International Day of Education, we look at why education works, and how it helps propel people out of poverty, putting economies on a path to growth.
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First, the good news: in the face of one shock after another, the global economy has proved to be surprisingly shock-proof since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite steep tariff increases and historically high policy uncertainty during the last 12 months, global GDP growth in 2025 is set to come in at 2.7 percent—the pace that was predicted in January 2025. That rate should hold roughly steady through 2027. Inflation is abating. Interest rates are coming down. Investors are again showing signs of exuberance. At least by one measure, the global recovery from the coronavirus-era recession will go down as the strongest in six decades: global GDP per person in 2025 was 10 percent higher than it was on the eve of the pandemic. Subsequent shocks—wars, inflation, and tariffs—did less damage than most economists feared.
Continue readingYou 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 11, 2026 <a href="https://t.newsletterext.worldbank.org/r/?id=h2b08fbb1,eee1fdd,ef262e4&e=cDE9PGIgc3R5bGU9J2NvbG9yOg&s=moq4BV9sf59jrkGzm1tQd27yflhKkjicSn9DILXeFME#004370;font-size:16px;'>Making AI Work for All: You Ask, We Answer Making AI Work for All: You Ask, We Answer Location: Online  What is small AI, and how can it help developing countries tackle real-world challenges? In this live Q&A, two World Bank Group experts, Johan Bjurman Bergman and Lana Graf, will discuss how practical, affordable, and adaptable AI tools are improving health, agriculture, education, service delivery, and support for small businesses.Submit your questions in advance to learn how governments are expanding access to AI foundations—skills, data, and computing infrastructure—and why partnerships with the private sector matter for scaling solutions. Sign up for an event reminder and join us live. Experts will answer questions in the chat during the session. World Bank Live Development Events Brought to You Live |
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From urbanization to agriculture, land systems touch nearly every aspect of development. That’s why the World Bank Group has launched the Land Data Map, a new interactive platform designed to make land data more accessible, interactive, and practical.
Built for policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and communities alike, this new tool offers a fresh way to engage with land data — and demonstrates how data-driven insights can help improve development outcomes across sectors.
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Throughout history, water has been the quiet engine behind progress: farmers irrigate fields to grow crops; industry needs it to produce goods and generate energy; and people, communities and cities draw on it for drinking, sanitation, and public health. Technology also made it possible to reach deeper aquifers and more distant rivers, expanding water use and exposing fundamental tensions in how water is valued and distributed, and who bears the costs.
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Jobs are the surest way to end poverty and give people hope for a better future. That’s why countries need to build economies that unlock opportunities for people and convert growth into local jobs.
Yet household survey data across dozens of countries reveal a stubborn obstacle: the world’s poorest people remain disconnected from the digital tools that now underpin labor markets, agricultural productivity, and economic mobility. Digital technologies cannot reduce poverty if they bypass the people who need them the most.
Continue readingWASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2026 —The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved three projects to help the Indian state of Assam increase resilience to extreme weather events, improve governance and service delivery, and provide more than 4 million students with the skills they need to succeed in the workforce.
Assam, located in India’s northeast, is uniquely positioned as the gateway to Southeast Asia, offering strategic connectivity for regional trade and integration. At the same time, Assam faces challenges such as climate vulnerability, inadequate infrastructure, and multidimensional poverty, which hinder inclusive growth.
Continue readingWASHINGTON, January 8, 2026 – The World Bank today approved a $13.30 million concessional financing through the International Development Association (IDA) for Cabo Verde’s renewable Energy and Improved Utility Performance Project (REIUP). The operation is co-financed by a $1.2 million concessional loan and $0.41 million grant from the Canada Clean Energy and Forest Climate Facility (CCEFCF), as well as a $0.4 million reimbursable grant from the Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF).
The financing will support Cabo Verde to accelerate its clean energy transition and achieve universal access to electricity.
Cabo Verde has made significant progress in energy access, achieving 98% coverage and bringing reliable electricity to nearly the entire population. The country has also advanced its energy transition efforts, aiming for 100% renewable electricity by 2040, supported by ongoing sector reforms. Meeting the country’s targets will require further investment in clean power, improved grid stability, and continued reforms following the demerger of the vertically integrated utility ELECTRA. The approved financing supports these national priorities and is expected to leverage substantial private capital for large-scale renewable energy deployment.
“The scaling up of REIUP reinforces Cabo Verde’s ambition to become a leader in achieving universal access to electricity in Africa. By mobilizing private capital to accelerate the energy transition and strengthening the sector’s institutional foundations, the project will help ensure a sustainable, financially viable, and climate-resilient energy sector”, said Kwawu Mensan Gaba, World Bank Energy Global Practice Manager for Western and Central Africa.
The operation will:
“With this new operation, we are investing in a cleaner, more affordable energy future for Cabo Verde—one that reduces dependence on imported fossil fuels, shields the economy from the volatility of global price shocks, and strengthens competitiveness. At the same time, it will drive job creation in the energy transition, with a strong focus on closing the gender gap in the sector.” saidIndira Campos, World Bank Group Resident Representative for Cabo Verde.
REIUP aligns with Cabo Verde’s Master Plan for the Power Sector and complements all other development partners’ efforts in the sector.
PRESS RELEASE NO: 2026/044/AFW
In Cabo Verde:Marco António Medina Silva,
+238 9511616
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