International Finance and Capital Markets

The unifying focus of our work is supporting prosperity by promoting economic growth and opportunity in Commonwealth countries. Within this there are two broad pillars to our work: promoting access to finance at all levels of society and developing and advocating policy for member countries in the international system.

We undertake work in member countries to promote financial literacy, especially amongst the young. This includes the design and conduct of training and the development of educational material.

We also identify activities aimed at overcoming barriers to investment in areas neglected by the international community. This has led to a particular focus on the needs of small and medium sized enterprises and – at the national level - addressing the challenges faced by especially the smallest countries in attracting investment. This has been supported through the Commonwealth Private Investment Initiative which has led to a total of $800m being invested in Commonwealth countries.

There are three broad areas to our work on international policy. The first is support to the member countries in particular areas of international policy, for example, in the design and implementation of international anti money laundering and countering terrorist financing regulations or discussions of international tax practices. The second area is assistance for members in engaging in international forums – examples of this are the workshops undertaken in the areas of the ways to deliver aid in developing countries. The final area is that of advocacy for changing policy in the international system.