Our activities in Asia

Annapurna Inde — © Proparco / Srishti Bhardwaj

In Asia, where Proparco is very active – just like its parent, Agence française de développement (AFD) – its financing aims to promote green and inclusive growth.

Contributing to environmental and regionally-balanced growth

Asia is currently home to more than half of humanity. The region is a demographic behemoth and a driving force for the global economy. This growth generates increasing energy demands and pressure on the natural environment and biodiversity. Asia is currently the world’s main source of greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for climate change. The region also faces unprecedented social challenges, related to its exponential urbanization and the still persistent poverty of its people. This is compounded by a major infrastructure deficit in terms of access to sanitation facilities and electricity.

In Asia, Proparco’s operations focus on projects that help to combat climate change and reduce inequalities. Proparco's action in Asia reflects AFD's regional strategy.

Proparco's action in Asia

In Asia, Proparco’s objective is to contribute to environmental and regionally-balanced growth. As such, Proparco finances projects that are designed to:

Reduce the environmental footprint of Asian growth by developing renewable energies (solar, wind, biomass and hydropower) and energy efficiency in buildings, transport and industry.

Project focus - Sahyadri Farms, vines are a joint initiative

In 2022, Proparco invested in Sahyadri Farms, a leading Indian agri-food player. The investment will enable the company to deploy concrete measures to adapt to and mitigate climate change and to implement its zero-waste policy.

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Combat socio-economic inequalities by supporting social cohesion and access for the poorest people in low- and lower-income countries to essential goods and services such as water, healthcare, education and training.
Support agri-food production in the least developed countries to bolster their development in the face of the major emerging economies and boost their capacity to meet local food requirements.
Promote financial inclusion by supporting responsible microfinance, particularly through financial intermediaries.

Project focus - Annapurna Finance: microfinance helping to empower Indian women

In 2022, Proparco invested USD 15 million in Annapurna Finance. Created in 2007, Annapurna Finance is one of India's leading microfinance institutions (MFIs). It leverages its strong rural presence to serve an overwhelmingly female clientele with little access to traditional banking systems.

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