News

The Orange Bond Principles: A New Model for Investing in Women – DFC Blog

In a recent visit to the Philippines, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke of the returns generated by investing in women. “You lift up the economic status of a woman, her family will be lifted, her community will be lifted… Lift up the economic status of women, and all of society benefits,” she said. The multiplier effect of investing in women is well-established and underscores why DFC’s 2X Women’s Initiative is a key part of the agency’s work with the private sector to advance global development.

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ANZ leads world’s first ever Orange Bond – National Tribune

ANZ has led the inaugural US$50mn four-year Women’s Livelihood BondTM 5 for Impact Investment Exchange (“IIX”), the world’s first sustainable debt issued under the Orange Bond Principles which aims to mobilise gender-lens investing under an orange-labelled asset class.

The structure securitizes a portfolio of loans to high-impact enterprises who cannot usually access to international capital markets. The Bond’s proceeds will support ~280,000-300,000 women across Asia and Africa to transition to more sustainable, climate-resilient livelihoods.

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Press Release: Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) Closes the Women’s Livelihood Bond™ 5 – the Fifth Issuance in the Women’s Livelihood Bond™ Series and the World’s First Orange Bond – NextBillion

Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) has successfully closed the Women’s Livelihood Bond™ 5 (WLB5), the fifth issuance in the award-winning Women’s Livelihood Bond™ Series (WLB™ Series), raising US$50 million. The WLB5 will create livelihood and empower ~300,000 women and girls in emerging markets across Asia and Africa, making it the first multi-continent bond in the Series.

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ANZ leads world’s first ever Orange Bond – Miragenews

ANZ has led the inaugural US$50mn four-year Women’s Livelihood BondTM 5 for Impact Investment Exchange (“IIX”), the world’s first sustainable debt issued under the Orange Bond Principles which aims to mobilise gender-lens investing under an orange-labelled asset class.

The structure securitizes a portfolio of loans to high-impact enterprises who cannot usually access to international capital markets. The Bond’s proceeds will support ~280,000-300,000 women across Asia and Africa to transition to more sustainable, climate-resilient livelihoods.

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IIX raises US$50 million with first ‘orange bond’ for women’s livelihoods – Business Times

Called the Women’s Livelihood Bond 5 (WLB5), it securitises a portfolio of loans to high-impact enterprises that cannot usually access international capital markets, lead placement agent ANZ said in a Tuesday (Dec 13) press release.

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Award for innovation – use of proceeds (social bond): IIX Women’s Livelihood Bond Series – Environmental Finance Award

The Impact Investment Exchange’s Women’s Livelihood Bond Series was the world’s first gender-lens impact investing security listed on a stock exchange and has since gone on to raise $78 million in blended capital.

It said that by addressing the three dimensions of risk-return-impact it has “created a new kind of financial instrument that delivers stable returns and sustainable impact to investors”.

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Kinara Capital Secures INR 52 Crore from IIX’s Women’s Livelihood Bond Series for HerVikas Discounted Loan Program for Women Entrepreneurs – Latestly

Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], March 8 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Kinara Capital, a leading socially responsible fintech driving MSME financial inclusion, today announced securing INR 52 crores from Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) for the advancement of women entrepreneurs in India.

This sustainable investment fund will be disbursed via Kinara Capital’s established HerVikas discounted loan program to an estimated 2500+ women-owned small businesses. The expected impact of the partnership between IIX and Kinara Capital will generate an incremental income of INR 320 crores for women entrepreneurs.

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Latham Advises on Third Tranche of First-Ever Multi-Country Listed Gender Bond Series – Legal Desire

Latham has advised on Impact Investment Exchange’s US$27.7 million Women’s Livelihood BondTM 3 (WLB3) which is partially guaranteed by The United States International Development Finance Corporation. This is the third bond in the award-winning Women’s Livelihood Bond Series (WLB Series), which will support approximately 180,000 underserved women and women entrepreneurs in the Asia Pacific Region in addition to advancing a total of 13 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The WLB3 follows on from the successful close of the US$12 million WLB2 in January 2020 and serves as the maiden investment of IIX’s Women’s Catalyst Fund.

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Centrum Microcredit raises $5.55 million from Singapore’s IIX – The Hindu Business Line

Centrum Microcredit Ltd, the micro-finance arm of diversified Centrum Group, has raised $5.55 million (about ₹41 crore) debt from Singapore-based impact investing and sustainability organisation Impact Investment Exchange (IIX). The micro-finance firm, which has presence across nine States, will use the funding to provide financial assistance to women entrepreneurs.

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Women’s Livelihood Bond Helps Women In Asia Pacific Struggling Amid The Pandemic – Forbes

Building on the track record of its previous two Women’s Livelihood Bonds (WLB), social impact finance pioneer Impact Investment Exchange recently announced its latest in the series, aimed at helping underserved women and women entrepreneurs in the Asia Pacific region recover from the pandemic. The $27.7 million bond targets enterprises in Cambodia, India, Philippines and Indonesia.

It’s also the first investment of IIX’s Women’s Catalyst Fund (WCF), which focuses on accelerating new financial instruments for women.

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