About
Currency risk is one of the biggest and most persistent barriers to renewable energy and climate investment in developing countries. In countries with underdeveloped capital markets, like the majority of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, the only viable option is to finance projects in a foreign currency – such as dollar or euro.
However, a project’s revenues are often in local currency, creating a risk that they will not be enough to pay back foreign debt if the local currency loses value. The long timeframes involved with renewable energy investments mean changes in the value of a currency of 50% or more are not uncommon. This can spell disaster for a project.
An interlinked barrier is interest rate risk. Loans in developing countries are often only available with a floating interesting rate – meaning that debt repayments increase if interest rates rise. Changes in interest rates also affect the value of a currency so these two risks can compound and the uncertainty can discourage investors from pursuing what would otherwise be profitable and important investments.
By enabling companies and investors to lock-in long-term finance in local currencies, the set of tools offered by the Long-Term FX Risk Management instrument can help to make more projects attractive, unlocking new investment in projects that provide clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase climate resilience.
To implement a pilot, USD 250 million is being sought from donor finance sources.
- USD 50 million to partially guarantee a portfolio of local currency loans and cross-currency swaps provided by International Finance Corporation (IFC) to project developers.
- USD 200 million to back a portfolio of cross-currency and interest rate swaps provided by TCX.
This can support USD 1.5 billion of clean investment projects with a potential GHG reductions of 1.7 MtCO2 per year and a cumulative total of 39 MtCO2 over the operational lifetime of the assets.
The TCX investment management company is the implementing partner. TCX recently worked with M-Kopa, a solar electricity systems provider, to connect 500,000 homes in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to solar power. The project adds nearly 500 homes every day. TCX has gained financial support of EUR 30 million from the German Environmental Ministry.
Since the instrument addresses such a major investment barrier, its potential impact post-pilot is large. It can be used in different countries and sectors and could also contribute to financial market development in developing countries, unlocking additional investment.
Facility Design
In a pilot, TCX and International Finance Corporation (IFC) would collaborate to develop a pipeline of projects and enter into joint transactions where appropriate. Their roles are complementary and each would fill specific gaps in the market.
TCX would focus on market risk – TCX has been hedging frontier market currencies since 2008. TCX would enter into a transaction to provide long-term fixed and inflation linked cross currency swaps and interest rate swaps to beneficiaries that are undertaking climate-relevant investment.
IFC would solve another key barrier – credit risk. Swap providers, including TCX, cannot take credit risk, which is present because a currency swap involves a stream of payments over time. They might require high collateral – as much as 25% of the value of the hedge up front. This is where IFC can come in. By accepting the credit risk and using their own AAA credit rating to act as the counterparty, they can make a transaction happen. IFC would be an intermediary offering currency swaps to clients and also providing a local currency loan product that combines a USD loan from IFC with a cross currency swap for clients who do not wish to enter into derivatives transactions.
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News & Events
DFID invests GBP 31 million in 2015 Lab proponent TCX
May 31, 2019The Currency Exchange Fund (TCX), a 2015 Global Lab proponent, is pleased to announce that the UK Department for International Development (DFID) has invested GBP 31 million in TCX. The investment came in form of a subordinated convertible loan maturing in 2045. The new long-term capital will strengthen the capacity of TCX to provide currency […]
2015 Lab instrument TCX featured in the Financial Times
January 10, 20192015 Global Lab instrument Long-Term Currency Exchange Fund (TCX) was featured in a January 8th Financial Times article on development agencies increasingly lending to emerging market companies in their domestic currencies, rather than dollars or euros, in an effort to protect borrowers from often painful currency swings. TCX was featured as an important currency hedging solution that […]
Germany invests EUR 50 million in Lab proponent TCX for long-term FX risk management
December 11, 201811 December 2018 The Currency Exchange Fund (TCX) has announced that the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) has invested EUR 50 million in TCX up to 2045. EUR 20 mln is a new investment and EUR 30 mln is an extension of 20 years of an existing investment into […]
Business Standard: 30-year hedge for Indian companies to insulate from volatile exchange rates
March 29, 20182015 Global Lab proponent TCX is offering groundbreaking new financial products to de-risk green investment in India. Read the full article in Business Standard.
Lab instrument helping to connect 500 African homes to solar each day
March 2, 2017March 2, 2017–The Long-Term FX Risk Management instrument, developed and endorsed by the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance, aims to increase financing for low-carbon projects by providing foreign exchange and interest rate risk management instruments. TCX – the implementing partner of the instrument – recently worked with M-Kopa, a solar electricity systems provider that brings power to low-income homes […]
Germany to provide €30mn to TCX for currency hedging instruments
December 4, 2015PARIS – During the Lima-Paris Action Agenda from COP21, The German Environmental Ministry announced it will provide €30million to the hedging specialist TCX, one of the implementing entities of the Long-Term FX Risk Management Instrument alongside IFC. The Ministry will channel funds through KfW Development Bank. Starting in 2016, TCX will use these funds for innovative and […]
The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance launches four initiatives to drive billions in climate investment
April 22, 2015Initiatives begin fundraising efforts, collectively raise over $100 million in initial funding NEW YORK – As nations work to address climate change, access to finance has emerged as a critical element particularly in developing countries, which are often unable to attract private investment to low-carbon and climate resilient activities. Today, The Global Innovation Lab for Climate […]
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Contact
Harald Hirschhofer
TCX
h.hirschhofer@tcxfund.com