Review of Risk Mitigation Instruments for Infrastructure

Although the importance of infrastructure sectors in achieving economic growth and poverty reduction is well established, raising debt and equity capital for infrastructure development and service provision has been a challenge for developing countries. Risk mitigation instruments facilitate the mobilization of commercial debt and equity capital by transferring risks that private financiers would not be willing to take to third-party official and private institutions that are capable of taking such risks. There has been increasing interest and discussion on risk mitigation instruments in the context of infrastructure financing among developing country governments, multi- and bilateral donors, and the private sector. However, due to the complex and diverse nature of risk mitigation instruments, what they can and cannot offer and how they can best be utilized for infrastructure financing are not well understood. This book summarizes existing risk mitigation instruments―primarily focusing on those offered by multilateral and bilateral official agencies―and presents recent trends and developments that make these guarantee and insurance products valuable in securing financing for infrastructure projects in developing countries. Topics covered include: • descriptions of different types of risk mitigation instruments • characteristics of multilateral, bilateral, and private providers of risk mitigation instruments and compatability of instruments • recent developments and innovative applications of risk mitigation instruments through case transactions • areas that pose challenges to the use of risk mitigation instruments as catalysts of infrastructure development. This book will be of particular interest to readers working in business and finance, law and regulation, and infrastructure projects and finance.