* Click the subheadings under the Connectivity, Quality, Partnership, and Upcoming Events sections to view

• CONNECTIVITY
• MCDF NEWS AND ACTIVITIES
• 2026 PPP Hot Topics Workshop Series concludes with a look at data center PPP lessons
• TRANSPORT
• Road: World Bank approves USD140 million to improve road connectivity in Senegal’s Northern and Central Agricultural Areas
• Road: MIGA, Standard Chartered, J.P. Morgan, Commerzbank collaborate with DBK in USD785 million loan guarantees for Kazakhstan roads
• Railway: AIIB approves up to USD1.5 billion financing for Istanbul North Rail Crossing Project co-financed with World Bank, ADB, IsDB, EBRD and OPEC Fund
• Railway: AfDB approves USD878 million for the second phase of the Laghouat–Ghardaïa–El Meniaa railway line in Algeria
• Railway: Korea wins USD13 million Peru railway modernization contract
• Railway: Türkiye sets out high-speed objectives
• Railway: DRC approves Mota-Engil partnership for Lobito Corridor
• Railway: Chinese company wins the USD2.7 billion contract to build Tabora-Kigoma SGR in Tanzania
• EDB report: Eurasian Transport Network 2026
• ENERGY
• Solar+storage: AfDB to invest up to USD66 million in first phase of 500 MW Dandara solar project with battery storage in Egypt
• Solar+wind: ADB, NDB and others provide up to USD345 million loan for India solar-wind project
• IEA report: Electricity Mid-Year Update 2026
• IEA report: Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2026
• DIGITAL
• Towers: IDB Invest arranges USD140 million financing for American Torrecom’s regional expansion to boost digital connectivity in Latin America
• Twenty-nine countries sign agreement to establish global AI cooperation body
• TRADE AND REGIONAL INTEGRATION
• China-Europe rail freight via Russia surges amid deep-sea disruption
• UNCTAD report: Global trade update (July/August 2026): Global trade continues to expand amid rising price pressures
• OECD report: Trends in Global Value Chains – July 2026
• Afreximbank paper: Facilitating Agri-food Trade in Africa: Do Hard and Soft Infrastructure Matter?
• CAREC Institute report: CAREC Corridor Performance Measurement and Monitoring Annual Report 2024

• QUALITY
• CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT
• MDBs report: 2025 Joint Summary Report on Multilateral Development Banks Climate Finance
• UN-Habitat - IsDB report: Nature-Based Solutions In The Arab Region - A Collection of Case Studies
• OECD-OIF/IFDD report: Access to Finance for Climate and Biodiversity - From Global Commitments to Country Action
• ECONOMIC RECOVERY
• EFSD report: Regional Economic Outlook. Summer’26
• DEBT SUSTAINABILITY
• WAPPP Magazine article: Strengthening the Efficiency of FCCL Management for PPPs to Support Sustainable Financing & Improve Economic Viability
• PROCUREMENT, ANTI-CORRUPTION, TRANSPARENCY AND DISCLOSURE
• OECD report: Evaluating, Updating and Monitoring Anti‑Fraud Strategies - A Methodology
• PROJECT CYCLE AND INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
• Introducing SourceX and the next generation of infrastructure project development
• WAPP Magazine article: The Lead Contractor as Governance Intermediary: Mastering Multi-Layered Realities in Large-Scale Infrastructure PPPs

• PARTNERSHIP
• MCDF NEWS AND ACTIVITIES
• MCDF CEO and EDB Chair commit to deepen connectivity partnership at EDB Annual Meeting
• MCDF and IFAD discuss tools and approaches to enhance connectivity investment partnerships
• MCDF CEO meets IFAD President and Italy Officials in Rome to advance connectivity collaboration
• INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES, FUNDS AND INITIATIVES
• Actis sets up new platform under sixth energy fund
• Lightrock’s Accelerate7 fund reaches USD500 million financial close to invest in Sub-Sahara
• IFIS AND DEVELOPING COUNTRY FINANCIERS
• AfDB and African Sovereign Wealth Fund Forum deepen partnership to mobilize African capital for infrastructure
• CDB approves USD232,000 grant funding for strengthening regional DFIs capacity
• IDB Invest supports Banco Santander Brasil with up to USD550 million loan to promote resilient investments
• EIB and Beninese Banque Internationale pour l’Industrie et le Commerce strengthen strategic agricultural value chains for benefit of Benin and Europe
• EBRD providing financing of up to USD15 million to Bank Eskhata in Tajikistan
• AfDB signs USD10.75 million trade finance facility with Intercontinental Investment Bank East Africa to support SMEs and women entrepreneurs in Djibouti
• DEVELOPING COUNTRY FINANCIERS
• Key takeaways from the FiCS/G7 Special Event on 29 April 2026
• PIF and I Squared Capital sign MoU for I Squared to invest up to USD2 billion in PIF portfolio
• Queensland University-Fudan University report: China Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Investment Report 2026 H1
• OTHER NEWS AND ANALYSES ON PARTNER IFIS
• CAF approves USD2 billion for sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean
• CGD paper: A Better Outcome for the Poorest: Finding the Right IDA-IBRD Balance
• PRIVATE CAPITAL MOBILIZATION
• Afreximbank paper: Pension Funds, Capital Markets, and Infrastructure Development in Africa
• CAF article: CAF-AM’s flagship funds: Investment Platforms for Scaling Infrastructure
• WAPPP Spring 2026 Magazine

• UPCOMING EVENTS
• OTHERS
• Public Debt Management Conference 2026 (10 – 11 September 2026)
• CASI Sustainability Forum in HKGW: Shaping Inclusive Transitions in Asia: Enhancing SMEs’ Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change (11 September 2026)
• 8^th World Bank/ ODI Global / IFS Public Finance Conference (24 – 25 September 2026)
• Global AI and Digital Summit 2026 (19 – 22 October 2026)
• Africa PPP Infrastructure Finance, Investment & Partnerships Summit (Africa PPP) 2026: Building Africa’s Prosperity: Transformative Infrastructure, Investment and Partnerships to Accelerate Economic Development (11 – 13 November 2026)
• World Bank Group Land Conference 2027 (17 – 21 May 2027)