Export Development Canada is an export credit agency based in Ottawa, Ontario. Founded in 1944, the firm intends to support and develop Canada's export trade by helping Canadian companies respond to international business opportunities and provides insurance and financial services and bond products to small and medium-sized businesses, Canadian exporters, investors, and their international buyers. Export Development Canada also provides private equity and venture capital investments. Export Development Canada also provides Canadian exporters with trade financing, export credit insurance, and bonding services, as well as foreign market expertise. The firm provides a secured loan to help international expansion plans for small and large companies and its lending support is priced based on the level of risk and the market involved. The firm also provides buyer financing along with structured project finance. In 2017, Export Development Canada was entrusted by the Government of Canada to create a Canadian development finance institution. Created as a subsidiary of Export Development Canada, the DFIs core mandate is to support sustainable development and poverty reduction in developing countries by providing financial services in support of private sector initiatives.