World Bank

India's water management a model for developing nations: World Bank

India's water management initiatives have emerged as a model for developing countries, a senior World Bank official said, while lauding the country's efforts to improve access to drinking water, restore rivers, and strengthen dam safety. Global Director for Water at the World Bank Group Saroj Kumar Jha described India's progress as a "remarkable success story", saying developing nations were looking at its experience for solutions to their water challenges. "For the World Bank Group, India is a remarkable success story. It's the water journey that every single developing country is looking at," Jha said in response to a PTI question during a virtual press briefing on Friday ahead of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference. The conference, co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal, will be held in Abu Dhabi from December 8 to 10, bringing together world leaders, policymakers and other stakeholders to strengthen international cooperation on water security and sanitation. Jha

FM cites World Bank poverty gains, says govt committed to inclusive growth

Citing World Bank data, Sitharaman said 496 million people moved above the $4.20-a-day poverty line between 2011-12 and 2023-24, reaffirming the government's focus on inclusive growth.

FM Sitharaman seeks global framework to address the fallout of sanctions

FM calls for multilateral rules as economic penalties have consequences beyond their intended targets

Best of Opinion: Trade-offs should be made visible, not wished away

Today's editorials and columns examine the trade-offs shaping India's economic policies, from China trade and poverty reduction to rupee management and the hidden costs of clean energy

World Bank Group mobilises $36 bn in India in 4 yrs, $9.6 bn for MSMEs

The World Bank Group has helped mobilise USD 36 billion in private capital for development in India over the past four years, including USD 9.6 billion for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), as it steps up efforts to spur private sector-led growth and job creation. Private capital mobilisation by the Group rose nearly five-fold to USD 14.5 billion in fiscal 2026 from about USD 3 billion in fiscal 2022, Manuel Reyes-Retana, IFC's division director for South Asia, said. The increase reflects growing investor interest in development-linked investments, with guarantees from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) helping reduce investment risks and attract private funding, he said. Institutional investors are increasingly drawn to such instruments because they are familiar with the World Bank Group's underwriting standards and governance practices, Reyes-Retana said. "We are seeing a positive response from private ..

India's poverty rate seen falling by 2.1% to 12.1% by 2028: World Bank

Poverty reduction to slow despite gains in jobs, consumption, and social transfers

West Asia war, debt woes top agenda of IMF-World Bank meetings in Bangkok

Finance officials gather amid an energy supply shock, rising rates and mounting debt, as World Bank chief Ajay Banga warns of compounding diesel, fertiliser and El Niño risks

Energy shock puts South Asia on inflation path: World Bank economist

"Inflation has gone up by about 3 percentage points in South Asia" since the conflict, Ohnsorge said

India among top 10 emerging markets in AI readiness: World Bank

India is among the top 10 leading emerging-market performers in artificial intelligence (AI) readiness and is well positioned to harness the technology, helped by its large technical workforce, globally integrated IT sector and digital public infrastructure, the World Bank said on Tuesday. In its latest report titled 'India and Artificial Intelligence: Seizing the Development Opportunity', the World Bank said private investment in AI in India more than tripled to USD 4.1 billion in 2025 from USD 1.2 billion in 2024. At the same time, the number of professionals employed by Global Capability Centres (GCCs) rose to 2.36 million in 2025 from 1.9 million a year ago, it said. The report, however, noted that the long-term economic and labour market impact of AI remains uncertain. It called for cross-cutting policy measures to deepen AI-enabling infrastructure, improve the business environment, broaden access to AI and enhance labour capacity so that the benefits of the technology are wid

World Bank raises India growth forecast to 7.1% for FY27 on strong demand

The region's governments have responded more aggressively than peers elsewhere as the US-Iran war drove global prices up, and they've relied more heavily on subsidies

MPC may reverse last rate cut, no big hike cycle seen: Neelkanth Mishra

If we can sustain our growth rates, I think the inflow of risk capital is also likely to persist, says Neelkanth Mishra, India's executive director at the World Bank

Michael Kremer named World Bank chief economist, to take charge on Oct 1

Kremer was awarded the 2019 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences jointly with Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty

World Bank's Mishra pushes back on doubts over strength of India's growth

World Bank Executive Director Neelkanth Mishra said high-frequency indicators such as vehicle sales, cement volumes and credit demand point to strong economic momentum despite doubts over GDP data

Sitharaman meets World Bank chief Ajay Banga, discuss deepening cooperation

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has met World Bank President Ajay Banga and discussed further strengthening the partnership between India and the international finance institution to deepen corporate, infrastructure and municipal bond markets. Sitharaman met Banga on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) Meeting, in Asheville, on Tuesday. The Union Finance Minister appreciated the World Bank Group's continued engagement with India and acknowledged the speedy processing of the Development Policy Financing (DPF) of USD 1.5 billion," a Finance Ministry statement said. It said Sitharaman appreciated the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) support to MSMEs through SIDBI, which was processed in record time and has had a positive impact on the MSME sector. "The two leaders discussed further strengthening the IndiaWorld Bank Group partnership, including exploring a larger role for MIGA (Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency) in India to

Rising heat poses growing risk to India's economy, jobs: World Bank

The World Bank says rising temperatures are reducing labour productivity and straining infrastructure, while stronger adaptation measures could protect growth and create millions of jobs

War could cut global growth to 1.3%: World Bank Chief Economist Gill

The World Bank warned that a prolonged US-Iran conflict could slow global growth to 1.3% in 2026, while fuelling inflation, higher interest rates and debt pressures

CSM Technologies secures World Bank-backed Malawi project worth ₹3.2 crore

The ₹3.2 crore assignment will replace manual auction processes with a secure digital system, supporting transparent procurement and wider digital inclusion in Malawi

World Bank to mobilise $4.2 billion for India's rooftop solar programme

The World Bank will mobilise $4.2 billion in private financing and provide an $890 million package to accelerate rooftop solar adoption under the PM Surya Ghar scheme

World Bank Group commits $890 mn to promote solar rooftop project in India

The World Bank Group has committed USD 890 million funding support to accelerate India's national programme for solar rooftops to bring clean energy to millions of homes and create 1.7 million job opportunities across the renewable energy manufacturing, installation, and services value chain. The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors have approved the project, the multilateral funding agency said in a statement on Friday. The financing package for the programme includes an USD 820 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), a USD 60 million concessional loan from the Clean Technology Fund, and a USD 10 million grant from IBRD's Livable Planet Fund, it said. In addition, the World Bank will mobilise USD 4.2 billion in private financing in the form of commercial loans enabling them to install solar rooftops for households, it said. India has committed to achieving net zero by 2070 and increasing non-fossil-fuel-based energy resources to 60

Why Sri Lanka is now an upper-middle-income country while India isn't

Sri Lanka has re-entered the World Bank's upper-middle-income group while India remains lower-middle income because the rankings are based on per capita income, not the size of the economy