US DFC Expands Tech Investments

What happened

The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) expanded its financing capacity from $60 billion to $205 billion, enabling operations in more countries and tripling investments in AI data centres, critical minerals, and energy projects across Latin America, Canada, and Australia. This shift includes adopting a more flexible capital strategy, incorporating mezzanine, structured equity, and common equity investments beyond traditional project finance, and aims to mobilise private capital for 'Nuclear-AI Hubs' and mid-stream critical mineral processing.

Why it matters

The DFC's expanded financing capacity and shift to more flexible capital, including equity investments, introduces a significant oversight burden for risk management and compliance teams. This strategy, coupled with increased exposure to AI data centres and critical mineral projects in new geographies, raises due diligence requirements for procurement and legal departments regarding project viability, geopolitical stability, and supply chain integrity. The move towards integrating energy and digital infrastructure, such as 'Nuclear-AI Hubs', further complicates operational risk assessments, creating a control gap in managing novel technological and environmental dependencies.