A non-profit organisation dedicated to integrating the development finance system into global capital markets.

Through applied research, field work and advocacy the Centre for Development Finance Studies identifies and disseminates practical solutions for further integrating the development finance system of institutions into global capital markets.

The CDFS is supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, and the Gates Foundation.

About us

The Centre for Development Finance Studies is a non-profit organisation dedicated to applied research, field work and advocacy in the field of development finance.

The CDFS works to shape a future where the development finance system harnesses the reach and scale of the global capital markets to dramatically increase the participation of private capital for the 2030 Global Goals.

The CDFS Method

The CDFS acts as a knowledge resource for decision makers, leveraging the best available capital markets expertise to identify and disseminate practical solutions for unlocking the full potential of development finance.

The CDFS systematically applies a three-stage approach to generate accelerated development through capital markets:

Bringing change to any system requires a sustained and resilient effort.
There is no solution without adoption.
CDFS workstreams thus far:
Latest Publication

The Case for Actively Embracing Passive Mobilisation

Proposing an additional “top-down” approach that leverages existing instruments utilised by institutional investors and exploring their potential to close the funding gap for sustainable development. By introducing securities aligned with sustainable development objectives into the mainstream indices that ETFs and other passive funds are benchmarked against, capital mobilisation can be achieved without resorting to complex structures unfamiliar to most investors.