The advantage of country platforms is that governments can develop project pipelines aligned with national needs, allowing private investors to identify what is financeable. This empowers the private sector to actively shape the investment ecosystem. Dana Barsky, Global Head of Sustainability Strategy and Net Zero, Standard Chartered Bank There is a common rhetoric that country platforms should be country- led, but in our experience, some countries lack the capacity to do so independently. Therefore, institutions such as IFIs and MDBs will need to provide essential support in establishing these platforms. Prasad Ananthakrishnan, Advisor Climate Finance, Monetary and Capital Markets Department, International Monetary FundIn principle, country platforms are promising as they intend to create stable investment environments and provide investors with visibility into a scalable pipeline of opportunities by moving from a project to programmatic approach. However, many private investors, except for the largest institutions, do not recognize this terminology and are unclear on how to engage. To maximize the impact of country platforms, the secretariat – often led by a dedicated government unit within the country or a national development bank – and supporting MDBs and DFIs should collaborate with private investors via regular forums to align interests early (rather than duplicating efforts or competing for the same projects) and assess project feasibility, drawing from the private sector’s expertise. Stakeholders could pool resources to create a transparent, georeferenced database of bankable projects, including technical specifications, project status, funding needs, financial models, due diligence data, impact measurement and risk assessments. This database could be matched with a menu of risk-sharing mechanisms, including guarantees or blended finance structures to lower investment risks. Simplifying regulatory frameworks, expediting project permitting procedures and reducing bureaucratic delays would help to reduce bottlenecks for investors and project developers, which is aligned with recommendations 2.1 and 2.2 of Brazil’s B20 Finance & Infrastructure Policy Paper.75 Aligning country platforms with broader investment policies, including tax policy reforms, would further reduce barriers to entry for foreign capital providers. From Risk to Reward: Unlocking Private Capital for Climate and Growth 38

Risk to Reward 2025