World Bank

What World Bank does

The World Bank is a multilateral development institution founded in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference and headquartered in Washington, D.C., owned by 189 member country governments. Its formal mandate is to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity on a livable planet, operationalized through two twin goals adopted in 2012. The institution is structured as a "platform-plus-entities" architecture comprising five core entities: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, market-rate lending to middle-income countries), the International Development Association (IDA, concessional credits and grants to the poorest countries), the International Finance Corporation (IFC, private sector investment), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA, political risk insurance), and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID, investment arbitration).

The World Bank's operating surface spans financial products (sovereign loans, concessional credits, grants, political risk insurance, private equity), knowledge products (World Development Report, Global Economic Prospects, Data360 platform, publicly accessible APIs), and thematic programmatic initiatives including Mission 300 (energy access in Africa with the African Development Bank), Health Works (healthcare for 1.5B people by 2030), AgriConnect (300M smallholder farmers), and Water Forward (water security for 1B+ people). Its technology stack centers on a country-level development data backbone accumulated over 80 years, supplemented by data analytics capabilities that inform project design, policy advice, and research outputs.

The revenue model is non-commercial: IBRD earns interest income on loans priced at market-based variable rates plus a spread; IDA earns negligible interest on concessional credits and is funded by member replenishments; fees for services cover advisory and program management; and investment returns accrue on the asset portfolio. The institution borrows on international capital markets at near-sovereign rates, leveraging each $1 of shareholder capital into roughly $10 of development finance over a 10-year horizon. Distribution is direct — sovereign lending through formal board-approved processes with government counterparties and multilateral partners — rather than through commercial sales channels. Since 1946, the World Bank has invested more than $1.2 trillion in developing countries across 100+ member states and 1,600+ active projects.

Name

World Bank

Legal name

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank Group)

Website

https://worldbank.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The World Bank is a multilateral development institution owned by 189 member countries that provides loans, concessional credits, grants, political risk insurance, and policy advice to developing economies to reduce poverty and promote shared prosperity, headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multilateral Development Finance

NAICS

Monetary Authorities-Central Bank (52111), Monetary Authorities-Central Bank (521110)

SIC

Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

National Development Banks & State Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) (BPADACAC)

Keywords

• Development finance
• Sovereign lending
• Concessional financing
• Policy advisory
• Multilateral development

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Interest Income on Loans: The World Bank earns interest income on its loans to member countries. IBRD loans are priced at market rates, while IDA loans are offered at concessional rates (grants and low-interest loans) to the poorest countries.
2. Fees for Services: The World Bank generates revenue through various fees for services including technical assistance, advisory services, and program management fees.
3. Investment Returns: As a multilateral development bank with callable capital from member countries, the World Bank generates investment returns on its asset portfolio.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The World Bank is a multilateral development institution providing financial products (loans, credits, grants, political risk insurance) and policy/technical advisory services to developing member countries. It operates through five core entities — IBRD, IDA, IFC, MIGA, and ICSID — collectively channeling development finance, private-sector investment, and knowledge products to reduce poverty and promote shared prosperity.

Product overview

The World Bank is a financial institution organized as a platform-plus-entities architecture consisting of five core entities: IBRD, IDA, IFC, MIGA, and ICSID. These entities collectively provide loans, credits, grants, political risk insurance, and dispute resolution services to developing countries. In addition to core financial products, the institution operates programmatic initiatives including Mission 300 for energy access, Health Works for healthcare systems, AgriConnect for agricultural development, and Water Forward for water resource management. Supporting services include the World Bank Group Academy for capacity development and the World Bank Group Scorecard for impact measurement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mission 300: Joint initiative with African Development Bank to connect 300 million people in Africa to electricity by 2030
• Health Works
• AgriConnect
• Water Forward
• World Bank Group Academy
• World Bank Group Scorecard

Products and services

• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
• International Development Association (IDA)
• International Finance Corporation (IFC)
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• African Development BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The World Bank and African Development Bank collaborate on the joint Mission 300 initiative aimed at accelerating energy access across Africa. This partnership represents a flagship effort to mobilize resources and expertise for sustainable energy infrastructure in the region.
• United Nations AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe World Bank works with various UN agencies including UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, and UNFCCC on shared development objectives including the Sustainable Development Goals, climate action, health, and poverty reduction.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• European Investment Bank (EIB): EU's multilateral lending institution and one of the world's largest borrowers/ lenders. Comparable as a supranational AAA-rated credit institution providing long-term financing for development objectives across member-state and partner-country geographies.
• African Development Bank (AfDB): Africa-focused multilateral development bank and current World Bank co-partner on Mission 300. Directly comparable in sovereign lending, concessional windows (ADF), and country-level development operations across overlapping African client countries.
• New Development Bank (NDB / BRICS Bank): BRICS-led multilateral development bank headquartered in Shanghai. Directly comparable as a sovereign-funded MDB with bond-issuance funding model and infrastructure/infrastructure lending focus in emerging markets.
• International Monetary Fund (IMF): Sister Bretton Woods institution providing balance-of-payments support, surveillance, and capacity development to member countries. Closest peer to World Bank given shared multilateral mandate, sovereign lending focus, and global membership structure.
• Islamic Development Bank (IsDB): Multilateral development bank serving 57 member Islamic countries across multiple regions. Comparable in concessional and ordinary capital windows, project financing for member countries, and combined sovereign/private-sector operations.
• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB): China-led MDB established in 2016 to finance infrastructure in Asia and beyond. Directly comparable as a multilateral development bank with bond-funded lending model, AAA rating, and overlapping client base with World Bank.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB): Regional multilateral development bank serving Asia-Pacific with ordinary capital resources (OCR) and concessional Asian Development Fund. Directly comparable in mandate, lending instruments, and sovereign client base to IBRD/IDA.
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD): Multilateral development bank focused on transition economies in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Southern/Eastern Mediterranean. Comparable mandate combining sovereign lending, private-sector investment (like IFC), and policy reform conditionality.
• Inter-American Development Bank (IDB): Regional MDB serving Latin America and the Caribbean with sovereign and non-sovereign lending windows. Comparable to World Bank Group as a multi-window institution with IBRD-equivalent ordinary capital and concessional Fund for Special Operations.

Broad incumbents

• KfW Development Bank: German bilateral development bank administering federal development finance on behalf of BMZ. Comparable in concessional lending, climate finance, and advisory services but narrower geographic mandate as a national rather than multilateral institution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/worldbankgroup
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/WorldBank
• Facebookfacebook.com/worldbankgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-world-bank
• Instagraminstagram.com/worldbank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about World Bank