Paul Ellis, Moderator; Martina Macpherson, Moody's; Jason Mitchell, Man Group and Charulata Singal, UNCDF
When small businesses in developing economies need additional capital to continue growing, they typically face a finance gap. Martina Macpherson of Moody's Corp ESG Solutions Group, Jason Mitchell of Man Group, and Charulata Singal of United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) discuss how investors in developing economies are working with data analytics firms and asset managers to address both the risk and the many opportunities for growth in these economies and for companies with exposure to local entities through their value and supply chains. When UNCDF engages with local enterprises in frontier markets, it builds depth into these markets and nurtures more bankable deal flow, ultimately acting like a project preparatory facility for Development Finance Institutions (DFI) and other commercial investors. Developing these kinds of cross-sector collaborations and public-private partnerships are also fundamental for establishing environmental and social resilience and long term prosperity in line with Agenda 2030.