UNCDF is active across the Asia-Pacific region, from fragile settings in Afghanistan and Myanmar to Small Island Developing States across the Pacific, we combine blended finance structures with advisory support and partnership-based delivery.  

Our work targets the 'missing middle,’ micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and financial intermediaries often overlooked by traditional established institutions. This investment portfolio reflects our core mandate to deploy catalytic, risk-absorbing capital in markets where access to finance remains constrained. 

Our interventions are aimed at women and young entrepreneurs; and at the subnational level, including local governments and cities at the frontline of delivering local infrastructure and services that underpin resilient and inclusive economic growth. 

These initiatives are designed to demonstrate viability, with the aim of enabling follow-on financing from domestic and international actors, contributing to lasting systemic change.  The deployment of capital is paired with technical support to strengthen institutions, improve investment readiness, and address system-level constraints. 

We work with and implement programmes jointly with UN entities and development partners, ensuring alignment with broader programmes and national priorities.  Guarantees and blended finance structures are central to enabling financial institutions to expand into higher-risk segments where commercial lending has not yet reached. 

Together with governments and private partners, UNCDF is committed to building a resilient, inclusive, and digitally empowered future for the most disadvantaged communities and Least Developed Countries, across Asia and the Pacific.

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