Emerging economies are increasingly turning towards private sector financing to fund infrastructure and other development needs. While middle-income countries have the capacity to manage complex, privately financed projects, low-income, and fragile states face several hurdles. Poor infrastructure, political and economic risks, inefficient regulatory regimes, and weak financial systems, all pose barriers to mobilizing new investment and kick-starting private sector growth. This conference will explore some of these challenges, including the role of multilateral development banks and development finance institutions, new instruments to leverage private sector investment, risk management in fragile states, and China’s approach to financing development through the Belt & Road Initiative.