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Image: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFPImage: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP

World Bank

The World Bank serves as an international financial institution granting loans to developing countries. The recipients have to pledge structural reforms in return.

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All Content on this topic

A woman in a facemask walks past a coronavirus-themed mural in Tangerang, Indonesia

Pandemic to create millions of 'new poor': World Bank

Up to 38 million people in East Asian and Pacific countries could be pushed into poverty by the coronavirus crisis.
BusinessSeptember 29, 2020
A row of trucks on the border road between Kenya und Uganda

COVID-19 confines African Free Trade Area

Experts believe that the COVID-19 pandemic could give the ambitious free trade project a boost.
TradeAugust 14, 2020
Träger am Bahnhof in Neu Delhi, Indien

Will COVID-19 finally push emerging economies into crisis?

Economists fear that many emerging countries will go off the rails in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
BusinessJuly 14, 2020
A man in Somalia waits to receive a money transfer

COVID-19 disrupts remittance flow to Africa

Every year, Africans who live abroad send billions of dollars to their families. But now there's nothing to send.
SocietyMay 23, 2020
David Malpass zum neuen Präsidenten der Weltbank bestimmt

World Bank head praises G20 over debt moratorium

World Bank President David Malpass calls for private creditors to show the same generosity as G20 states.
PoliticsMay 19, 2020
David Malpass zum neuen Präsidenten der Weltbank bestimmt

'Cancellation of debt' an option

Impact of COVID-19 on developing countries: World Bank President David Malpass speaks to DW.
May 19, 202006:57 min
Portrait of Albert Zeufack, World Bank Chief Economist for Africa

World Bank: 'No African country can face this crisis alone'

The World Bank's chief Africa economist Albert Zeufack explains why Africa needs international support.
BusinessApril 16, 2020
Alkoholismus in Afrika

AfricaLink on Air - 15 April 2020

World Bank predicts, Africa is headed for its first recession in 25 years+++ South Africa is divided over Alcohol ban.
HealthApril 15, 202029:59 min
Turin classroom, Italy

Coronavirus latest: Italy closes schools and universities

From religion to sports, countries are taking drastic measures to curb COVID-19 as it continues to spread.
HealthMarch 4, 2020
Tokio Börsen mit Verlusten

Pandemic bonds look set to pay out

The World Bank issued bonds for pandemics in 2017, which look set to pay out because of the coronavirus outbreak.
BusinessFebruary 26, 2020
World Bank

World Bank says lending to China to drop

The Trump administration has argued China is too rich to received World Bank loans.
BusinessDecember 7, 2019
Südafrika IWF | Antoinette Sayeh

More World Bank loans and grants on the cards for Africa

Liberia's former finance minister is leading the bid to replenish the World Bank's IDA.
PoliticsNovember 7, 2019
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Trump 'deconstructing' rules-based trade system

The US president's trade conflicts create uncertainty about future business investment and undermine the rules of global trade that have fostered growth, former World Bank President, Robert Zoellick, told DW.
BusinessNovember 6, 201903:13 min
Men count Iranian banknotes

Iran's economy plummets under weight of sanctions

After two years of successive contraction, recent reports paint a grim outlook for Iran's economy in 2020.
BusinessOctober 23, 2019
Kristalina Georgieva attends a press conference at the International Monetary Fund

IMF selects Bulgarian economist as new chief

Georgieva succeeds Christine Lagarde, and is the first person from an emerging economy to lead the body.
PoliticsSeptember 26, 2019
Person silhoueted in South Sumatra blaze, Indonesia

World Bank forest scheme launched, donor Germany

Contributing millions, Germany has helped kick start ProGreen, a World Bank program for sustainable forests.
PoliticsSeptember 23, 2019
ebola workers in Congo

World unprepared for pandemic, panel warns

The next pandemic could spread within 36 hours, disrupt economies and destabilize national security, experts have said.
HealthSeptember 18, 2019
Kristalina Georgieva

EU picks Georgieva to head IMF

EU ministers have selected Bulgaria's Kristalina Georgieva as the bloc's choice to head the International Monetary Fund.
BusinessAugust 2, 2019
Washington IWF Logo Symbolbild

A European to lead the IMF, again?

EU governments are trying to agree on one European candidate to succeed Christine Lagarde at the helm of the IMF.
BusinessJuly 26, 2019
A general view of a plenary session of the United Nations Monetary Conference in Bretton Woods in 1944

Bretton Woods at 75: Has the system reached its limits?

Seventy-five years ago, a meeting in the town of Bretton Woods laid the foundations for today's global economic order.
BusinessJuly 22, 2019
Women attending a march marking International Women's Day in Istanbul

Focus on financial inclusion to combat gender and income gap

The outlook for the World Bank's Europe and Central Asia unit is dark. But there are easy ways to improve things.
BusinessApril 15, 2019
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Lagos: world's largest oil refinery project backed by World Bank

Fanny Facsar talks about a vast oil refinery project in Lagos, Nigeria. Partly financed by the World Bank.
BusinessApril 12, 201903:49 min
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World Bank invests in Nigeria's fossil fuel industry

Nigeria is building the world's biggest oil refinery — financed by Africa's wealthiest man...and the World Bank.
BusinessApril 12, 201903:11 min
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World Bank continues to invest in fossil fuels

Nigeria is in the process of building the world's biggest oil refinery.
BusinessApril 11, 201901:00 min
Construction site near Lagos

Latest World Bank fossil fuel project

Nigeria is building the world's biggest oil refinery with the help of controversial World Bank loans.
BusinessApril 11, 2019
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Fragility hampers African growth

The World Bank says that growth in Africa remains sluggish due to international as well as domestic difficulties.
BusinessApril 9, 201902:30 min
David Malpass

David Malpass approved as new World Bank president

David Malpass, a critic of global financial institutions, has been approved as the new president of the World Bank.
PoliticsApril 5, 2019
A man walks past a graffiti criticizing predatory lending practices in Athens, Greece

Global debt on the rise, Africa hit hardest

Debt has been rising around the world and according to a new report, the trend is unlikely to stop anytime soon.
PoliticsApril 4, 2019
A dam on the Xiaolangdi Reservoir, on the Yellow River, China.

