Financial inclusion

The 2X Challenge initiative is aiming to push more investment towards empowering women in the workplace, while a key blended finance microfinance project has switched focus to gender-lens investing.

responsAbility has issued its second financial inclusion bond in partnership with the International Development Finance Corporation aimed at improving access to financial services for individuals and MSMEs in developing markets.

The fund, supported by several European development finance institutions, will make up to 12 investments, including funding for the Indian microfinance sector.

The fund seeks to alleviate poverty and boost entrepreneurship in the region and it is London-based M&G’s second investment into an impact-driven public private partnership (PPP) model.

The investment will help local businesses in frontier and emerging economies cover the cost of importing key commodities, equipment and machinery, which has risen sharply in recent years.

Managed by Next Billion Capital Partners, the fund plans to invest in local companies driving financial and digital inclusion across emerging markets. Investors at first close include Impact Engine and responsAbility.

The new indicators are designed to sharpen the focus of the multilateral development bank group on accountability and impact, as well as standardising measurement of progress across its institutions.

GAWA is one of the impact investors backing Indian microfinance institution Sindhuja Microcredit, which has raised $14.5m to extend its services and develop new products, including individual loans to smallholder farmers.

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The new fund will allow the Dutch fund manager to double its investments and impact in Central and Eastern Africa and expand to new markets like Zambia.