Jordan Daily - The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved a US$700 million loan to assist Jordan in turning economic stability into stronger private investment and more and better jobs. The Jordan Growth and Competitiveness Development Policy Financing II will support the Government of Jordan’s efforts to unlock private investment, expand access to finance, create more jobs and accelerate the country's green and digital transition.
Jordan has maintained macroeconomic stability despite a challenging regional environment, recording real GDP growth of 2.8 percent in 2025 and receiving in 2024 its first sovereign credit rating upgrade in over two decades, sustained again in 2025. The opportunity now is to convert this economic stability into investment and jobs, accelerate growth and expand economic opportunities for all Jordanians.
“Jordan has navigated a difficult regional environment with discipline and determination, preserving macroeconomic stability and sustaining reform momentum," said Jean-Christophe Carret, World Bank Division Director for the Middle East Department. "This program will support ongoing efforts that will help turn stability into stronger private sector growth by making it easier and less costly to do business, expanding access to finance—including for women entrepreneurs—and advancing digital, green, and energy-sector reforms. Together, these measures can help unlock investment and create the conditions for more and better jobs for Jordanians.”
The Jordan Growth and Competitiveness Development Policy Financing II supports two mutually reinforcing reform objectives under the Government’s Economic Modernization Vision. First, it aims to make Jordan a more attractive place to do business by streamlining sectoral licensing; modernizing the legal framework for electronic and cross-border transactions; extending social protection to workers in flexible and part-time arrangements to draw more people into formal employment; and enhance private sector investment in the electricity sector by enabling private transmission, generation, and storage systems.
Second, the program aims to innovate and deepen access to finance for businesses and entrepreneurs. It supports reform efforts to modernize capital markets and introduce new financing tools, including crowdfunding and facilitating cash-flow-based lending, which can be especially important for MSMEs that make up around 99 percent of firms in Jordan.
The reforms also help expand access to business accounts for unbanked micro-entrepreneurs, advance green finance, including by operationalizing Jordan's National Green Taxonomy, to modernize the legal basis for insurance products, and transition towards fully digital outgoing government payments, a shift that can substantially reduce transaction costs, improve efficiency, and support digital inclusion.
With the foundations of macroeconomic stability in place, Jordan's economic reform efforts mark an important step in the country's journey toward a more inclusive economy, driven by private investment and supported by the opportunities of a green and digital future. The World Bank remains committed to supporting this agenda, turning stability into real opportunity for businesses and entrepreneurs.
