The Matchmaker Service Instrument Analysis

The Matchmaker Service is a two-part instrument consisting of a subscription-based platform to match investors with city-level climate projects and a project preparation facility to improve project bankability. It specifically targets the financing gap for urban climate infrastructure in India, where municipalities often lack the capacity to create commercially viable projects and the creditworthiness to attract private capital. The report proposes a pilot project for electric bus fleets in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, utilizing a blended finance model via a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to reduce the high cost of capital associated with private operators.

• Indian cities face a significant investment gap for climate-smart urban infrastructure, with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) estimating a requirement of $1.7 trillion by 2020.
• Municipalities in India struggle to raise private capital due to a lack of capacity to prepare bankable projects, limited access to capital markets, and a lack of creditworthiness.
• The Matchmaker Service consists of a platform developed by CDP to provide investors with project data and a project preparation facility that offers legal, technical, and market viability assistance.
• The platform's financial sustainability is based on a subscription model for investors and project management companies, with an estimate of reaching approximately 75 subscribers by the fifth year.
• For the electric bus pilot in Srinagar, the report recommends using a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to isolate liabilities and access cheaper debt from sources like the National Urban Mobility Fund and international climate funds.
• High cost of capital is a primary barrier for private electric bus operators, who face rates of 18-22%; a 1 percentage point decrease in the cost of capital would reduce the cost of ownership for an AC electric bus by approximately 2 percentage points.
• The proposed electrification of 800 intercity buses in Srinagar could reduce pollutants by up to 800 tons per year.

APA

Jena, L. P., Sinha, J., & Shrimali, G. (2017). The Matchmaker Service Instrument Analysis. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Matchmaker-Service_Instrument-Analysis.pdf

Chicago

Jena, Labanya Prakash, Jolly Sinha, and Gireesh Shrimali. The Matchmaker Service Instrument Analysis. Climate Policy Initiative, 2017. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Matchmaker-Service_Instrument-Analysis.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jena |first1=Labanya Prakash |last2=Sinha |first2=Jolly |last3=Shrimali |first3=Gireesh |title=The Matchmaker Service Instrument Analysis |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=October 2017 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Matchmaker-Service_Instrument-Analysis.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jena2017matchmaker, author = {Jena, Labanya Prakash and Sinha, Jolly and Shrimali, Gireesh}, title = {{The Matchmaker Service Instrument Analysis}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Matchmaker-Service_Instrument-Analysis.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }