Dimension: MDBs
Multilateral development banks
Finance, and set the scorecard.
A development bank is a bank owned by governments. Because its owners stand behind it, it borrows cheaply on capital markets, then lends and grants that money for development.
Think of a credit union whose members are countries.
In one picture
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- MDBs
- Multilateral
- Global Funds
- Governments
- NGOs
- Private
- Active
- Engaged
- Open gap
- Landscape
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Ribbon width encodes relative volume and is illustrative.
Nodes in this scene
How it works
Governments buy shares.
Who is who
Global — World Bank GroupStatus: Engaged
The largest development bank, with 189 member countries and several arms
Stratum 1
IBRDStatus: Landscape
IBRD lends to middle-income governments
IDAStatus: Landscape
IDA gives concessional credits and grants to the poorest countries
IFCStatus: Landscape
IFC invests in private companies
MIGAStatus: Landscape
MIGA insures against political risk
RegionalStatus: Landscape
Banks owned mainly by the countries of one region, plus outside shareholders
Stratum 2
Asian Development BankStatus: Landscape
Regional development bank
African Development BankStatus: Landscape
Regional development bank
IDB GroupStatus: Open gap
Named in the strategy
European Bank for Reconstruction and DevelopmentStatus: Landscape
Regional development bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment BankStatus: Landscape
Regional development bank
European Investment BankStatus: Landscape
Regional development bank
Islamic Development BankStatus: Landscape
Regional development bank
New Development BankStatus: Landscape
Regional development bank
CAFStatus: Landscape
Regional development bank
Sub-regional and national development banksStatus: Landscape
Smaller banks serving a sub-region or one country
Stratum 2
CABEIStatus: Landscape
Sub-regional development bank
BOADStatus: Landscape
Sub-regional development bank
EADBStatus: Landscape
Sub-regional development bank
Caribbean Development BankStatus: Open gap
Named in the strategy
Bilateral DFIsStatus: Landscape
Owned by one government; invest in private companies in developing countries
Stratum 1
DFC (United States)Status: Landscape
Bilateral development finance institution
BII (United Kingdom)Status: Landscape
Bilateral development finance institution
FMO (Netherlands)Status: Landscape
Bilateral development finance institution
Proparco (France)Status: Landscape
Bilateral development finance institution
DEG (Germany)Status: Landscape
Bilateral development finance institution
Norfund (Norway)Status: Landscape
Bilateral development finance institution
Inside them
Decisions of consequence
| Decision | Who keeps it | Records behind it | Matching atlas cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approve a programme and its terms | The Board, on management's recommendation | Appraisal documents, economic analysis, safeguard assessments | Matching atlas cases |
| Give a no-objection to a borrower's tender award | Procurement specialist | Bid evaluations, contracts, complaint files | Matching atlas cases |
| Release a results-based disbursement | Task team leader | Verification reports, indicator data | Matching atlas cases |
| Rate a completed programme | Independent evaluator | Completion reports, supervision records | Matching atlas cases |
| Find a community complaint eligible | Accountability panel | Community submissions, project files | Matching atlas cases |
Sphere here
Role in the strategy
The standard-setter and financier of replication. The World Bank, IDB, CDB and their peers set the frameworks governments already answer to — B-READY, the World Development Report, ProACT — and they finance the programmes that turn a rapid proof of concept into a national rollout.
How Sphere aligns, and what Sphere offers MDBs as clients
Every public-sector use case is aligned to B-READY topics, so a ministry's result is also a lift in an indicator the Bank and FATF recognise. Sphere cites the Banks' own reports as independent evidence beside its work. Appraisal and proposal drafting from the Bank's own programme documents · procurement red-flag scoring · portfolio monitoring · verifiable results reporting.
Sphere's commitment
The country's own priorities lead; the Bank's frameworks are the scorecard; replication is financed against verified results.
Status today
World Bank: Engaged, as a channel. First MDB reference deployment: Open gap.
- World BankStatus: Engaged
- First MDB reference deploymentStatus: Open gap
B-READY topics
Evidence
26
MDB cases in the atlas
Sphere Corporate Strategy, September 2026Sphere · as of 2026-09as of 2026-09
18
of them are internal operations
Sphere Corporate Strategy, September 2026Sphere · as of 2026-09as of 2026-09
Lenses and words
Words you will hear
- Sovereign loan · Sovereign loanA loan to a government, or guaranteed by one
- Concessional · concessional financeOn softer terms than the market: low or zero interest, long maturities, or grants
- Callable capital · Callable capitalMoney shareholders promise to pay a bank if ever needed; it backs the bank's credit rating
- Replenishment · ReplenishmentA periodic round in which donors refill a fund or a bank's concessional arm
- Task team leader · Task team leaderThe bank staff member responsible for one programme
- No-objection · No-objectionA bank's formal clearance of a borrower's procurement step
- Safeguards · environmental and social safeguardsEnvironmental and social rules a financed programme must follow
- Appraisal document · Appraisal documentThe bank's full assessment of a proposed programme, on which the board decides
- Completion report · Completion reportThe end-of-programme report on what was achieved
- IEG · Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank GroupIndependent Evaluation Group of the World Bank Group
- Inspection Panel · World Bank Inspection PanelThe World Bank's independent complaints body for people affected by its projects
- B-READY · Business ReadyBusiness Ready: the World Bank's benchmark of the business environment across ten topics
- ProACT · ProACTThe World Bank's Procurement Anti-Corruption and Transparency platform
- FATF · Financial Action Task ForceThe Financial Action Task Force: the body that sets global AML/CFT standards
- Executive Director · Executive DirectorA board member of a development bank or the IMF who represents one country or a group of countries
- Constituency · shareholder constituencyThe group of countries one Executive Director or board member represents
The four statuses
- Status: ActiveSphere Corporate Strategy, September 2026Sphere · as of 2026-09
- Live or contracted work named in the strategy
- National programmes in Ecuador, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic and Colombia; PADF; Renalogic; AMD and Oracle co-sell
- Status: EngagedSphere Corporate Strategy, September 2026Sphere · as of 2026-09
- Named in the strategy as engaged, no live deployment stated
- Royal Thai Government; Central Group; Oracle Thailand; World Bank as a channel; NVIDIA and Intel
- Status: Open gapSphere Corporate Strategy, September 2026Sphere · as of 2026-09
- A reference Sphere is actively seeking
- First MDB, UN agency and global fund reference deployments
- Status: LandscapeSphere Corporate Strategy, September 2026Sphere · as of 2026-09
- Shown to teach the ecosystem; no relationship implied
- Every other named institution in the landscape
Sources on this page
- S-01Sphere Corporate Strategy, September 2026, Sphereas of 2026-09
Naming an institution here describes the landscape. It does not imply a relationship with Sphere.