Bharti Enterprises Chairperson Sunil Bharti Mittal Joins World Bank's Private Sector Investment Lab Initiative

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Bharti Enterprises Chairperson, joins World Bank's Private Sector Investment Lab initiative to drive solutions at scale and create jobs in developing economies. The initiative expands membership to include industry leaders with experience generating jobs, aligning with the Bank's focus on job creation. The Lab focuses on regulatory certainty, political risk insurance, foreign exchange risks, junior equity capital, and scaling local currency financing.

The World Bank Group has expanded the membership of its Private Sector Investment Lab initiative, adding prominent industry leaders, including Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairperson of Bharti Enterprises. This latest phase aims to implement proven solutions at scale to generate jobs in developing economies. The initiative focuses on regulatory certainty, political risk insurance, foreign exchange risks, junior equity capital, and scaling local currency financing [1].

The new phase of the Private Sector Investment Lab includes industry leaders with extensive experience in sectors critical to job creation, such as infrastructure and energy, agribusiness, healthcare, tourism, and manufacturing. The World Bank Group President Ajay Banga highlighted that the expanded membership will help mainstream the work across operations and align it directly with the Bank's strategy on job creation [2].

Sunil Mittal, along with other new members like Bill Anderson (Bayer AG), Aliko Dangote (Dangote Group), and Mark Hoplamazian (Hyatt Hotels Corporation), brings valuable insights and expertise to the Lab. These leaders are expected to contribute significantly to overcoming barriers to private sector investment in developing countries and testing actionable solutions [3].

The Lab has consolidated its work into five priority focus areas: regulatory and policy certainty, political risk insurance, foreign exchange risk, junior equity capital, and securitisation. These areas are being integrated across the World Bank Group’s operations to create a stable regulatory framework and enhance investor confidence, ultimately driving economic growth and job creation [2].

The World Bank Group aims to support governments in creating stable regulatory environments to attract long-term capital and streamline guarantee instruments. Additionally, the Bank is working to scale local currency financing to deepen domestic capital markets. The International Finance Corporation, an entity of the World Bank Group, has committed one-third of its long-term financing in local currency and aims to reach 40% by 2030 [3].

Ajay Banga, World Bank Group President, emphasized that the initiative is not about altruism but about helping the private sector see a path to investments that will deliver returns and lift people and economies alike. This is central to the Bank's mandate [2].

Sunil Mittal expressed his hope that the successes of the telecommunications sector, under his leadership, will be valuable as the Lab embarks on the next stage of its important work. He noted the power of connectivity in transforming lives and creating opportunities for businesses and communities [3].

The Private Sector Investment Lab, with its expanded membership and focus areas, is poised to play a significant role in driving economic development and job creation in developing economies.

References:
[1] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/sunil-mittal-among-4-new-members-in-world-banks-private-sector-investment-lab-initiative/articleshow/120571089.cms?from=mdr
[2] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/sunil-mittal-among-4-new-members-in-world-banks-private-sector-investment-lab-initiative/articleshow/120571089.cms
[3] https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/world-bank-group-expands-members-priorities-for-private-sector-investment-lab-2025-04-24