An overview of the role of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), their mandate to support private sector companies and how the project investment cycle works. The course will include an introduction to some of the basic financial and non-financial approaches used by MDBs to evaluate projects and to make decisions.

• The financial approaches will cover some standard aspects of project and transaction analysis, appraisal and execution, and will include due diligence (commercial, financial, legal), risk assessment and mitigation, deal structuring and closing;
• The non-financial approaches will cover non-commercial (sometimes called “soft”) aspects of project analysis that are an integral part of the MDB mandate, and will include economic/transition impact, environmental/energy efficiency/social impact and compliance/integrity/governance.

By the end of the course the participants will be more effective in their dealings with MDBs, and better equipped to secure financing from MDBs. The participants will

• be familiar with the MDBs active in Uzbekistan, and how the MDBs’ mandates relate to the financing of the corporate sector – both local and foreign investors.
• have an increased knowledge of the range and types of financing available from MDB’s
• know how the MDB project cycle works.
• have gained an understanding of some of the important financial and non-financial approaches used by MDBs in analysing and approving financing proposals.
• understand aspects of an efficient due diligence process.

Background: Mark Webber worked for over 30 years in Emerging/Pioneer Markets as an investment banker and banking team head, with three of the leading international multi-lateral banks – European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and CDC Capital Partners, after having qualified as a Chartered Accountant and studying at Oxford University. Also, he had extensive experience at International Finance Corporation, which is part of the World Bank group, based in Washington DC in the banking team that made investments in the chemicals, pertrochemicals and fertilisers sector globally

During his MDB career, Mark Webber closed multiple transactions, including large syndicated loans (and a Euro-Money “Deal of the Year”) as well as direct loans and equity investments to large, mid-sized and small local corporates - with total financings that ranged in size from more than USD 0.5 billion to less than USD 5 million. These transactions were in a very broad range of business sectors and covered a wide geographical area – Central and Southern Europe, Russia and other FSU countries, Asia and Africa. His work also included pre-IPOs and pre-privatizations (structuring, interactions with state agencies, prospective investors) and non-executive board positions. For the last 12 years, his EBRD responsibilities included investment projects in all Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, as well as The Caucuses, Belarus and Mongolia. He has an extensive deal list of successful projects that have been supported with MDB financing and technical assistance.