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The opportunity to mobilise capital at greater scale and speed across emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) has rarely been clearer. And around the world, governments, investors and industry are aligned on the need for investment that delivers long-term, sustainable growth. At the same time, persistent barriers, including investors’ lack of familiarity with EMDE investment opportunities, the misperception of risk in the absence of data, and the lack of low-risk, scalable investment products that meet investors’ requirements, continue to hold back capital flows where they are most needed.

That is precisely why we have convened the investor-led EMDE Investor Taskforce: to bring together public and private sector leaders to move beyond diagnosis and towards delivery, in a forum that is grounded in responding to investors’ needs.

This Taskforce sits at the heart of the UK Government’s ambition to work in genuine partnership with investors and EMDEs, supporting a shift from the UK just being a traditional donor to also being a partner and investor. This also complements ongoing work through the London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt, which brings together public and private sector actors to support more sustainable financing for EMDEs.

The work of the Taskforce speaks directly to the UK’s wider priorities on growth, economic security, jobs and the global transition. Providing UK savers and investors with access to high growth global markets and portfolio diversification. Leveraging and strengthening the UK’s financial and professional business services sectors, generating domestic growth, jobs, and tax revenues, and strengthening trade partnerships. And supporting sustainable economic growth in EMDEs, strengthening global supply chains, and helping to tackle climate change, from which we all benefit.

This anniversary progress report reflects the foundational work conducted by the Taskforce in its first year, the extensive outreach and collaboration with key stakeholders across public and private sectors and, most importantly, strong momentum in building a shared understanding of what is required to unlock investment and in identifying practical pathways to get there.

Over the past year, the work of the Taskforce – shaped and led by industry – has helped create a clearer picture of the current landscape: where progress is being made, where barriers persist, and where targeted interventions could have the greatest catalytic effect.

This initial phase strengthened common ground across stakeholders. It built confidence in a collective starting point and created the foundation for coordinated action. As we now move beyond analysis, our focus is firmly on practical solutions: interventions that can be implemented, tested and scaled.

That includes working with pension funds and insurers to increase awareness of investment opportunities; supporting the development of scalable investment products that meet investors’ requirements; accelerating work to improve investors’ access to the data they need to make investment decisions; and working with other key stakeholders including credit rating agencies and regulators on reducing frictions that can otherwise slow up capital flows.

What stands out most from the Taskforce’s first year is the willingness of diverse stakeholders
to work together: to share insights, align around common objectives, and commit time and expertise to a shared mission. This is the kind of partnership that creates durable progress, which must ultimately be measured by the increase in investment into EMDEs.

We are grateful to our co-chair Ninety One, Taskforce industry members, partners and the
secretariat led by IIGCC for their energy, rigour and commitment. We also recognise the wider
community of organisations and practitioners who have engaged with the Taskforce’s work and challenged us to be ambitious and practical in equal measure.

We look forward to the year ahead, with a continued emphasis on implementation, learning-by-doing, working with others in the UK and internationally so that we are collaborating not duplicating, and building the conditions for capital to flow at the scale that sustainable growth demands.