What Caribbean Development Bank does

Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is a regional multilateral development finance institution founded in 1969 and headquartered in St. Michael, Barbados, serving as the Caribbean's sole indigenous development bank for 19 Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs). The Bank deploys concessional and commercial lending, grants, technical assistance, and blended finance instruments to address structural regional vulnerabilities — climate change, energy import dependence, infrastructure deficits, poverty, and weak private-sector development — operating through core programmes including the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF, since 1979), the Lending and Investment Programme, and the Special Development Fund 11 (SDF 11). CDB holds AA+ (S&P) and Aa1 (Moody's) credit ratings, enabling it to raise funds in international capital markets and on-lend at favorable terms while also mobilizing concessional resources from the Green Climate Fund, EU, and bilateral donors such as the Government of Canada.

Its business model centers on sovereign and non-sovereign lending to BMC governments, state-owned enterprises, utilities, financial institutions, and increasingly private-sector MSMEs. Revenue streams include interest income from lending operations, grant administration fees from donor partners, capital market borrowings on-lent to BMCs, and technical assistance co-financed with development partners. The Bank's GTM is direct and relationship-driven — country engagement strategies, annual meetings, and co-financing partnerships with IDB, World Bank, CAF, CCRIF SPC, and CARICOM — without intermediaries. The product portfolio spans financing instruments (policy-based loans, investment loans, guarantees, trade finance), grant programmes (BNTF, SheTrades Caribbean, Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund), knowledge platforms (EDGE X analytics, Impact Room), and evaluation services via the independent Office of Independent Evaluation.

Under President Daniel M. Best (7th President) and guided by the 2026-2035 Strategic Plan 'Transforming the Caribbean for Resilience,' CDB is scaling its climate finance commitment to 35% of own resources by 2028, expanding the private-sector book, and deepening multi-MDB coordination through partnerships like the V2V Compact. FY2025 approved project volume reached US$464.6 million, complemented by a US$200M Board-approved guarantee expected to unlock up to US$400M in additional financing capacity and a US$25M trade finance guarantee facility with IDB Invest.

Name

Caribbean Development Bank

Legal name

Caribbean Development Bank

Website

https://caribank.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Caribbean Development Bank is the Caribbean's sole indigenous multilateral development finance institution, founded in 1969 and headquartered in Barbados, delivering concessional lending, grants, and technical assistance to 19 Borrowing Member Countries across climate, infrastructure, energy, and private-sector development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multilateral Development Finance

NAICS

Commercial Banking (522110)

SIC

Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111)

akta.pro primary industry

Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) (FSABAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) (BPADACAA)

Keywords

• Development finance
• Concessional lending
• Climate finance
• Poverty reduction
• Infrastructure financing

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Lending Operations: CDB provides loans to Borrowing Member Countries and their public sector entities at market and concessional rates. The Bank's own-resource lending generates interest income from sovereign and non-sovereign loans to governments, utilities, and financial institutions across the Caribbean.
2. Grant Disbursements from Donor Partners: CDB administers grant resources from bilateral donors (e.g., Government of Canada, EU) and multilateral climate funds (e.g., Green Climate Fund) to support technical assistance, project preparation, and climate resilience programs in Borrowing Member Countries.
3. Capital Market Borrowings: CDB raises funds by issuing bonds and debt securities in international capital markets, leveraging its AA+/Aa1 credit ratings to access affordable financing, which is then on-lent to Borrowing Member Countries.
4. Technical Assistance and Advisory Services: CDB provides technical cooperation and advisory services to Borrowing Member Countries, often co-financed with bilateral and multilateral development partners, supporting policy reform, project design, and institutional capacity building.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CDB is a regional multilateral development finance institution that deploys concessional and commercial loans, grants, technical assistance, blended finance, and guarantee instruments to 19 Borrowing Member Countries in the Caribbean. Its portfolio addresses poverty reduction, climate resilience, infrastructure, energy transition, water and sanitation, education, private sector development, and institutional reform, anchored by programmes such as the Basic Needs Trust Fund, Special Development Fund 11, and the Lending and Investment Programme.

