Scott Anderson

WDI Developing BoP Asset Class in Asia Pacific Region

Developing a “blueprint” for a new asset class of private equity funds considering base of the pyramid enterprises and investments in the Asia Pacific region is the goal of a new project at the William Davidson Institute’s Development Consulting Services group.

The effort, which began earlier this month via a contract with the Asian Development Bank, will evaluate markets and will look for ways to foster public-private partnerships with (BoP) enterprises in six countries. WDI’s BoP and Capital Markets development specialists will work on the ground in Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Philippines. Meanwhile, Dutch non-profit SNV will support WDI in Vietnam and Pakistan.

WDI is a managing partner in the NextBillion network, along with the World Resources Institute.

“(Poverty’s) persistence lies in sharp contrast to the tremendous strides that have been made in economic growth, as evidenced by the significant rise in per capita income in most countries in the region, particularly in the East and South-East Asian economies,” Khalid Al-Naif, director of WDI’s Development Consulting Services, said in a press release. “Our work will provide the blueprint to close this critical gap.”

The project’s other objectives include:

  • examining how potential cooperation could promote inclusive growth, and develop ex-ante impact assessment for inclusive businesses;
  • facilitating partnerships with private sector and development finance institutions to better serve the BoP market; and
  • exploring ADB’s private sector operations and public-private partnership modalities to increasingly support BoP enterprises, such as promoting investment opportunities in a BoP fund.

WDI’s Base of the Pyramid research initiative, which is directed by Ted London, also will assist by providing impact assessment services for the project.

Categories
Impact Assessment
Tags
Base of the Pyramid, William Davidson Institute