International financial institutions

International financial institutions (IFIs) are financial institution

Financial institution

In financial economics, a financial institution is an institution that provides financial services for its clients or members. Probably the most important financial service provided by financial institutions is acting as financial intermediaries...

s that have been established (or chartered) by more than one country, and hence are subjects of international law

International law

Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...

. Their owners or shareholders are generally national governments, although other international institutions and other organisations occasionally figure as shareholders. The most prominent IFIs are creations of multiple nations, although some bilateral financial institutions (created by two countries) exist and are technically IFIs. Many of these are multilateral development bank

Multilateral Development Bank

A multilateral development bank is an institution, created by a group of countries, that provides financing and professional advising for the purpose of development. MDBs have large memberships including both developed donor countries and developing borrower countries...

Bretton Woods institutions

The best-known IFIs were established after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

to assist in the reconstruction of Europe and provide mechanisms for international cooperation in managing the global financial system

Global financial system

The global financial system is the financial system consisting of institutions and regulators that act on the international level, as opposed to those that act on a national or regional level...

(Cf. Bretton Woods system

Bretton Woods system

The Bretton Woods system of monetary management established the rules for commercial and financial relations among the world's major industrial states in the mid 20th century...

). They include the World Bank, the IMF, and the International Finance Corporation

International Finance Corporation

The International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....

Founded	Name	www Address	Notes	HQ
1944	IMF International Monetary Fund International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...	http://www.imf.org	Specialised agency of the UN United Nations The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...	Washington (District of Columbia)
1944	IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development International Bank for Reconstruction and Development The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of five institutions that compose the World Bank Group. The IBRD is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by World War II. Now, its mission has expanded to fight...	http://www.worldbank.org	World Bank Group World Bank Group The World Bank Group is a family of five international organizations that makes leveraged loans, generally to poor countries.The Bank came into formal existence on 27 December 1945 following international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements, which emerged from the United Nations Monetary... , Specialised agency of the UN United Nations The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...	Washington (District of Columbia)
1956	IFC International Finance Corporation International Finance Corporation The International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....	http://www.ifc.org	World Bank Group World Bank Group The World Bank Group is a family of five international organizations that makes leveraged loans, generally to poor countries.The Bank came into formal existence on 27 December 1945 following international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements, which emerged from the United Nations Monetary...	Washington DC
1960	IDA International Development Association International Development Association The International Development Association , is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. It complements the World Bank's other lending arm — the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development — which serves middle-income countries with capital investment and...	http://www.worldbank.org/ida	World Bank Group World Bank Group The World Bank Group is a family of five international organizations that makes leveraged loans, generally to poor countries.The Bank came into formal existence on 27 December 1945 following international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements, which emerged from the United Nations Monetary...	Washington DC
1966	ICSID, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes , an institution of the World Bank Group based in Washington, D.C., was established in 1966 pursuant to the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States...	http://icsid.worldbank.org/ICSID/Index.jsp	World Bank Group World Bank Group The World Bank Group is a family of five international organizations that makes leveraged loans, generally to poor countries.The Bank came into formal existence on 27 December 1945 following international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements, which emerged from the United Nations Monetary...	Washington DC
1988	MIGA Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency is a member organization of the World Bank Group that offers political risk insurance. It was established to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries. MIGA was founded in 1988 with a capital base of $1 billion and is headquartered in...	http://www.miga.org	World Bank Group World Bank Group The World Bank Group is a family of five international organizations that makes leveraged loans, generally to poor countries.The Bank came into formal existence on 27 December 1945 following international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements, which emerged from the United Nations Monetary...	ashington DC
30/10/47	GATT General agreement on tariffs and trade General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was negotiated during the UN Conference on Trade and Employment and was the outcome of the failure of negotiating governments to create the International Trade Organization . GATT was signed in 1947 and lasted until 1993, when it was replaced by the World... , basis for the creation of World Trade Organization World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948... (WTO) in 1995	http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/06-gatt_e.htm http://wto.org	The GATT is not an organisation. The WTO is not a United Nations agency	Geneva Geneva Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland... for the WTO

Regional development banks

The regional development banks consist of several regional institutions that have functions similar to the World Bank group's activities, but with particular focus on a specific region. Shareholders usually consist of the regional countries plus the major donor countries. The best-known of these regional banks cover regions that roughly correspond to United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

regional groupings, including the Inter-American Development Bank

Inter-American Development Bank

The Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean...

, the Asian Development Bank

Asian Development Bank

The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...

; the African Development Bank

African Development Bank

The African Development Bank Group is a development bank established in 1964 with the intention of promoting economic and social development in Africa...

; and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Founded in 1991, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development uses the tools of investment to help build market economies and democracies in 30 countries from central Europe to central Asia. Its mission was to support the formerly communist countries in the process of establishing their...

