World Bank lending hits post-financial crisis peak

Lending to needy countries by the World Bank surged to a level last year normally only seen during financial crises, the Bank said Monday. Facing slowing growth and low commodity prices, developing countries borrowed the most money from the World Bank in 2015 since the 2008-2009 crisis. "As developing countries continue to face strong economic headwinds, demand for lending from the World Bank has risen to levels never seen outside a financial crisis," the World Bank said in a statement.