Data disclosure
As a development institution focused on learning and improvement, we understand the importance of operating transparently. Transparency is a key enabler for achieving our development mission. Tackling the biggest global development challenges requires us to working effectively in partnership, sharing our experiences and being responsive to the communities we work with in Africa and South Asia.
We are a proud part of the UK’s development contribution – working in long-term partnership with the private sector in developing countries to help support more productive, sustainable and inclusive growth. Alongside investing capital from successful investments, we are eligible to receive Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. We are, therefore, committed to supporting the UK Government’s transparency aims in communicating development spend.
We also recognise as a publicly-owned body that the information we publish about our investments, our operations and our governance holds us accountable to a range of stakeholders, including Parliament and the public. By providing accurate and timely information, we can help inform public debate about our effectiveness.
Our approach to transparency
Our approach to transparency is set out in our Transparency and Disclosure Policy. In addition, since adopting this policy in 2017, we have grown our external reporting. This includes committing to a broad range of voluntary disclosures, including reporting under the Operating Principles for Impact Management (OPIM), the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), whilst also being subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and the UK GDPR and other relevant data protection laws.
Further information on our obligations under Freedom of Information and data privacy legislation can be found on this page.
Our Transparency Roadmap sets out the steps we will take to become more transparent. This follows the ambitions set out in the UK Government’s International Development White Paper for BII to aim to become the most transparent bilateral development finance institution.
Our investment database
In accordance with our Transparency and Disclosure Policy, we publish information relating to our individual investments on the BII investment database.
What’s in scope
Our investment database includes information on our active investments in, and exits from, companies or funds financed by us from 2012 onwards.
Regularity of updates
Information is added to the database on a quarterly basis, covering the period up to the end of the previous quarter.
We publish the Impact Scores (as defined below) of new investments annually, once the information has been externally assured by an independent third party.
Search tool
Our investments are searchable by country and region, by year, and by company/fund name.
Our investment map is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of BII, concerning the legal status of any country or territory or concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries.
Data definitions
Date of disclosure: When the investment was first published on the website database.
Last updated: When the last quarterly update of the website database occurred.
Project number: An identifier number shared by investments in the same project.
Status: The current status of the investment (green flag for active and red flag for exited).
Region: The geographical region where the country is located. We currently invest in Africa, South Asia, South East Asia and the Caribbean. In 2023, BII’s investment mandate was extended allowing it to invest in regional funds linked to Ukraine, with the majority of activity expected to begin post-war. Investments outside these regions were made prior to 2012 under previous investment mandates.
Country: The countries from which we derive the value of our investment. Where value is derived from multiple countries, this is indicated.
Sector: We prioritise those sectors that facilitate development and need our capital the most. Our priority sectors contribute towards many of the Sustainable Development Goals. They range from investing in the power infrastructure that will provide people with better access to electricity, to investing in financial institutions that direct capital to the individuals and businesses that need it the most.
Investment type: We provide capital in the following ways: directly – through direct equity, direct debt, guarantees and other non-intermediated financial instruments; and indirectly – principally through investment funds.
Start date: For direct investments and fund investments, this is the date BII committed capital to the investments. This is typically the date on which legal agreements are signed by all parties.
For the portfolio companies of our fund investments, this is the date (either the month or the quarter) on which the fund committed capital to the portfolio company.
Amount: The total amount committed, per financial instrument, per investment, on the date BII becomes subject to a binding legal obligation to provide funding or assume a contingent liability. This information is provided in US dollars.
For direct investments, this is the amount that BII has committed to the business or project. For fund investments, this is the amount BII has committed to the fund.
On rare occasions commitments to companies or projects are cancelled post publication. These companies or projects remain on our website database, with an accompanying explanation that these are cancelled commitments.
Our goal is to make raw data publicly available in open data format as soon as it is approved for public release. For audited data, please refer to BII’s Annual Accounts and Annual Review.
Currency of investment: The currency in which the investment was made.
