Revamped Privatization Web Site Links Investors to Emerging Markets
Revamped Privatization Web Site Links Investors to Emerging Markets
WASHINGTON, DC, April 5, 2001 —The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a member of the World Bank Group, announced today the relaunch of PrivatizationLink, its free online information service on privatization investment opportunities in emerging markets. The new version features significant content and function upgrades, as well as enhanced design and navigation.
The revamped PrivatizationLink, a finalist in the Financial Times Business Web Site of 1999 competition, now offers country fact sheets detailing privatization programs within individual countries. Another unique new feature is the best practice collection of reports, studies, and articles on trends and leading-edge practices in privatization. To promote interaction among privatization practitioners, users can provide ratings and written feedback on the content presented.
PrivatizationLink’s main feature remains its up-to-date, searchable database on upcoming privatization transactions—along with profiles of state-owned enterprises being divested, packaged along with information about the bidding procedures and environment for foreign investment in that country.
"PrivatizationLink has helped us to reach out more effectively to foreign investors and has contributed to several successful transactions," says Vardan Arakelian, head of Public Relations and Information at the Ministry of State Property Management in Armenia.
Two other additions include a Practitioners’ Corner, designed to support those involved in structuring transactions, and an Investors’ Corner, which users can personalize to monitor the investment and advisory opportunities according to their sector or geographic interests.
"The redesign is the result of an in-depth review that included an online survey of PrivatizationLink users, as well as a focus group of core stakeholders from the privatization community," says Karin Millett, MIGA’s director of Investment Marketing Services. The survey, completed by some 500 corporate investors, investment intermediaries, and government officials involved in privatization, helped identify priorities for content and functional enhancements to the site.
The survey also reconfirmed the site's contribution to facilitating concrete transactions and networking among users. According to Tessie San Martin, managing director of International Practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP: "PwC has been working with PrivatizationLink on the Ukrainian and now the Egyptian privatization programs. PrivatizationLink has been a valuable means to complement our foreign investor outreach and promotion efforts."
PrivatizationLink works with privatization agencies in more than 70 developing countries to provide hundreds of profiles of enterprises being offered for sale to domestic and foreign investors. This content comes bundled with links to relevant resources such as sector and business environment analysis from the Investment Promotion Network, MIGA’s portal site for international corporate investors, privatization news from Northern Light, and overviews of relevant MIGA guarantee activity. The site also furnishes contact information on over 8,000 privatization professionals and potential investors through a searchable online directory.
For information
Stephan Dreyhaupt,
sdreyhaupt@worldbank.org, t. 202-458-2943
Angela Gentile,
agentile@worldbank.org, t. 202-473-3509