What we do
We engage the full spectrum of investors, capital providers, mobilisers, and influencers, and work together to advance intersectional investment agendas, level up gender-smart investments, and scale the field of gender finance.
Strategic pillars
2X Global has a strategic focus on three pillars that underpin all our activities and programming.
Build capacity
Knowledge, partnerships and tools that deepen investor commitment
Member-driven engagement
Virtual convenings
Training and masterclasses
Tools and knowledge
2X Global Summit
Advance standards
Align and advance existing standards
Track capital mobilised, financial performance, and gender impact
Shift markets
Strategic engagement and initiatives that drive investor commitment and unlock capital at scale in public and private markets.
Public speaking, communications and thought leadership
Member-driven engagement
Our initiatives are designed to empower our members by enhancing their organisational capacity to drive meaningful internal and external transformations. These efforts equip teams, systems, and processes to deploy gender-smart capital effectively, unlocking both financial returns and social impact.
We provide a year-round programme of in-person and virtual convenings, carefully curated to foster structured networking, knowledge sharing, and peer learning. These sessions create a platform for candid discussions on practical challenges, innovative solutions, and measurable achievements in gender-smart investing.
While participation is member-only, select findings and data are shared as a public good.
2X Challenge
The 2X Challenge was launched at the 2018 G7 Summit in Canada, as a bold capital commitment of development and multilateral finance institutions to invest in the world’s women. Since then, this flagship initiative has mobilised US$33.6 billion in investments.
The original target - to mobilise $3bn in gender lens investments between 2018 to 2020 - was significantly surpassed, with $11.4 bn invested and mobilised over the three-year period of the first 2X Challenge.
At the G7 Summit 2021 in the United Kingdom, 20 global DFIs and MDBs committed to a new and more ambitious target of $15 Billion for the period 2021-2022. This second round of the 2X Challenge again exceeded its target and collectively raised gender lens investments totaling US$ 16.3 Billion, benefitting 473 businesses across all global emerging market regions.
At the G7 Summit 2024 in Italy, a multilateral coalition of both public and private sector investors committed to the most ambitious target yet, pledging to invest US$20 billion between 2024 to 2027 under the third edition of the 2X Challenge.
2X Ignite
Goal to accelerate
Our latest capacity building and investment innovation to address the greatest barriers to unlocking gender-smart capital at scale, this holistic market-building solution aims to accelerate 100 female-led gender lens fund managers reaching 1,000+ gender-smart businesses across five regions. The effort has three components: Capacity Building, Digital Academy, and Shared Services; Investment Facility for Working Capital and Warehousing Capital (in fundraising); and Connecting the Pipeline of Gender-Smart Funds with LP Investors.
In collaboration with Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and supported by Canada’s International Development Research Center (IDRC), we are launching an innovative research project seeking to improve the outcomes for women-led clean energy enterprises through applied research. This applied research will focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific. If you are a fund manager seeking to join this research, please apply here.
100+
female-led gender-smart fund managers
2X Criteria is the global industry standard for assessing, structuring and monitoring investments that provide women with leadership opportunities, quality employment, finance, enterprise support, and products and services that enhance economic participation and access. They have been widely adopted by investors, financial intermediaries and companies as well as other stakeholders worldwide to assess and monitor gender-lens investments, unifying investors under one framework and language. The 2X Criteria have been harmonised and integrated into major finance standard setting frameworks and have been adopted by hundreds of capital providers reaching thousands of businesses globally.
2X Criteria
2X Global and the 2X Challenge have been at the forefront of building the field of gender lens investing (GLI). Today, hundreds of companies and investors around the world use 2X Criteria as an industry standard for GLI.
2X Certification is an independent and universally available certification mechanism that further advances the standard-setting work which 2X Global has been leading in the global field of gender lens investing (GLI). 2X Certification is a powerful lever to unlock gender-smart capital at scale and deliver on 2X Global’s goal of increasing the volume and impact of GLI across asset classes, sectors and geographies globally.
2X Certification builds on the foundation of the 2X Criteria. It serves as a comprehensive assessment of an organisation’s gender efforts across its full value chain and core gender themes and drives further credibility through third-party verification. 2X Certification acts as a guiding star, encouraging entities to implement robust gender practices and foster meaningful change across industries.
2X Certification
Designed for a wide range of audience types, 2X Certification offers a structured pathway towards excellence in gender equity for investors, companies and financial instruments. By providing clear standards and benchmarks, it aims to promote transparency, accountability, and credibility in the financial sector.
As a field building organisation, we recognise the importance of knowing where the market is at and where it is going. The sizing of the gender finance activity is one of the key data points that helps to underpin and illustrate growth and momentum in the field.
We are the new home of Project Sage, and are excited to take this work forward under the new name of Project Catalyst. This is a collaborative initiative between 2X Global, the global entity focused on gender lens investing, and Sagana, a leading gender-lens consulting firm focused on diversity, equity and inclusion in financial services. The initiative is supported by the Visa Foundation.
Project Catalyst
Project Catalyst is a research initiative that spans a sector-wide survey, which will i) size the current market of gender lens investing in private markets (e.g., private equity, venture capital, and private debt funds) and ii) identify trends and opportunities in how investors are using a gender lens within investment decisions.