On the first question, the list of the countries, first, only the countries eligible for ODA are on the list. We haven't made a priority list. We're talking about business. We want to bring investors to do business in developing countries. We will be I think more responsive in the choice of the countries, but still, we wouldn't want the full DFI going only to middle-income countries. We want to have an impact on the poorest and the most vulnerable, so some of the least developed countries should benefit from our DFI.
We will be proactive on this and have a reasonable share in the least developed countries. We also recognize that in the middle-income countries we have big pockets of poverty as well. We can still have a big impact on poverty and inequality if we invest in middle-income countries. Once again, it's about finding the right balance.
In crisis-affected countries, I guess we'll see the reaction and the interest in the projects that will be presented to us, but I will say that we would be proactive in this area specifically. When I say “we”, it's still the DFI in an independent way, and in our orientation I definitely want the least developed countries to be significantly included, but not exclusively, because, once again, we want to find the right balance between having an impact on development and being financially sustainable.
On Canadian companies, it will not be a prerequisite. Once again, we want to use EDC's expertise and Canadian networks to encourage and to be proactive and to do outreach with Canadian companies to get them into it. It's not exclusive, but we will work hard to have Canadian businesses involved and benefiting from the DFI.
On the SMEs, I see it from two sides. Let's say that for the Canadian SMEs, I think there are definitely business opportunities for them in developing countries, but as well for SMEs in developing countries that are also eligible for the DFI. When you talk about microfinancing, I would refer to my answer to Anita a bit earlier. There's definitely a significant impact on development if we economically empower women through microfinancing. The DFI wouldn't be doing the microfinancing itself, but supporting a project that is providing microfinancing to local organizations is definitely one area we want to look at.