Domicile: The company or investment fund’s place of incorporation.
Gender finance: Indicates whether the investment is ‘2X qualified’ using the 2X Challenge criteria. You can find out more here. It only applies to investments made from 2018 onwards, when the 2X Challenge was first launched.
Climate finance: Indicates whether the investment is climate finance qualified or partially climate finance qualified and the type of climate finance (adaptation, mitigation or both). We define climate finance using the multilateral development bank (MDB) and the International Development Finance Club (IDFC) Common Principles climate finance methodology. See Common Principles for Climate Mitigation Finance Tracking and Common Principles for Climate Change Adaptation Finance Tracking. We provide the climate finance qualification and type for commitments from 2020 onwards, which is when we launched our Climate Change Strategy.
Our investment: Description of the investment.
Expected impact: Expected impact of investments made between 2012 and 2018. From 2019 onwards, we have published a fuller set of impact information, assessing each investment against six dimensions of impact.
Grid Score: To help us direct our investments, we previously used a tool called the Development Impact Grid. It scored investments out of four, based on two factors: the difficulty of investing in a country and the propensity of the sector to generate employment. This tool was used for investments until the end of 2021. Since 2022 it has been replaced by the Impact Score.
Impact information: Applies to investments made from 2019 onwards. The tabs in this section define what we expect to achieve through the investment, assessing the potential impact of the investment against six dimensions of impact. You can find more details on our methodology of assessing impact here.
Impact Score: The Impact Score is a tool to help us manage our performance against our strategic impact objectives. It is designed to incentivise investments that support our productive, sustainable, and inclusive objectives. You can find out more here.
The Impact Score is published for investments made from 2022 onwards. The Impact Scores are calculated at the point of investment. We publish the Impact Scores of new investments annually, once the information has been externally assured by an independent third party.
Impact achieved: Summary of impact results for exited investments.
Environmental and social summary: A high-level description of the environmental and social aspects of the investment. This may include a summary of key environmental and social risks identified during environmental and social due diligence (ESDD); key elements of an environmental and social action plan (ESAP); or ways in which we plan to support the investee improve environmental and social standards, such as through their environmental and social management system (ESMS); as well as any other priority areas agreed with the investee.
Environmental and social risk: A risk category rating, which indicates the level of environmental and social risk associated with an investment. For an explanation of the categorisations used, see here. We consistently provide an environmental and social risk category for all investments screened from 2023 onwards.
ESAP: Environmental and Social Action Plan
ESMS: Environmental and Social Management System
ESDD: Environmental and Social Due Diligence
ESG: Environmental and Social Governance
E&S: Environmental and Social
Data disclaimer
While we have used our reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy of the data used in this website, data may not always be audited and should be read as indicative of magnitude rather than exact figures. We have avoided extrapolations, which would show estimated data for British International Investment’s entire portfolio, in order to keep quoted figures as close as possible to the information we have received from our investment partners.
Data is provided to British International Investment by its investment partners, including fund managers that have invested our capital (and the capital of others), and has not been audited or independently verified by British International Investment or any other third party.
Data reporting is expanding in scope and completeness across British International Investment’s portfolio, but prior to 2012, an obligation to provide data relating to employment and taxes was not always a legal requirement and therefore the completeness of reporting can vary. As British International Investment’s legacy portfolio of pre-2012 investments decreases, we expect the quantity of data received from our investment partners to improve.
We are occasionally unable to disclose information for legal, regulatory or other reasons. We anticipate that these exceptions will be rare.
We are improving our information systems during 2023. Until the end of 2023, the quality of our data may vary and there may be some data gaps.
Additional information about our investments
Find out more about our key data at a portfolio level.
See our International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) data.
Learn more about the range of capital products we invest in.
Find out more about how our investments are financed and our investment portfolios.
Read more about our impact management and assessment approach and our impact specialisms.
Learn more about our approach to learning and evaluations.
Find out how to report an alleged breach of our Policy on Responsible Investing.
