News

OeEB, among 15 EDFIs, commits to phasing out fossil fuels and mobilising private sector climate finance, aligning with Paris Agreement and high disclosure standards.

Creating access to clean energy which enables economic development and protects our climate is a central focus of OeEB. As Austria's largest provider of international climate finance, OeEB is once again partner of the Austrian World Summit, which will take place on September 17, 2020 in Vienna.

In its 2019-2023 strategy, OeEB has set itself ambitious goals. The first half of 2020 shows that OeEB is well on track to achieve them.

The current Development Report shows how OeEB contributes to sustainable development. In order to measure this impact, OeEB has been using a new instrument since 2019: the Development Effectiveness Rating (DERa), developed by KfW DEG.

The second project financed within the “African-Austrian SME Investment Facility” (AAIF) is a business park in Enugu (Nigeria). Three Austrian SMEs are planning to open branches and will offer vocational training according to Austrian standards.

The fund, which was founded in 2019 as a joint project between OeEB and Bank Gutmann, focuses on small and medium-sized businesses and aims to improve financial inclusion for underserved people in developing and emerging countries.

Africa faces a massive recession due to the Covid-19 pandemic; around 20 million jobs may be lost. International experts are therefore calling on European governments to act. European development finance institutions are in the position to act swiftly in support of the private sector in vulnerable countries.

In May 2015, OeEB invested USD 5.9 million in the DWM Inclusive Finance Equity Fund II. A mid-term evaluation now confirms that the development goals have largely been achieved, but also offers important lessons for future fund investments.

In April 2019, OeEB was among the 60 founding signatories of the "Operating Principles for Impact Management". In its Disclosure Statement and Verification Report, OeEB confirms that its impact management systems as well as all assets under management align with these Principles.

In Cameroon, the Austrian AMABO GmbH uses plastic waste and sand to produce an urgently needed building material: roof tiles. The company receives support in the expansion of its production facility from the African-Austrian SME Investment Facility (AAIF).

OeEB stays fully operational in times of COVID-19 crisis

With EUR 322 million in new loans and equity participations, OeEB reports a new business record for the business year 2019. Around half of the newly signed project volume contributes to climate finance.

The financial gap between women and men remains drastic: around 980 million women worldwide do not own a bank account. Paid work is still unevenly distributed: only 47% of all women have a job compared to 74% of all men.

One billion people worldwide have no access to energy. The "SIMA Off-grid Solar and Financial Access Senior Debt Fund" aims to reduce this number by investing in off-grid solar solutions targeting rural populations with no connectivity to grid electricity – with support from OeEB.

OeEB is committed to contributing to gender equality and to the empowerment of all women and girls. This is why we have anchored promoting gender equality in our strategy and are proud to present our first Gender Action Plan.