International Finance Corporation (IFC) has launched website www.ifc.org/acalf of its Azerbaijan-Central Asia Leasing Facility (ACALF) Advisory Services Project.

The website gives an opportunity to receive the full information about leasing in the region including snapshot of the leasing market, legislative acts and analysis of the regulatory framework for leasing, information about lessors operating in the region, templates of lease contracts, the Project materials (survey reports, articles, training materials), and the answers to questions from the leasing market stakeholders. The website is bilingual in English and Russian.

IFC launched the ACALF Advisory Services Project in partnership with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The Project currently provides assistance to 12 participating financial institutions engaged in financial leasing in the region. At the industry level, the Project is working to improve the business climate by removing burdensome legal and regulatory obstacles that hinder the viability of leasing. At the institutional level, the Project strives to build capacity and strengthen systems within the individual financial institutions.

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by financing private sector investment, mobilizing capital in the international financial markets, and providing advisory services to businesses and governments. IFC’s vision is that poor people have the opportunity to escape poverty and improve their lives. In FY06, IFC committed US$8.3 billion, including syndications, to 284 investments in 66 developing countries.