What is SEDF?

The SouthAsia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) is a multi-donor facility managed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group. Launched in 2002, SEDF is based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. SEDF focuses on the needs of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and North East India. The objective of SEDF is poverty alleviation through SME development.





SEDF works with partners in the public and private sectors, in the following programs:

Access to Finance

The Access to Finance (ATF) program of SEDF supports partner financial institutions through a combination of technical assistance and policy related work. It helps local financial institutions make financing more readily available to SMEs. This is mainly done through (i) assistance in training programs for banks and other financial institutions; (ii) technical assistance to partner financial institutions; and (iii) development of new financial products.

Sector Development and Business Services

Sector Development and Business Services component has identified four sub-sectors in view of their current and potential importance to growth and poverty reduction, i.e. Ready Made Garments (RMG), Agribusiness, IT/ software, and Light-Engineering. The SDBS component seeks to contribute to the growth of these sub-sectors by first understanding the sectors' characteristics, issues and needs and thereafter designing sub-sector assistance programs. In doing so, SEDF invests in the capacity of private sector service providers to render services that address the sub-sector specific needs. More specifically, SEDF facilitates the development of local consultants or firms providing business development products and services like company diagnostics, local MIS / ERP packages, quality improvement systems, marketing and export assistance etc.

Business Enabling Environment

The Business Enabling Environment (BEE) program of SEDF assists in creating a macro-conducive environment in which SMEs can grow and prosper. The BEE approach is top-down, where constraints are identified through various studies and specific interventions are undertaken to address them. BEE work centers around promoting trade, enhancing gender development, developing conducive policy and regulatory frameworks, providing information through Knowledge Centers, and advancing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

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