	Overview

MDBs are autonomous international financial entities that finance economic and social development projects and programs in developing countries. The MDBs primarily fund these projects and programs using money borrowed from world capital markets or money provided by governments of member countries. Thus, MDBs enable developing countries to access foreign currency resources on more advantageous terms than would be available to them solely on the basis of their own international credit standing. The MDBs provide assistance in the form of loans, equity investments, loan and equity guarantees, and technical assistance. The primary vehicle of development assistance is direct lending. The United States is the largest member in most of the MDBs discussed in this report, contributing significant amounts to support the missions of the MDBs and subscribing a significant amount of the MDBs’ callable capital.The Congress appropriates funds for the United States’ contributions to the MDBs. Multilateral Development Banks: Their Missions, Functions, and Organization

Multilateral Development Banks (MDB) are autonomous international financial entities that finance economic and social development projects and programs and provide technical assistance in developing countries primarily using money borrowed from world capital markets or contributed by governments of developed countries. Table 8 summarizes the U.S. voting percentages at each MDB.
Why GAO Did This Study

This report discusses Multilateral Development Banks (MDB), which provide financial support for projects and programs that promote social and economic progress in developing countries. GAO provides (1) summaries of each bank's mission, function, and operations; (2) key bank financial data covering the last three fiscal years; and (3) information on the U.S. investment in capital and voting percentages in each MDB.

What GAO Found

GAO found that MDBs are autonomous international financial entities that finance economic and social development projects and programs in developing countries. The MDBs primarily fund these projects and programs using money borrowed from world capital markets or money provided by the governments of member countries. MDBs enable developing countries to access foreign currency resources on more advantageous terms than would be available to them on the basis of their own international credit standing. The MDBs provide assistance in the form of loans, equity investments, loan and equity guarantees, and technical assistance. Direct lending is the primary vehicle of development assistance. The United States is the largest member in most of the MDBs discussed in this report, contributing significant amounts to support the missions of the MDBs and subscribing a significant amount to MDBs' callable capital.