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Medium Enterprise Department and OPIC’s Small Business Center were establishedspecifically to address the needs of small and medium-sized American companiesand to ease their entry into new markets. A small business insurance “wrap” is offeredto companies undertaking projects through the Small Business Center. A partnershipwith SBA enhances OPIC’s outreach to the small business community.For more information on any of these programs, call OPIC’s InfoLine at (202) 336-8799or the FactsLine at (202) 336-8700, or visit opic.gov.Obtaining Funding from Multilateral Development BanksMultilateral development banks (MDBs) are international financial institutions ownedby member governments. Their individual and collective objective is to promoteeconomic and social progress in their developing member countries.Current MDBs include:• The African Development Bank• The Asian Development Bank• The European Bank forReconstruction and Development• The Inter-AmericanDevelopment Bank• The World Bank GroupThese institutions achieve their objective by providing loans, technical cooperation,grants, capital investment, and other types of assistance to governments,government agencies, and other entities in their developing member countries. Thepractical expression of MDB support usuallytakes the form of a project or study.Increasingly, the MDBs are providing fundingIs an MDB active in one of yourto private-sector entities for private projectstarget markets? If so, it mayin developing countries. A growing number of have programs to help financecompanies and project developers around the your entry or growth.world are taking advantage of this funding,which is secured on the basis of the financial,economic, and social viability of the projects in question.The MDBs have traditionally been heavily involved in infrastructure and povertyalleviation projects. All the banks support projects in:• Agriculture• Energy• Environment• Finance• Industry• Transportation• Telecommunications• Health• Education• Urban development• Tourism• Microenterprises• The public sector• Economic reformAll the banks also provide some funding for private ventures.178U.S. Commercial Service • A Basic Guide to Exporting