WASHINGTON: The World Bank Group has mobilised nearly $3.2 billion in private capital for Pakistan since 2022, as its total mobilisation for developing economies reached a record $112 billion in fiscal year 2026, more than tripling in four years.
According to a World Bank Group press release, the record amount represents the highest annual private capital mobilisation in the institution’s history, rising from $35 billion in FY2022 to $112 billion in FY2026.
Combined with the World Bank Group’s own financing, total financing and mobilisation for developing economies exceeded $200 billion during FY2026.
The growth was broad-based across income groups. Private capital mobilisation for lower-middle-income countries increased from $14 billion in FY2022 to $37 billion in FY2026, while mobilisation for upper-middle-income countries rose from $12 billion to $50 billion.
In low-income countries, where attracting private investment remains challenging, mobilisation was maintained at around $3 billion.
Across Africa, private capital mobilisation climbed from approximately $9 billion to $22 billion during the period, representing an increase of nearly 150 per cent.
The World Bank Group attributed the growth to three years of institutional reforms aimed at strengthening engagement with the private sector, simplifying procedures, improving coordination between its public and private sector operations, and expanding financing and investment instruments.
As part of these efforts, the institution introduced a single point of contact for its public and private sector operations in each country and began developing integrated country strategies aligned with national needs and development priorities.
The Private Sector Investment Lab has also helped identify practical barriers to investment in developing economies and develop measures to address them.
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The Group’s initiatives include improving the business and regulatory environment, expanding guarantees and local-currency financing, addressing foreign-exchange challenges, increasing equity financing options and enabling institutional investors to participate at scale.
The World Bank Group issued more than $25 billion in guarantees in FY2026, exceeding its target of $20 billion in annual issuance by 2030 four years ahead of schedule.
The increase was led by the World Bank Group Guarantee Platform, established in 2024 to provide clients and investors with a single point of access to guarantee products across the institution.