Paul James

DFI Transparency Index 2025: updated methodology and timeline

By Paul James | Aug 15, 2024 | Blog, News

Work on the second DFI Transparency Index is underway, in preparation for launch in July 2025. The Index ranks the transparency of the world’s leading development finance institutions (DFIs) and encourages improvement. We recently completed a methodology review, involving stakeholder consultation, to improve the rigour of the DFI Transparency Index, while maintaining comparability between the 2023 and 2025 editions. Here we set out the changes that have been made to the methodology, including the addition of new climate finance indicators.

The three changes we need to improve understanding of private capital mobilisation

By Paul James | Nov 8, 2023 | Blog

the recent report of the G20 Independent Expert Group (IEG) offers a blueprint for how multilateral development banks (MDBs) can be scaled effectively to increase lending to emerging and developing economies. Paul James looks into the mobilisation of private finance targets in the IEG report, and outlines three changes that are needed if we are to better understand mobilisation and ultimately drive changes that will result in its growth.

Reflections on the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact: more mobilisation promised, but will we ever know if it has been delivered?

By Paul James | Jul 12, 2023 | Blog

The mobilisation of private finance for development outcomes was a central part of the discussions during the recent Paris summit, with more emphasis placed on the need to mobilise “at scale”. However, without improved measurement and increased transparency, it will be impossible to tell whether or not these new commitments deliver on their promises.

DFI disclosure: New resource shows what is possible

By Paul James | Apr 24, 2023 | Blog

To help development finance institutions (DFIs) address perceived barriers to transparency and to guide improved disclosure, Publish What You Fund has compiled the Disclosure Example Book. It is intended to show what is possible in terms of DFI disclosure and to be a useful resource for anyone working to strengthen DFI transparency.

$2 trillion in public assets but little transparency

By Gary Forster and Paul James | Jan 25, 2023 | News

The first ever ranking of the transparency of development finance institutions (DFIs) highlights a startling lack of public disclosure. The inaugural edition of the DFI Transparency Index examines the transparency of 30 DFI operations, with combined assets of $2 trillion. It reveals that across the board DFIs are insufficiently transparent.

Transparency of financial information: The key to increasing development flows

By Paul James | Feb 3, 2022 | Blog

This blog discusses the DFI Transparency Tool’s fourth component – financial information – and argues that improved disclosure of both mobilisation and concessionality is critical to scaling up financial flows in support of the Sustainable Development Goals and achieving development impact.