The background:
The Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN) is a voluntary community comprising emerging market financial regulators, central banks, associations, and ministries. The network’s primary goal is to promote sustainable finance. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a part of the World Bank Group, acts as the network’s secretariat, supporting members through knowledge sharing and capacity building for national sustainable finance initiatives.
As the SBFN membership grew and information processing increased, the secretariat sought a solution to manage rising operational costs. Our primary goal was to streamline data collection, processing, and presentation from SBFN members. The aim was to boost the organisation’s efficiency and minimise the necessity for additional staff.
The essence of the project:
The original SBFN’s approach to measuring, which involved its members reporting through Excel to the secretariat (IFC project team) and related assessments, became more labour-intensive and resource-intensive over time. Moreover, the rapidly changing sustainable finance landscape made SBFN’s bi-annual reporting less relevant.
To tackle these issues, we audited the processes and identified the user flows crucial to the operation of the SBFN secretariat. Following our findings, we implemented a new solution that streamlined and automated the processes for data collection and analytical outputs, such as the SBFN’s Global Progress Report.
Our solution comprised:
- Applications for Data Management: Tools for collecting, storing, and presenting data efficiently.
- Automated Reporting Features: Members gained access to processed data on demand, enhancing transparency and utility.
- A High-Capacity Online Repository: Secure storage for documents provided by SBFN members.
- Physical Report Design: Our graphic design team developed the layout and design for two key publications — the Global Progress Brief and the Measurement Framework & Methodology — delivering visually engaging and professional printed materials.
After rigorous testing and feedback collection, the solution was further optimized to ensure scalability, security, and compliance with industry standards.
Services provided:
- Research and Process Audit: Conducted stakeholder interviews and reviewed documentation to define user flows for five employee roles.
- Data Analysis and Visualisation: Created interactive Power BI dashboards and advanced visualizations.
- Wireframes and Prototypes: Designed clickable prototypes and high-fidelity interfaces for applications.
- System Design and Documentation: Delivered architecture plans and comprehensive documentation adhering to World Bank standards.
- Drupal Development: Developed a secure, feature-rich platform for data and content management.
- Database Optimization: Performed deep tuning to improve data processing efficiency.
- Backend Services: Built robust backend systems and scripts to handle automation.
- Security Compliance: Passed stringent security audits and checks aligned with industry and World Bank standards.
- Graphic Design for Physical Reports: Designed the layout and visuals for the Global Progress Brief and Measurement Framework & Methodology, ensuring high-quality printed materials.
Result:
Our solution has been developed and improved to automatically support 96 SBFN member organisations from 72 countries worldwide (as of 28/08/2024). It only requires three secretariat employees for regular operation and corresponding cyclic configurations.
