At the heart of everything we do is our aim to contribute to a world in which, in 2050, more than 9 billion people live well and within the means of the planet’s resources.
By reaching out to underserved markets, we invest in some of the world’s most challenging business environments. The countries that we work in often have a fragile private sector, little job security and high poverty rates.
Our role extends beyond financing, as we help businesses to operate and grow transparently in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. We do so by investing time, capacity and resources in further understanding how their business and industry – and thus our financing – affect the welfare of local people and the surrounding environment.
We encourage the growth of responsible businesses because they can enable and catalyze social and economic change. In the long-run sustainable businesses provide higher-level jobs, income, and tax generation to strengthen local society. We believe that these elements are key to reducing poverty and inequality. With our clients serving millions of customers, their adoption of good practices can have a tremendous effect on local development, as they often serve as catalysts for other businesses to do the same.
We are the do-bank. We do not just have a wish-list, we have a to-do list. In the light of pressing global challenges we feel the urgency to 'do', to persevere and to make tough decisions to enhance local prosperity. Change is never easy, but it has to happen.
As a development bank, we have the explicit responsibility to make investments that commercial parties perceive as too risky. That can be because the country in question lacks financial infrastructure or is perceived as too 'fragile' by private investors, because it concerns bold but unproven innovations, or because it requires a maturity period longer than what most investors dare to take on.
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FMO's mission is to empower entrepreneurs to build a better world. Their products and services strengthen local communities, they create jobs and generate taxes and they boost the vitality of economies.
We seek to reduce inequalities by investing in some of the world’s poorest countries. We are pursuing inclusive business aimed at people earning less than 7 USD per day - Base of the Pyramid - often including women and smallholders.
FMO embraces the Paris Cop 21 Agreement on Climate Change. We aim to deliver on our climate ambition by aligning our portfolio of investments with a 1.5 degrees emissions reduction pathway.
Respect for human rights is a fundamental and non-negotiable part of FMOs mission and is integral to the way we select and support our clients and partners. In our first Human Rights Progress Report we focus on the main changes we have made to further strengthen our due diligence approach.
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