The World Bank Group says it mobilised $112 billion in private capital in the last financial year, representing a threefold increase from approximately $35 billion in the 2022 financial year.
The President of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga, disclosed this on Friday at the 2026 World Bank Group/International Monetary Fund (IMF) Meetings Plenary in Bangkok, Thailand.
Banga said the institution’s total financing, including its own resources and mobilised private capital, exceeded $230 billion.
He explained that the increased financing was aimed at addressing the global jobs challenge, noting that about 1.2 billion young people were projected to enter the labour market over the next 15 years, while only 400 million jobs were expected to be available.
“The World Bank Group has introduced reforms to improve efficiency, reduce project preparation time from 19 months to nine months, and create more than $100 billion in additional lending capacity over a decade,” he said.
He added that the institution was strengthening partnerships with other multilateral development banks to mobilise investment and accelerate development.
According to him, infrastructure development, policy reforms and private-sector investment remain key pillars of the group’s job creation strategy.
Banga said the World Bank Group committed $40 billion to infrastructure and human development in the last financial year, while 30 per cent of its public-sector financing supported policy and institutional reforms.
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On energy access, he said the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank were working to provide electricity to 300 million people across Africa by 2030 under the Mission 300 initiative.
He disclosed that 59 million people had so far gained access to electricity through the initiative.
The World Bank president also highlighted programmes targeting water security, agriculture and healthcare, with the institution seeking to expand access to clean water, support smallholder farmers and improve access to affordable healthcare.
He said the group was developing strategies to help micro, small and medium-sized enterprises access financing, connect with markets and create jobs, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected countries.
Banga stressed the need for governments, private investors, philanthropists and technology providers to work together to expand employment opportunities and promote sustainable development.
“A job is not a statistic. A job is dignity. Addressing the projected global jobs gap is critical to ensuring that young people can build sustainable futures.
“The jobs gap is a projection. It does not have to be our future,” he said.
