IFC Fuels Women’s Empowerment in Asia with Landmark Bond Investment

$10 Million Injection Targets Underserved Entrepreneurs in South and Southeast Asia

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is making a significant $10 million investment in Impact Investment Exchange’s (IIX) Women’s Livelihood Bond™ 7 (WLB7), marking a pivotal moment in channeling capital to women-led enterprises in emerging markets.

Largest Bond in Series Aims for Broad Impact

This latest bond issuance, scheduled to close its initial tranche on July 30, 2025, with a target of $60 million, is poised to become the largest in the WLB™ Series. The IFC’s commitment extends to $4.5 million in subordinated debt for the IIX Women’s Catalyst Fund, a crucial mechanism designed to reduce risk and enhance women’s access to financial markets.

Targeting Financial Inclusion and Sustainable Growth

Proceeds from WLB7 are earmarked to support high-impact businesses owned and operated by underserved women and communities across India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. The funding will focus on critical sectors including financial inclusion, water and sanitation, agriculture, and clean energy.

Katia Daude Gonçalves, Country Manager for Singapore and Brunei at IFC, emphasized the vital role of blended finance. Blended finance continues to be a powerful tool to address market shortcomings and mobilize investment for impactful projects in emerging and developing markets. We are delighted to partner with Impact Investment Exchange on the Women’s Livelihood Bond, which aims to support women entrepreneurs and community enterprises to transition to sustainable livelihoods and benefit from improved quality of life.

Scaling a Proven Model for Gender Equity

Prof. Durreen Shahnaz, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of IIX, highlighted the ambition behind WLB7. Building on the momentum of the first six Women’s Livelihood Bonds™ and the global rise of the Orange Bond™ movement, WLB7 takes them one step closer to a capital market where gender equity is the norm, not the exception. By partnering with IFC and other trail-blazing allies, we are scaling this proven model across South and Southeast Asia and seeding the systemic shifts that will redefine finance in the Global South.

Prof. Shahnaz added, With WLB 7 we expect to reach more than 773,000 underserved women, giving them the tools—and the capital—to shape a more inclusive and sustainable future for their families, their economies, and our planet.

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Commitment to Standards and Global Reach

WLB7 is set to be listed on the Singapore Exchange and adheres to rigorous sustainability principles, certified by Sustainable Fitch Limited for Orange Bond Principles™ and aligning with the International Capital Market Association’s Green Bond Principles, Social Bond Principles, and Sustainability Bond Guidelines. It will also meet EU and UK securitization regulations.

The WLB™ Series, initiated in 2017 with WLB1, has a track record of success, having mobilized $228 million to date and positively impacting over 2.6 million women across emerging markets. In fiscal year 2024 alone, the IFC committed $56 billion to private sector development, reinforcing its position as the largest global development institution focused on emerging markets.

Globally, financial institutions are increasingly recognizing the economic power of women. For instance, in 2023, women-led businesses received over $1.7 billion in venture capital funding in the United States, a notable increase that signals growing investor confidence in female entrepreneurship (PitchBook, 2024).