The United Kingdom became a member of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the World Bank, in December 1945 and played a role in the founding of the Bretton Woods institutions (World Bank and International Monetary Fund).

The UK and the World Bank are working together to scale up policies across a wide range of issues, including conflict prevention, governance, fitness and education, seeking to ensure millions of people in the poorest countries are vaccinated. and have access to roads and white water, and teachers, among other benefits. The Bank Group’s experience, wisdom and ability to act across sectors and countries helps advance the goals of human, economic and sustainable progress around the world.

The United Kingdom is a member of the World Bank’s Fund for the Poorest, of the International Development Association (IDA), which it joined in 1960, of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) since 1956, of the Multilateral Guarantee Agency Investment Disputes (MIGA) since 1988 and the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) since 1967.

The United Kingdom remains a major shareholder of the institutions of the World Bank Group, serving as an important and influential partner in global efforts to reduce poverty.

The World Bank in London is working to promote consensus around the timeline for progress abroad and build a platform for collaboration between the World Bank and the United Kingdom. It does this by fostering greater understanding of the World Bank’s project and activities and building relationships with key stakeholders. such as government, members of parliament, civil society organisations, think tanks, the personal sector, academia and the media.

It also supports outreach activities, often in collaboration with U.K. partners, such as organizing and supporting conferences, seminars, and other events on development-related topics. The office serves as an entry point for groups in the United Kingdom wishing to contact World Bank staff across the world or access the plethora of information the Bank publishes, and it responds to media queries. It also seeks to increase opportunities for collaboration between the United Kingdom and the World Bank Group through co-financing, trust funds, and joint analytical work in sectors and regions of mutual interest. 

Governor of the World Bank

The World Bank Board of Governors is the Bank’s main decision-making framework. The governors meet twice a year. Governors have the power to admit and suspend members of the World Bank Group, increase or minimize share capital, determine the distribution of the Bank’s net income and the overall strategic direction of the World Bank Group. World Bank Group.  

For the offices of existing and exchange governors, see this document.

Executive Director of the World Bank The Governor delegates responsibility for overseeing the day-to-day affairs of the United Kingdom’s interests within the Bank to the Executive Director (ED) of the United Kingdom. The managing director is the governor’s representative on the World Bank’s 25-member Board of Directors. The managing directors live in Washington and generally meet twice a week to make decisions on monetary and debt issues, projects, and policies that have an effect on the overall operations of the World Bank Group.   

Shares and Voting Power The World Bank Group has a weighted system of voting. All members of the Bank receive votes consisting of share votes (one vote for each share of the Bank’s capital stock held by the member) plus basic votes (calculated so that the sum of all basic votes is equal to 5.55% of the sum of basic votes and share votes for all members). The voting power distribution differs from agency to agency within the World Bank Group.

For the latest voting status, visit the Voting Powers page.

For more data on UK aid flows as a donor, visit the AidFlows UK page.

Find out what the other institutions of the World Bank Group are doing in United Kingdom.

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