Generali invests in the Infrastructure Resilience Development Fund of the IDF, aimed at infrastructure projects in emerging and developing countries

Milan – Generali alongside other international insurance groups and the International Finance Corporation announce that they have committed a total of $340 million of initial capital to the first close of the Infrastructure Resilience Development Fund (IRDF).

The initiative – promoted by the Insurance Development Forum (IDF), a public-private partnership led by the insurance industry and supported by international organisations including the United Nations and the World Bank – aims to facilitate insurance industry investments in infrastructure that strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities in emerging countries to risks related to climate change and other natural disasters. The fund is a catalyst to stimulate greater mobilisation and stronger investment by the insurance sector in the development of small and medium-sized commercial infrastructure projects in emerging markets.

Francesco Martorana, Group CIO of Generali commented: "The investment in the Infrastructure Resilience Development Fund confirms our commitment to supporting the communities most vulnerable to climate change, natural disasters and related economic shocks, fostering greater resilience and protection, and being an active part of public-private partnerships for the development of modern and sustainable infrastructure".

The debt fund has authorised its first investment and has a pipeline of other potential projects: it will invest in small and medium-sized commercial infrastructure projects in emerging and developing countries. The strategy will focus on infrastructure, greenfield and brownfield, in sectors such as: renewable energy, water management, waste, transport, social infrastructure (e.g. hospitals, education, public housing), digital infrastructure and telecommunications.

The fund allows investors to participate in a mixed portfolio of senior and mezzanine debt, and aims to offer exposure to attractive risk-adjusted returns and predictable cash flows, along with positive and measurable social and environmental outcomes. The collection will continue until 2026, with a focus on insurance companies and other institutional investors.

The launch of the fund was announced in July 2024, with the creation of the IDF's Blueprint for Infrastructure Resilience Development. In the months that followed, the IDF collaborated with Global Infrastructure Partners – the asset manager selected for the initiative and part of the BlackRock group – to implement the Blueprint, establishing the Infrastructure Resilience Development Fund.