DFI Transparency Index Methodology

As part of the DFI Transparency Initiative, Publish What You Fund has developed the DFI Transparency Tool. Based on over two years of research, the DFI Transparency Tool has two functions. First, it is intended to provide granular guidance to development finance institutions (DFIs) about the types of information that a range of stakeholders value and should therefore be disclosed publicly. 1 Second, it forms the basis of future and ongoing assessments of the transparency of a group of leading DFIs. The purpose of this second function is to provide an independent means with which to assess and improve the state of DFI transparency. Publish What You Fund will carry out assessments that will score and rank the transparency of DFIs in a publicly released DFI Transparency Index.

The aims of the DFI Transparency Index are:

• To assess the transparency of the world’s foremost DFIs.
• To encourage DFIs to carry out their functions in a transparent manner.
• To track and encourage progress and facilitate peer learning, while holding DFIs to account.

This methodology is informed by the research that has been conducted as part of the DFI Transparency Initiative. This research has been presented through a series of working papers, blogs, and a research report that accompanied the launch of the DFI Transparency Tool in November 2021. The Publish What You Fund team has been supported by consultations with individual stakeholders from many institutions and organisations and conducted stakeholder consultations on the methodology.