As the newly appointed IFC country manager, Katia Daude Gonçalves will help financial institutions and Singapore-based businesses raise capital while also building IFC’s presence and portfolios in Malaysia and Brunei.
THE International Finance Corporation (IFC), the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets and a member of the World Bank Group (WBG), has appointed Katia Daude Gonçalves as country manager for Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.
In an IFC statement released on Nov 14, Gonçalves will work closely with regional investment and advisory teams to help drive cross-border investments and capital mobilisation between Singapore-based companies and financial institutions in emerging markets and developing economies around the world.
She will also play a critical role in building IFC’s nascent presence and portfolios in Malaysia and Brunei, developing new and impactful investment and advisory opportunities in both countries.
“Singapore is a critical hub and business partner for IFC, and we have big ambitions to grow our partnerships and portfolios in Malaysia, where we recently established a presence, and Brunei, which we recently welcomed as a member of IFC,” said Gonçalves.
“A clear similarity that all three share is the strength and potential of their private sectors to help address key development challenges both at home and in emerging and developing markets abroad. We look forward to working together to address issues from poverty to climate change, ultimately for the benefit of people and planet.”
Meanwhile, IFC East Asia and the Pacific regional director Kim-See Lim said: “The Singapore ecosystem has been a vital enabler of IFC’s investment programme in Asia, the Pacific and around the world. We are excited to see what the future holds for our work in Malaysia and Brunei, which we see as vital partners in our mission to alleviate poverty and promote shared prosperity.
“Gonçalves’ appointment is an equally exciting step in our next chapter in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, as our work becomes even more critical in empowering the private sector to help us address the challenges of the hour.”
A Mozambican national, Gonçalves joined the IFC in 2009 and most recently served as IFC’s Resident Representative for Mozambique.
She began her career at Banco Internacional de Mozambique Investimento, the country’s first fully fledged investment bank.
WBG opened its Singapore office in 1999. An agreement was struck in 2011 to expand the partnership, and representatives from IFC and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) joined the office to strengthen its engagement with the private sector.
It is now WBG’s globally largest office and co-locates the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), IFC and MIGA.
IFC committed a record US$1.2bil in the last fiscal year across 18 projects with Singapore-linked clients and partners looking to grow their presence in emerging and developing economies. Projects in FY23 include work with CapitaLand Ascott Trust, Agrocorp International, Entobel, Enterprise Singapore, Standard Chartered and YCH Group.
Since 2011, IFC has committed more than US$7.5bil across over 150 deals to support Singapore-linked clients in their expansion plans in emerging and developing markets around the world.
IFC recently established a presence in Malaysia to support the country’s efforts to foster greater sustainable, resilient and inclusive economic growth. Last year it outlined strategic priorities in Malaysia that focuses on enhancing productivity through innovation and digitalisation, facilitating an inclusive and resilient recovery, and accelerating the country’s response to climate- and nature-related risks. It has since built a pipeline of potential investments in the country that align with its strategic priorities.
Brunei officially joined IFC in 2021. Since gaining its independence in 1984, the kingdom has joined various regional and international organisations, including IBRD, the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) and the United Nations.
