# Better Blending: Making the Case for Transparency and Accountability in Blended Finance URL: https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/better-blending Type: Publication or report Published: 2018-12-18 Updated: 2020-04-02 --- 18 December 2018 As available resources for official development assistance have come under strain in the past ten years, blended finance has been hailed as a means to finance development in low- and middle-income countries. Governments and international organisations are increasingly advocating the use of blended finance to fill the “financing gap” between current commitments and target levels of investment needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Little consideration has been given to potential corruption risks in blended finance mechanisms. As a result, integrity issues in blended finance projects are understudied and poorly appreciated by many development practitioners, investors and regulators. As blended finance becomes an increasingly common instrument in development assistance, a richer understanding of the cause and impact of corrupt practices in this form of development finance is essential. This paper explores integrity issues that might arise at various stages of the blended finance project cycle. It identifies a number of key areas where increased transparency and accountability could reduce potential losses due to corruption and improve development outcomes. In addition, it proposes measures development finance institutions and multilateral development banks can take to ensure blending is appropriately deployed to promote sustainable development and reduce the risk of it being exploited by dishonest brokers to the detriment of investors, taxpayers and intended beneficiaries. ### Related publications ## [Enabler Accountability: Assessing Measures Taken against Professionals Implicated in Cases of Illicit Financial Flows from Africa](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/enabler-accountability-illicit-financial-flows-africa) Publication • 31 March 2026 How often are enablers of illicit financial flows held to account? We examine criminal and administrative action, enforcement gaps and priorities for reform. ## [Digital disclosure of political finance in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/digital-disclosure-political-finance-africa-asia-pacific-latin-america-caribbean) Publication • 06 November 2025 This study reviews the approaches to digital disclosure of political party and candidate finance in three regions. ## [The role of business in fighting impunity and corruption to protect environmental defenders](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/the-role-of-business-in-fighting-impunity-and-corruption-to-protect-environmental-defenders) Publication • 20 October 2025 The paper offers a roadmap for action, urging businesses, policymakers, and investors to embed integrity beyond compliance and strengthen protections for defenders and… ## [Public Loans, Private Gains: Addressing corruption across the debt cycle](https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/public-loans-private-gains-addressing-corruption-across-the-debt-cycle) Publication • 04 September 2025 This working paper explores how corruption risks permeate every stage of the sovereign debt cycle – from contracting and management to restructuring. ![](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/2018_WorkingPaper_BetterBlending_English_116.jpg?auto=compress&fit=crop&fm=webp&w=1200) [Download](https://images.transparencycdn.org/images/2018_WorkingPaper_BetterBlending_English.pdf)