WTO and multilateral partners review progress on supply chain finance initiative
Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala joined leaders of multilateral development banks and other international organizations at a high-level roundtable held on the sidelines of the 2026 World Bank – International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings in…
The discussion, organized jointly by the WTO and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), built on commitments made in the 2024 joint statement on Boosting Supply Chain Trade in Emerging Markets. Participants assessed developments since the launch of the initiative and examined how the current global trade and economic environment is affecting access to supply chain finance, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in low-income and vulnerable economies.
Opening the meeting, DG Okonjo-Iweala highlighted the importance of supply chain finance in helping firms participate in international trade and integrate into regional and global value chains.
She said: "Expanding access to supply chain finance is essential to ensuring that smaller businesses can seize trade opportunities and contribute to economic growth. By working together, multilateral institutions can help address persistent financing gaps and support more inclusive participation in global trade."
IFC's Managing Director and Executive Vice President, Makhtar Diop, who co-chaired the event, said: "Supply chain finance can have a transformative impact on trade flows and emerging market economies when the right elements come together: capital, legal infrastructure, digital platforms, and the market capacity to put it to work. Together, multilateral development banks (MDBs) are uniquely positioned to strengthen regulatory and market conditions and leverage our own capital to mobilize private investment at scale, channeling it to smaller businesses and markets where access to finance remains out of reach."
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