Speaker

About the speaker: 

Mr Ivanov is the IFC’s Global Lead for Advisory Skills and Knowledge, in the Farming and Agribusiness Department, where he oversees all technical assistance to IFC’s sustainable protein, aquaculture and seaweed clients, a portfolio of 70 companies with an investment value of over $1 billion. Mr Ivanov has more than 25 years of experience setting up, managing, investing in, and advising private businesses. In IFC he has worked as Country head, Regional advisory manager, and Global agribusiness lead. Prior to IFC he has managed several successful private ventures in distribution and food processing in Eastern Europe.  

Company info:

The International Finance Corporation (IFC)—the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group—plays a strategic role in agribusiness and farming, mobilising capital, advisory services, and blended finance to support sustainable food systems, job creation, and economic growth in emerging markets. Its agribusiness portfolio spans the entire value chain, from upstream inputs and production to processing, logistics, and retail, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, climate resilience, and inclusion for small-holder farmers and rural communities. IFC’s investments aim to enhance food security, increase productivity, expand market access, and support climate-smart practices that reduce environmental impacts and strengthen supply chains. 

Within this broader agribusiness agenda, IFC is increasingly engaging in aquaculture and seaweed sectors—key components of sustainable blue economies that align with rising global seafood demand and climate goals. Through platforms like AquaInvest, IFC works to identify, structure and de-risk investment opportunities across the full aquabusiness value chain, including fish, shellfish, and seaweed farming, while offering technical assistance and advisory services to improve commercial viability and environmental performance. These efforts aim to expand sustainable aquaculture investments in regions such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America, bolster food and nutrition security, and generate private-sector jobs. 

IFC’s commitment to nature-positive agribusiness also extends to innovative seaweed value chains, as evidenced by financing for ventures like Carbonwave—a developer of regenerative biomaterials from sargassum seaweed. IFC provided a convertible loan to Carbonwave to scale seaweed collection and processing in Mexico, producing organic fertilizers, emulsifiers and plant-based materials that both create economic value and address marine ecosystem challenges. This type of investment exemplifies IFC’s strategy of blending private capital with development impact in emerging sectors that deliver sustainability, climate benefits, and inclusive growth.