The first-ever Multi-Country Gender Binding Series (ESCAP), the Asia-Pacific Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the Rockefeller Foundation, has gained new funding from Impact Investment Exchange (IIX)’s winning Women’s Livelihood BondTM Series (WLB Series).

The second multi-country gender bond, Women’s Livelihood Bond 2 (WLB 2) IIX, which was to be listed on the Singapore Exchange successfully closed off the US$ 12 million. For more than 250,000 underserved women in the country, WLB2 would create sustainable livelihoods. It is the second bond in IIX’s winning, US, Asian, African, Australian, and New Zealand-based WLB Series.READ MORE

Singapore-based Impact Investment Exchange has successfully closed the bond targeted at improving women’s livelihood in Asia – the second such debt issuance of its kind.

The bond is part of the «Women’s Livelihood Bond» (WLB) series which aims to «create sustainable livelihoods» for over 2 million women across Asia. The WLBs are the first «gender lens bonds» for several countries in Asia including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) – a Singapore-based bourse focused on issuing securities that generate both returns and real social or environmental impact – issued its first WLB in 2017 and its latest issuance raised $12 million.  READ MORE

Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) has successfully closed the US$12 million Women’s Livelihood Bond 2 (WLB2), the second multi-country gender bond in the Asia-Pacific to be listed on a stock exchange, the Singapore Exchange (SGX), creating sustainable livelihoods for over 250,000 underserved women in the region.

Demonstrating the scalability and replicability of the WLB Series, IIX will be launching the third Women’s Livelihood Bond (WLB3) in 2020, and will build on the success of the WLB1 and WLB2 by expanding to include more countries and new sectors. The WLB2 is the first ICMA and Asean Capital Markets-certified social bond focused on women’s empowerment.  READ MORE