Product overview

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) operates as a regional multilateral development finance institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of financing instruments, technical assistance programmes, and knowledge platforms. The core product portfolio includes the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) for poverty reduction, the Lending and Investment Programme as the primary financing mechanism, and the Special Development Fund 11 for concessional climate finance. These are complemented by sector-specific initiatives including the Impact Room for private sector development, SheTrades Caribbean for women entrepreneurs, the Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund, Caribbean Technological Consultancy Services, and the EPA & CSME Standby Facility for regional trade integration. The Bank also delivers analytical tools through EDGE X by CDB: Analytics Unlocked and evaluation services via its Office of Independent Evaluation. Recent major initiatives include the US$200 million guarantee facility, trade finance guarantee partnerships with IDB Invest, housing resilience programmes with IDB, and clean energy projects such as the Dominica geothermal plant and Belize smart metering programme. The portfolio spans 19 Borrowing Member Countries with total approved investments of US$464.6 million in 2025 alone.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF): CDB's principal grant-funded programme for direct poverty reduction operating since 1979, impacting over 3 million people in poor communities throughout the Region through community-led development in education, water, sanitation, and basic community access.
• Transforming the Caribbean for Resilience
• Impact Room
• SuRGE Programme
• Special Development Fund 11 (SDF 11)
• EDGE X by CDB: Analytics Unlocked

Products and services

• Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) CDB's flagship poverty-reduction grant programme investing in community-led development since 1979, focusing on education, water and sanitation, and basic community access infrastructure in eligible Borrowing Member Countries. Has impacted over 3 million people across 9 eligible countries.
• Lending and Investment Programme CDB's primary financing instrument providing loans and investment support to Borrowing Member Countries and their public sector entities at market and concessional rates, generating interest income. Has approved more than US$273 million to support over 3,100 businesses across the Caribbean.
• Special Development Fund 11 (SDF 11) Concessional financing window supporting climate action and development projects across Borrowing Member Countries. CDB is increasing its climate finance target to 35% of own resources by 2028.
• US$200 Million Guarantee Facility Guarantee instrument approved by CDB Board expected to generate up to US$400 million in additional financing capacity, supporting investments in climate resilience, sustainable infrastructure, and economic development.
• Trade Finance Guarantee Facility US$25 million guarantee facility partnership with IDB Invest to expand access to trade finance in smaller Caribbean markets, supporting transactions for financial institutions in 8 Borrowing Member Countries including The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
• SheTrades Caribbean Initiative supporting women-led businesses by improving competitiveness, market access, technology adoption, and financing access in the Caribbean, partnered with the International Trade Centre (ITC).
• Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund Flagship initiative supporting the cultural and creative industries sector across the Caribbean through financing and capacity building for enterprises in the creative economy.
• Impact Room An interactive engagement space bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, development partners, financial institutions, and business leaders to catalyze private sector development and create connections for investment and collaboration across the Caribbean.
• EDGE X by CDB: Analytics Unlocked Analytics platform translating data and research into actionable insights, featuring sessions such as 'Shockwaves: How Global Crises Are Hitting the Caribbean' and 'Stuck in Traffic: What Congestion Is Costing the Caribbean' to support evidence-based policymaking in the Caribbean.
• Power VIII Project (Belize) Nationwide Advanced Metering Infrastructure initiative deploying approximately 115,000 smart meters across Belize with communications and analytics systems for real-time energy monitoring, outage response, voltage control, and renewable energy integration. The largest financing CDB has extended to Belize Electricity Limited.
• Dominica Geothermal Energy 10MW Project Landmark geothermal power plant project in Roseau Valley, Dominica, representing the first geothermal project in the region with private sector partner Ormat Technologies Inc. Mobilized USD 34.8 million in concessional funding from GCF, Canada SuRGE, and CARICOM Development Fund, expected to power 70% of Dominica's energy matrix.
• Caribbean Regional Grid Interconnection and Renewable Energy Scaling Project Technical assistance project designed to transition Caribbean nations from isolated national grids to interconnected sub-regional power pools, improving energy security and reducing costs across the region.
• EPA & CSME Standby Facility EU-funded programme under the 11th European Development Fund supporting trade facilitation, value chain development, export development, technical and vocational education, quality infrastructure, and food safety across CARIFORUM countries.
• Caribbean Technological Consultancy Services Technical assistance programme supporting enterprise capacity building, technology adoption, and business competitiveness across the Caribbean.
• Housing Resilience Initiative Joint programme with IDB combining home improvement grants, concessional loans, technical assistance, government-supported retrofits, skills training, and insurance support to protect households from hurricanes, flooding, and climate hazards across more than 15 Caribbean nations.
• BNTF Gender Toolkit Practical resource supporting integration of gender equality and inclusion into community development projects, with tools for gender analysis, action planning, and SGBV prevention under the Basic Needs Trust Fund programme.
• Office of Independent Evaluation (OIE) Independent evaluation function reporting to CDB's Board of Directors, conducting evaluations of policies, strategies, programmes, projects, instruments, processes, and systems to support accountability and learning. Operates under CDB's 2025 Independent Evaluation Policy.

