On January 1, 2020, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) became the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). DFC provides financing to mobilize private capital investments in emerging markets, and invests across numerous sectors, including infrastructure and critical minerals, energy, food security and agriculture, health, and small business support.
Formerly an Assistant General Counsel at DFC, Ms. Nordgren has represented dozens of companies seeking to do business with DFC. Ms. Nordgren works closely with her clients, as well as with DFC business and legal teams, to prepare loan and political risk insurance applications, structure security packages, negotiate business terms, finalize documents, and manage transactions to reach financial close.
Ms. Nordgren is uniquely positioned to provide legal advice and support where other attorneys and firms cannot. Ms. Nordgren understands DFC’s internal processes and procedures, has extensive in-country due diligence experience, and provides complete legal coverage for a transaction. Licensed to practice in New York, Ms. Nordgren is qualified to provide legal opinions with respect to DFC’s financing documents. Ms. Nordgren maintains an ongoing relationship with her clients, whether to fund subsequent disbursements, or, where necessary, to negotiate new terms or restructure project debt or equity.
Ms. Nordgren has closed over 100 deals involving DFC loans, guaranties and political risk insurance, enabling her clients to invest over $10 billion of capital across more than 60 emerging market countries. While at DFC, Ms. Nordgren helped develop and structure DFC’s risk-sharing guaranty program with Citibank, N.A., closing 16 framework guaranties across nine regions. Not until April 2014 did DFC and Citibank close a subsequent risk-sharing guaranty facility.
Ms. Nordgren has closed the following DFC transactions:
DFC offers the following products:
- Debt Financing. Direct loans and guaranties of up to $1 billion, with specific programs targeting small and medium U.S. businesses.
- Equity Investments. Direct equity investments into companies or projects that will have developmental impact or advance U.S. foreign policy.
- Investment Funds. Debt and equity investments into emerging market private equity funds to help address the shortfall of private equity capital in developing countries and help these economies across long-term growth capital, management skills and financial expertise.
- Technical Assistance and Feasibility Studies. Accelerate project identification and preparation to better attract and support private investment in development. Grants are designed to increase the developmental impact or improve the commercial sustainability of a project that has received, or may receive, DFC financing or political risk insurance support.
- Political Risk Insurance. Up to $1 billion against losses due to currency inconvertibility, government interference, and political violence, including terrorism. DFC also offers reinsurance to increase underwriting capacity.
Current DFC Initiatives:
Mission Transaction Unit
Works with USAID to identify access to finance challenges in developing countries. Partners with local regional, and international financial institutions and businesses to mobilize private investment to advance DFC’s and USAID’s development objectives. MTU can support transactions with all of DFC’s investment tools.
Portfolio for Impact and Innovation (PI2)
Supports early-stage social enterprises with innovative solutions to challenges facing the developing world. PI2 is investing up to $10 million in promising early-stage businesses that otherwise struggle to access financing due to their relative size, short track record and novel approaches.
2X Women's Initiative
Committed to addressing the unique challenges women face globally and unlocking the multi-trillion dollar opportunity they represent, DFC has catalyzed billions of investment in projects that are owned or led by women, or that provide a product or service that empowers women.
Global Health and Prosperity Initiative
Mobilizes investment in projects that support health services and infrastructure, and expand access to clean water, sanitation and nutrition. To date, DFC has supported nearly $2 billion in investment over 25 health projects.