Dams: Clean power, sullied legacy

Displacement and extinctions have sparked fury at large dams, but many see them as vital for clean energy and water.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 13, 2019
Trump shakes hands with Malpass in the White House behind a podium

Trump taps World Bank critic to lead World Bank

Malpass is a controversial choice and has criticized the very organization he may soon lead.
PoliticsFebruary 6, 2019
USA Weltbank l Jim Yong Kim trifft zurück

World Bank President bows out

The departure of Jim Yong Kim comes three years ahead of schedule and reveals the lender's confusion about its role.
BusinessJanuary 31, 2019
Jim Yong Kim

World Bank head resigns unexpectedly

Jim Yong Kim's second term at the head of the development bank was scheduled to end in three years.
PoliticsJanuary 7, 2019
200 Euro notes

Who is to blame for Africa’s debt crisis?

Corruption and mismanagement are part of the problem, but activists say the international community plays a role.
BusinessDecember 8, 2018
UN-Klimakonferenz 2018 in Katowice, Polen | Antonio Guterres, UN-Generalsekretär

UN chief: World 'way off course' on climate

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opens COP 24 with a warning that the world is losing direction on climate change.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 3, 2018
George H.W. Bush and Helmut Kohl

Bush 41 saw Germany as friend, partner

George H.W. Bush backed German unification because he believed in German democracy, an ex-World Bank boss tells DW.
PoliticsDecember 1, 2018
John Magufuli, President of Tanzania

EU warns Tanzania after World Bank and Denmark act

Discrimination of gays, young mothers and journalists has prompted international action.
PoliticsNovember 16, 2018
Zimbabwe's former president Robert Mugabe looks on during a press conference at his private residence nicknamed "Blue Roof" in Harare

Africalink on Air - 15 November 2018

Zimbabwe marks one year after President Mugabe was ousted+++Tanzania loses Denmark's aid after World Bank scraps loan.
PoliticsNovember 15, 201829:59 min
A pile of US dollar banknotes

Africa's new debt crisis

Help is harder to come by as Africa faces its highest debt level in 17 years.
PoliticsOctober 24, 2018
Three young men walk though a busy street in Niger. One of them is pushing a cart loaded with goods.

World Bank: Poverty rates remain high in Africa

Development expert Francisco Ferreira says it's not too late to turn things around
HealthOctober 17, 2018
Indonesien Erdbeben & Tsunami | Zerstörung in Palu, Sulawesi

World Bank offers loans to disaster-hit Indonesia

The World Bank loan would be used to help some 150,000 families affected by the earthquakes and tsunami.
SocietyOctober 14, 2018
Boehme Henrik Kommentarbild App

A toxic cocktail for the world economy

Henrik Böhme
It's too early to talk of a doomsday scenario, but the economic risks shouldn't be ignored, says DW's Henrik Böhme.
BusinessOctober 12, 2018
IMF chief Christine Lagarde

IMF's Lagarde defends US rate hikes

Her support came after Donald Trump had called the Fed's policies "crazy" and harmful.
BusinessOctober 11, 2018
Pile of garbage floating on the Yangtze River in China

Global waste to pile up by 70 percent in 2050

The World Bank says urgent action is needed to prevent untreated waste from openly flowing down streets.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 21, 2018
USA IWF Haupteingang

The comeback of the IMF in Africa

The IMF has made a comeback in Africa. Is there the threat of the restrictions of 30 years ago?
PoliticsSeptember 14, 2018
A China Railway freight train prepares to depart from northern China

Africa jumps aboard China's express train

The seventh China-Africa summit was a diplomatic success for China — but it's still not an equal partnership.
PoliticsSeptember 6, 2018
Windkraft stärkt die Energieversorgung in Tansania

Fossil fuels dominate African energy investment

A study has found that most international public finance in African energy funds fossil fuels over cleaner alternatives.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 4, 2018
IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde speaks at a press conference.

IMF seeks to crack down on corruption

The IMF is calling on wealthier countries to limit potential safe havens for dirty money.
BusinessApril 22, 2018
USA Beginn Frühjahrstreffen IWF und Weltbank Christine Lagarde

IMF, World Bank meetings kick off

The two global lenders started their spring meetings, with the IMF chief warning trade disputes could derail growth.
BusinessApril 19, 2018
USA Weltbank Sitz in Washington

World Bank upgrades growth outlook

The global lender predicts higher-than-expected growth for 2018, but warns of fading potential in economies worldwide.
BusinessJanuary 10, 2018
Frankreich One Planet Summit in Paris Macron mit Teilnehmern

Investors outperform nations at Paris climate summit

Two years on from the Paris Agreement, a summit in the French capital has mobilized investors to fight global warming.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 12, 2017