Ameriabank, FMO, DEG strike $30 million deal

De Nederlandse Financierings - Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO) is the entrepreneurial development bank of the Netherlands. FMO's vision is that a thriving private sector will help support and grow lasting economic, environmental and social development. By empowering people to employ their skills and improve their quality of life, current and future generations in emerging markets will benefit from sustainable development. The bank's mission is to provide capital, share knowledge and create partnerships. The clients are ambitious entrepreneurs and financial institutions - often in low-income countries. The bank partners with banks and other institutions with specific expertise. FMO's investment portfolio is 4.2 billion Euro, making it one of the largest bilateral development banks worldwide.

The Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (DEG) is part of the KfW Group. Its task is to promote private business initiatives in developing and transition countries. In this way, the DEG aims to contribute to sustainable growth and to improve the living conditions of individuals in partner countries. It also provides private business with long-term capital for investments in partner countries of German development cooperation.

The DEG invests in profitable, sustainable projects for development across all sectors of the economy: from agriculture to the manufacturing industry, from the service sector to infrastructure. Another focus of the work of the DEG is investment in local financial markets in order to facilitate the reliable access to capital in-country.

In 2007 the DEG made a total of 113 financial pledges worth some 1.2 billion euros. At the end of 2007 its total portfolio was worth 3.6 billion euros and covered 493 assisted businesses.

But financing is only one aspect of the work of the DEG. It also provides its clients with in-depth advice, consultancy services, and partnership-based support with respect to their endeavors to implement projects. To allow it to provide optimum support and back-up services for its projects, the DEG has opened offices in some partner countries, including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and Thailand.

Alongside its financing and advisory services, the DEG also offers services under the BMZ's Public Private Partnership (PPP ) program. The DEG helps German and European businesses to structure PPP projects and offers competent advisory services throughout all phases of implementation. Since the program was first launched in 1999, the DEG has co-financed some 420 PPP projects worldwide.