What is Bankability?

As defined by Cities Climate Finance Organization, a project is bankable, whether from public or private sources, when its risk-return profile meets investors' criteria and can secure financing to implement the project. This financeability must be thoroughly demonstrated by a contractual certificate Developer though a detailed Bankable Development, consisting of the Detailed Technical Designs (guaranteed standardized Architectural, Structural/Construction, Mechanical, Electrical design studies, including the Quantity and Quality Survey/Bill of Quantity). These data and studies are always required of the development of the Technoeconomic Studies and Business Plan always required by the Developer's financiers and/or Investors in order to make decision for the provision of finance for its EPCM (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Management/Operations Management). Most project Companies in Development Countries or Emerging Economies made must be also aware that no investor or financier are nor just interested in your Land or local permits to make a financial decision to fund your project, because the land value is not included in the Total Investment Capital. Land and permits acquired before the Bankable Development of Project are not reimbursables.

The Key criteria for bankability and financeability also include the probability of meeting the project's environmental and social goals, sufficiently estimated cash flows to cover costs and produce returns that meet investor expectations as stated above, and whether the project will be implemented by a creditworthy entity or entities.

Though the assessment of whether a project is bankable may differ between specific financiers, they all need confidence that the regulatory, environmental, social, and economic factors are unlikely to prevent the project from being completed (Rana 2017; GPRBA2018). The risk-return profile of a project is the key to bankability (GPRBA 2018). Bankability is also sometimes phrased as investment-ready or finance-ready (CCFLA 2021). Bankability is influenced by project level, city level, and national level factors (Nassiry, Nakhooda, and Barnard 2016).