Quantifiable outcome

• US$464.6 million in approved projects in 2025
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF-V20)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026The CVF-V20, a forum of 74 climate-vulnerable economies, jointly launched the V2V Compact with the OPEC Fund and government of Barbados to provide affordable development financing. CDB participates as one of more than 15 development finance institutions in the platform.
• IDB InvestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2026IDB Invest and CDB signed a US$25 million guarantee facility to expand access to trade finance in smaller Caribbean markets. The partnership enables CDB to issue partial guarantees over transactions under IDB Invest's Trade Finance Facilitation Program, which has a 20-year track record supporting over 36,000 trade transactions worth more than US$21 billion. The programme focuses on financial institutions in CDB's Borrowing Member Countries including The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
• Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026IDB and CDB announced a partnership to scale up housing resilience investments across more than 15 Caribbean nations, combining home improvement grants, concessional loans, technical assistance, government-supported retrofits, skills training, and home insurance support to protect households from hurricanes, flooding, sea-level rise, and coastal erosion.
• CCRIF SPCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2025CDB and CCRIF SPC (the Caribbean and Central America parametric insurance facility) jointly host the Wider Caribbean Regional Risk Conference, with over 40 high-level experts discussing economic, social, and environmental risks facing the WCR. The conference aims to catalyze concrete action on climate, economic, and societal risks.
• CAF - Development Bank of Latin America and the CaribbeancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2025CAF co-hosts the Wider Caribbean Regional Risk Conference with CDB and CCRIF SPC. CAF also executed Exposure Exchange Agreements with CDB totaling US$1.6 billion in 2025, strengthening CDB's credit exposure diversification and contributing to CAF's own AA+ upgrade from S&P.
• OECS CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe OECS Commission, through its GEOBUILD Programme funded by CDB through the Green Climate Fund, IDB, and EU Caribbean Investment Facility, provided technical assistance to the Government of Saint Lucia to develop a Geothermal Energy Development Bill, aiming to reduce Saint Lucia's dependence on imported fossil fuels.
• Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDB partnered with CDEMA and Canada to develop and deliver a free Grant Proposal Development in the Caribbean Context online training course, certified by the University of Wolverhampton. Over 4,200 organizations from 102 countries enrolled in the first two weeks. CDEMA and CDB co-host the e-learning platform for the course.
• Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDB provided a €460,000 grant to the Caribbean Tourism Organization to implement a climate-smart tourism programme increasing the Caribbean tourism sector's resilience to natural hazards and climate-related risks, including policy formulation, best practices promotion, and training for tourism stakeholders.
• CLEAR-LAC (Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results for Latin America and the Caribbean)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDB's Office of Independent Evaluation signed a multi-year agreement with CLEAR-LAC (hosted by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) to strengthen national evaluation capacities and monitoring and evaluation systems across the Caribbean, including M&E system strengthening plans, training courses, and regional evaluation events.
• World Bank GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDB collaborates with the World Bank on renewable energy projects (e.g., Renewable Energy Sector Development Project in Saint Lucia), exposure exchange agreements, and analytical work on development challenges. The World Bank's GEMS team partnered with CDB on joint portfolio mapping exercises.
• CARICOM SecretariatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDB works closely with the CARICOM Secretariat on regional integration, trade facilitation, and economic development initiatives including the EPA and CSME Standby Facility, and participates in CARICOM's development planning frameworks.
• Ormat Technologies Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrmat Technologies Inc., a leading international geothermal developer, is the parent company of the Geothermal Power Company of Dominica (GPC), the private sector partner implementing the 10MW Dominica Geothermal Energy project. CDB acts as lead financial arranger for this first geothermal project in the region with a private sector partner.
• International Trade Centre (ITC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDB partners with ITC on the SheTrades Caribbean Hub, an initiative supporting women-led businesses in the Caribbean through online training courses on standards and sustainability, helping enterprises access international markets.
• Compete Caribbean Partnership FacilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDB collaborates with Compete Caribbean (now Compete Caribbean Partnership) to support private sector development, enterprise growth, and investment promotion across the Caribbean through technical assistance and grant financing to businesses.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Green Climate Fund (GCF): GCF is the world's largest dedicated climate fund and a major funding partner providing concessional capital to CDB projects (e.g., $25.4M for Dominica Geothermal, $65.2M for Bahamas water). Not a direct competitor but a key capital source and ecosystem participant in CDB's deal flow.

