Can the discovery of natural gas reserves in Israel bring in investment and spark the country's gas boom?

Inspired by the shale revolution in the US, a rising number of firms are looking to profit from the untapped energy potential in other countries, turning typically unattractive investment destinations, such as Tajikistan and Iran, into potentially lucrative markets.

Pakistan is looking to improve its current account with the issue of the country’s first Eurobond in years, a spectrum auction for telecoms licences and the privatisation of public sector entities.

The growth of Indonesia’s economy has made headlines in recent years, but 2014 sees the country at a crossroads, with slowing growth, a still-creaking infrastructure, an end to cheap credit from the US and uncertainty regarding the impact of economic integration with the Association of South-East Asian Nations. 

The discovery of oil off the coast of Marica has transformed the Brazilian city. Keen to ensure this economic good fortune lasts, the city's officials have sought investment in other areas – including tourism and infrastructure – as part of a long-term plan.

The central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan barely register in terms of global FDI share, making the presence of the IFC in the region all the more important. The corporation's director of Europe and central Asia tells Michal Kaczmarski how the IFC is helping these former Soviet republics make their voices heard.

Government efforts to move away from a reliance on hydrocarbons and into manufacturing are paying dividends, writes Barbara Njau, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the way.