Founded	Name	www Address	Notes	HQ
1959	IDB Interamerican Development Bank Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean...	http://www.IADB.org	Works in the Americas, but primarily for development in Latin America Latin America Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area... and the Caribbean Caribbean The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...	Washington
1964	AFDB African Development Bank African Development Bank The African Development Bank Group is a development bank established in 1964 with the intention of promoting economic and social development in Africa...	http://www.afdb.org	Africa Africa Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...	Abidjan Abidjan Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
1966	ADB Asian Development Bank Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...	http://www.adb.org	Asia Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...	Manilla Manila Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
29/5/91	EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Founded in 1991, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development uses the tools of investment to help build market economies and democracies in 30 countries from central Europe to central Asia. Its mission was to support the formerly communist countries in the process of establishing their...	http://www.ebrd.com		London
16/4/56	CEB Council of Europe Development Bank Council of Europe Development Bank The Council of Europe Development Bank dates from 1956, when the Council of Europe established the Resettlement Fund for National Refugees and Over-Population in Europe as a Partial Agreement...	http://www.coebank.org	Coordinated organisation Co-ordinated organisations The expression coordinated organizations refers to several European intergovernmental organizations that have a common system of remuneration and pension. They are independent but have a common method of adjusting their salary scales...	Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
14/11/73	BOAD Banque ouest-africaine de développement West African Development Bank West African Development Bank The West African Development Bank - WADB is an international Multilateral Development Bank established in 1973 to serve the nations of Francophone and Lusophone West Africa...	http://www.boad.org	Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine, Cf.BCEAO Banque centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest	Dakar Dakar Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland... ?
1975	BDEAC Banque de développement des États de l'Afrique Centrale, DBCAS Development Bank of Central African States	http://www.bdeac.org	Communauté économique et monétaire de l'Afrique centrale (CEMAC Economic Community of Central African States The Economic Community of Central African States is an Economic Community of the African Union for promotion of regional economic co-operation in Central Africa... ), Cf. BEAC Bank of Central African States The Bank of Central African States is a central bank that serves six central African countries which form the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa:CameroonCentral African RepublicChadEquatorial GuineaGabonRepublic of the Congo... Banque des États de l’Afrique centrale	Brazzaville Brazzaville -Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo... , Congo Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...

Bilateral development banks and agencies

Bilateral development banks are financial institutions set up by individual countries to finance development projects in developing countries and emerging markets. Examples include:

the Netherlands Development Finance Company FMO
Netherlands Development Finance Company FMO
Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden N.V. ', which translates into Netherlands Development Finance Company, is a bilateral private-sector development bank based in the Hague, the Netherlands.-History:...

, Headquarters in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...

; one of the largest bilateral development banks worldwide.
the DEG German Investment Corporation
German Investment Corporation
Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft translates into German Investment Corporation. DEG is a member of KfW Bank Group , an arm of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany....

or Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, a Development Bank.
the Agence Française de Développement, Caisse des dépôts

Other regional financial institutions

Several regional groupings of countries have established international financial institutions to finance various projects or activities in areas of mutual interest. The largest and most important of these is the European Investment Bank

European Investment Bank

The European Investment Bank is the European Union's long-term lending institution established in 1958 under the Treaty of Rome. A policy-driven bank, the EIB supports the EU’s priority objectives, especially European integration and the development of economically weak regions...

Founded	Name	www Address	Notes	HQ
1998	ECB European Central Bank European Central Bank The European Central Bank is the institution of the European Union that administers the monetary policy of the 17 EU Eurozone member states. It is thus one of the world's most important central banks. The bank was established by the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1998, and is headquartered in Frankfurt,...	http://www.ecb.int		Frankfurt am Main
17/5/1930	BRI Banque des règlements internationaux / BIS Bank of International Settlements	http://www.bis.org	The bank of central banks	Bâle Bale - Places :* Bale , a small town in Croatia* Bale, California, in Napa County* Bale, Norfolk in England* Bale, Poland* Balé Province, Burkina Faso* Basel, the Swiss city, for which the French name is Bâle-Ethiopia:* Bale Mountains...
	Central African Central Banks Association, Association des Banques Centrales Africaines (ABCA)
	EIB European Investment Bank European Investment Bank The European Investment Bank is the European Union's long-term lending institution established in 1958 under the Treaty of Rome. A policy-driven bank, the EIB supports the EU’s priority objectives, especially European integration and the development of economically weak regions...	http://www.eib.org	Institution created by the members of the European Union European Union The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958... , to finance projects in the EU	Luxembourg Luxembourg (city) The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg...
24/1/97	BSTDB Black Sea Trade and Development Bank Black Sea Trade and Development Bank The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank is an international financial institution that supports economic development and regional cooperation by providing trade and project financing, guarantees, and equity for development projects supporting both public and private enterprises in its member...	http://bstdb.com	Governed by United Nations registered treaty - Region covered corresponds to the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation On 25 June 1992, the Heads of State and Government of eleven countries signed in Istanbul the Summit Declaration and the Bosporus Statement giving birth to the Black Sea Economic Cooperation ...
10/7/70	International Investment Bank of Comecon Comecon The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance , 1949–1991, was an economic organisation under hegemony of Soviet Union comprising the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of communist states elsewhere in the world...		established by the countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe	Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
1975	Islamic Development Bank Islamic Development Bank The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development financing institution located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded by the first conference of Finance Ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference , convened 23 Dhu'l Qa'dah 1393 AH.The bank officially began its activities on...			Djeddah, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
	NIB Nordic Investment Bank Nordic Investment Bank The Nordic Investment Bank is an international financial institution founded in the mid-1970s by the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. In 2005, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania became members of the Bank. NIB’s headquarters are located in Helsinki, Finland...	http://www.nib.int	The NIB has lending operations in its member countries and in emerging markets on all continents.	Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

Bretton Woods institutions

Regional development banks

Bilateral development banks and agencies

Other regional financial institutions

See also