💡Rwanda and Georgia’s business readiness, new Enterprise Surveys in Sub-Saharan Africa, and more

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	Norman Loayza Director, Policy Indicators Group (DECIG) World Bank Group

Dear Colleague, Last month at the World Chambers Congress, which gathered 1,000 business leaders from over 100 countries, I spoke in a plenary on the sobering global outlook affecting firms and workers: growth in 2025 is projected at just 2.3 percent. Uncertainty has risen fivefold. Debt burdens are mounting, with the number of highly indebted countries tripling since the financial crisis. Businesses are resilient and ingenious, but they cannot shoulder these challenges alone. Governments must provide policy stability and foster a favorable business environment that enables the private sector to thrive. And no economy can reach its full potential until women can participate equally - entering, staying, and growing in the workforce alongside men. In this edition of the Business Environment Explorer, we share insights on how countries are creating a more favorable business environment, highlighting lessons from Rwanda and Georgia. We also feature a discussion on advancing women’s financial inclusion, with Sierra Leone as a case in point. Additionally, be sure to visit our refreshed website on Regulatory Efficiency, where you can access data and reports on local business climates of several economies. I hope you find these resources valuable in supporting evidence-based policy reforms. Kind regards, Norman

EDITION’S HIGHLIGHTS

Punching Above Their Weight: Insights from Rwanda and Georgia’s Business Readiness Rwanda and Georgia demonstrate that targeted reforms, reflecting national priorities such as investing in digital systems, supporting firm flexibility, or expanding social benefits, can create supportive business environments for their firms and workers. Their progress offers a policy lesson: business readiness can be achieved at any stage of development.

The Regulatory Efficiency website has a new look Here is a platform where you can access actionable data, reports, and briefs on countries’ local business climate and job-generating sectors. It is designed to help you easily navigate knowledge on private sector development and transfer it into policy reforms.

Calling for Papers for the David Dollar Memorial Prize 2026 The Call for Papers for the 2026 David Dollar Memorial Prize has launched! We seek to award high-quality research on private sector development using the World Bank Enterprise Surveys as the primary data source. The submission deadline is January 15, 2026.

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT IN FOCUS

Measuring what matters for business: The new Business Ready data in the World Development Indicators “Among low-income economies across the world, only 29% have a single centralized website dedicated to providing regulatory information pertaining to international trade. In high-income economies, the same number stands at 67%.” This is one of the many results presented in the Business Ready 2024 data, which has been integrated into the World Development Indicators database.

When the heat rises, progress on women’s economic empowerment cools Hotter-than-normal years are associated with slower progress on women’s legal rights in low-income countries. Extreme heat strains government budgets and institutions, often sidelining structural reforms. Policymakers should therefore prioritize women’s legal rights in climate-resilience plans and protect them with disaster-response tools—fiscal buffers, contingency finance, and institutional safeguards.

New data release: Firms’ experiences in Burundi, Malawi and Nigeria The World Bank Enterprise Surveys team has released new survey data from Burundi, Malawi, and Nigeria. You can also view the economy profiles, which summarize various aspects of the data. All raw, firm-level survey datasets and the corresponding indicators are available on the WBES data portal.

Enhancing the competitiveness of EU regions: A Comparative analysis of Local Regulatory Environments  Disparities in regulatory performance within countries can be even greater than those between countries. Drawing on the World Bank’s retrospective data on EU member states (2017 to 2022), this analysis highlights wide regulatory gaps in areas where local authorities play a central role, such as construction permitting, electricity connections, and contract enforcement.

WATCH THESE EVENTS

	Annual Meetings 2025 session: Enhancing Economic Growth through Effective Tax Policy and Administration Hear a lively discussion on global assesment and best practices in tax policy and administration, grounded in the Business Ready 2024 findings. Topics discussed include accountability, digital adoption and more.

	Seminar: Weather Shocks to Labor Productivity - David Dollar Prize 2025 winning paper Combining the World Bank Enterprise Surveys with the high-resolution weather data, Maximillian Huppertz (Bank of England) shows that weather shocks reduce labor productivity, and firms cut back on inputs, compounding losses. Adaptation-enabling policies can reduce these welfare losses.

	Webinar: Advancing Female Entrepreneurship and Financial Inclusion in Sierra Leone Watch a presentation and discussion on drivers of legal reform advancing women’s financial inclusion in Sierra Leone. This webinar highlights actionable recommendations for economies seeking to advance women’s economic opportunity.

OUR ENGAGEMENT

Tea Trumbic (Women, Business and the Law) engaged in several high-level events during United Nations General Assembly’s 80th Session, including Representation Matters on women’s political leadership.	Norman Loayza spoke in front of Chamber leaders and business representatives from around 150 countries at the World Chambers Congress in Australia.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

On El Periodico: A business environment to foster economic growth (written in Spanish) “For business dynamism to endure, benefit more people, and generate wealth, it must not be hindered by excessive regulations, but rather, channeled and strengthened through efficient public services and moderate regulations and taxes,” writes Norman Loayza in this op-ed.

Thanks for your interest in Business Environment Explorer! Read more of our content here. Forward this email to a colleague or friend and encourage them to sign up! First-time reader? Sign up		Contact the editor: Camilla Shuang Liu Communications officer, Policy Indicators Group, World Bank csliu@worldbank.org

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