IFC (International Finance Corporation)

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is the private-sector investment arm of the World Bank Group. Unlike ibrd and ida, which lend to governments, IFC invests directly in private companies and financially viable projects in developing countries, providing loans, equity investments, and advisory services to businesses that cannot otherwise access adequate financing at reasonable terms.

What is IFC?

IFC committed $71.7 billion in FY2025, including $47 billion in mobilised capital from co-investors. Its investments span financial markets, infrastructure, manufacturing, agribusiness, and health and education, with the goal of creating jobs and improving living standards in emerging markets. Top sectors in FY2025 included financial markets at 48 percent of commitments, infrastructure at 12 percent, and manufacturing at around 8 percent.

Procurement for IFC-financed projects works differently from ibrd and ida procurement. Because IFC's clients are private companies, not governments, the private client manages its own procurement according to its own policies rather than following World Bank Procurement Regulations. IFC's own corporate procurement, for office supplies, IT systems, and consulting for its own operations, is handled through the World Bank RFx Now portal. IFC also procures advisory services firms competitively for its advisory programmes, which use a separate selection process.

Why IFC matters for bidders

The main implication for suppliers is that IFC-financed projects do not appear in the World Bank's standard procurement portal in the way IBRD and IDA projects do. Instead, procurement for IFC's private-sector investment projects is managed by each client company, which means suppliers must track those clients directly or through the sectors IFC is most active in. For IFC's own corporate and advisory procurement, the entry point is the RFx Now portal, and suppliers should register there if they provide professional services or corporate goods to international financial institutions.

FAQ

Do World Bank procurement rules apply to IFC-financed projects?

Generally no. IFC's private-sector clients manage their own procurement. IFC does apply environmental and social performance standards to its clients, but not the World Bank Procurement Regulations.

How can a supplier find IFC procurement opportunities?

IFC corporate procurement is on the World Bank RFx Now portal. Opportunities arising from IFC's investments in private companies are managed by those companies directly and may appear on their own supplier portals or through competitive tenders they run independently.

Is IFC procurement included in the World Bank's $118.5 billion volume figure?

The $118.5 billion figure represents total World Bank Group commitments including IFC. The procurement flowing through the World Bank's standard procurement portal covers only IBRD and IDA financed projects, which generate approximately $20-46 billion annually in project-level procurement.