This paper provides information on institutional features and policy practices of investment guarantee programmes, reviews the institutional features of the public and private segments of the political risk insurance market and identifies issues of potential relevance for the investment policy community. Typically, international investment projects for which such insurance is sought are located in developing countries. In recent years, the value of investment guarantees has averaged about 3% of total FDI flows, but about 30% of FDI inflows to developing countries. Thus, investment guarantees and the public and private institutions that provide them influence investment flows to developing countries.