BANGKOK, Thailand / RankWire.AI / – Direct financing from multilateral development banks has climbed to about US$65 billion in 2026, according to figures released in Bangkok. The amount compares with roughly $35 billion a year before the COVID-19 pandemic. Low and middle-income countries are benefiting from the increase. About $10 billion of the total is supply chain finance for developing economies. That share is two to three times the level recorded in 2024.
The figures were presented on October 16 at a high-level roundtable in the Thai capital. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 2026 World Bank and International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings, which run in Bangkok from October 12 to 18. The World Trade Organization and the International Finance Corporation organized the session jointly. Participants reviewed progress in expanding supply chain finance across developing markets. They also discussed priorities for the next phase of cooperation among lenders and international organizations.
Supply chain finance helps small and medium-sized enterprises take part in international trade. It provides affordable funding that improves the cash flow of firms selling to larger buyers. The WTO said the tool can ease working-capital strains that often keep smaller suppliers out of export markets. Access remains limited in many low-income and vulnerable economies. Shifts in global trade and economic conditions have added to those pressures in recent years.
WTO and IFC call for deeper cooperation
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala joined leaders of development banks and international bodies at the roundtable. She said smaller firms need financing to seize trade opportunities and contribute to economic growth. She also said closer cooperation among multilateral institutions can help close funding gaps. IFC Managing Director Makhtar Diop co-chaired the discussion. He described supply chain finance as potentially transformative for emerging markets when capital, legal frameworks and digital platforms work together.
Diop said development banks should improve the conditions for financing rather than only supply capital. Stronger regulation and functioning markets can attract private investors to smaller firms, he said. Development banks can also deploy capital directly in smaller firms and markets that lack financing, he added. The roundtable explored ways to mobilize greater private-sector participation in supply chain finance markets. Participants discussed practical measures to broaden access in underserved regions. They also examined steps to make smaller suppliers more resilient within global commerce.
Local currency funding and new products on agenda
The measures under discussion include local currency financing, product innovation, partnerships, capacity-building and wider awareness of financial products. Partners committed to expanding supply chain trade in emerging markets in a 2024 joint statement. Since then, lenders have widened financing programs and strengthened legal and regulatory frameworks. They have also improved market infrastructure and institutional capacity. The range of financial products available to smaller firms has grown as well.
Participants reaffirmed their commitment to the WTO’s Supply Chain Finance Task Force. The group sits within the organization’s Multilateral Development Banks Working Group. Its members include the IFC, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank, Afreximbank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The Working Group agreed to keep coordinating its efforts. The next phase will focus on reaching underserved businesses and attracting more private investment.