Thousands of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and millions of farmers across Asia and the Pacific will be benefited from the first phase of Covid-19 crisis response funding from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. As the pandemic continues to send shockwaves through the global economy, IFC supported 13 companies in the region with $554 million in Covid-19 related funding in the fiscal year ending June 30 this year, said a press release. IFC deployed $492 million in Covid-19 related trade finance lines in the region. This has helped financial institutions provide liquidity to businesses dependent on trade, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs). About 17,500 MSMEs and corporates in the region are also expected to be among the beneficiaries of IFC’s $2 billion Working Capital Solutions (WCS) programme in FY 2020.