IFC lifts Bridge Bank CI financing past $100M with new €20M facility
What's the deal? The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has extended a €20 million ($22.7 million) debt facility to Bridge Bank Group Côte d'IvoireDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The new credit line pushes the total financing raised by the Ivorian bank from IFC past $100 million, five years into the partnership.
Where's the money going? The funds will expand lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which make up about 98% of registered businesses in Côte d'Ivoire. Bridge Bank will earmark 25% of the facility for companies owned or led by women.
What's the endgame? The bank is growing its SME book, which now accounts for 23% of its credit portfolio, up from 17%. The financing aims to widen access to credit for smaller firms and female entrepreneurs.
Why now? The deal, announced on July 13, builds on a partnership that began in May 2021, when Bridge Bank joined IFC's Global Trade Finance Program with an initial $10 million facility. The two deepened ties in July 2024 with a $40 million risk-sharing agreement, under which IFC guaranteed 50% of a short-term loan portfolio to SMEs in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, followed by a $40 million international trade finance facility.
The signal: IFC, the World Bank Group's private-sector arm, continues to channel capital into West African banks as a lever to reach underserved SMEs and women-led businesses. The steady escalation from $10 million to over $100 million signals growing confidence in local lenders as intermediaries for development finance.
Read more: Agence Ecofin