Broad incumbents

• European Investment Bank (EIB): EIB is the EU's multilateral lending arm, operating globally with AAA rating. EIB engages in Caribbean infrastructure and climate finance through EU facilities, making it a relevant incumbent peer in the same broad MDB space with similar long-term infrastructure lending instruments.
• Inter-American Development Bank (IDB): IDB is the largest Western Hemisphere multilateral development bank and a direct CDB co-financing partner across the Caribbean. Both institutions provide sovereign lending, climate finance, and technical assistance to overlapping member countries, making IDB the closest incumbent peer in scale and mandate.
• World Bank Group: World Bank is a major MDB operating in the Caribbean on infrastructure, renewable energy (e.g., Saint Lucia Renewable Energy Sector Development Project), and analytical work. As a global MDB it dwarfs CDB in capital base, but overlaps directly on project co-financing and country engagement.
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD): EBRD is a multilateral development bank with AAA rating focused on private-sector development and transition economies. It is comparable to CDB in deploying concessional and commercial capital but skews more toward private-sector and transition finance than sovereign lending.

Direct peers

• African Development Bank (AfDB): AfDB is a regional multilateral development bank with AAA rating serving African member countries. It is a close structural analogue to CDB - serving a defined regional membership with sovereign lending, concessional windows, and climate finance - though operating in a different geography.
• Islamic Development Bank (IsDB): IsDB is a multilateral development bank with AAA rating serving 57 member countries across multiple regions. Comparable in mission structure and concessional/commercial financing mix, though serving a different membership composition with Shariah-compliant instruments.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB): ADB is a regional multilateral development bank with AAA rating serving Asia-Pacific. It is the closest structural peer to CDB in governance, instruments, and concessional windows, operating in a different geography but with near-identical development banking mandate.
• CAF - Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean: CAF is a regional multilateral development bank serving Latin America and the Caribbean, with AA+ S&P rating and active Caribbean programmes. CAF co-hosts CDB's Wider Caribbean Regional Risk Conference and executed US$1.6 billion in exposure exchange agreements with CDB in 2025, making it a close direct peer in mandate and capital structure.
• OPEC Fund for International Development: The OPEC Fund is a multilateral development finance institution that co-finances CDB's projects and co-launched the V2V Compact. It provides concessional development financing to similar sovereign and infrastructure clients, with overlapping geographic and thematic mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Caribank
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/caribbeandevbank
• Facebookfacebook.com/CaribbeanDevelopmentBank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caribank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Caribbean Development Bank