India, 17 September 2026: British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor, has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing women’s economic empowerment in India, joining development and multilateral finance institutions at the 2X Global Summit in Montréal to renew their commitment to the 2X Challenge.
In a joint Statement of Intent published today, the institutions highlight that the world remains far off track to achieve gender equality. New UN data shows that globally 351 million women and girls could still be living in extreme poverty by 2030, underscoring the urgency of accelerating investment in women’s economic empowerment. Closing these gaps will require an additional $360 billion a year but could raise global GDP by more than 20 per cent.
Since its launch in 2018, the 2X Challenge has mobilised more than $33 billion towards investments that advance women’s economic empowerment. The renewed 2024–27 2X Challenge aims to mobilise at least $20 billion, with a greater focus on bringing private investors into the effort. As momentum behind gender-lens investing continues to grow, the value of dedicated gender-lens funds have increased from $1.3 billion in 2017 to $7.9 billion, demonstrating both the scale of investor interest and the opportunity to channel more capital towards women-focused investments.
BII’s new 2026–31 strategy raises its own ambition, targeting 30 per cent of new investments in its core portfolio to qualify under the 2X Challenge. The approach focuses on expanding women’s financial and digital inclusion, supporting quality jobs for women, and increasing women’s participation in climate and low-carbon industries. Since 2018, BII has committed more than $1 billion in 2X-qualified investments in India. It has also directed more than $157 million in lending to women and women-led businesses, while annual gender finance commitments in India increased from $67 million in 2018-19 to more than $324 million in 2025, reflecting BII’s growing commitment to advancing women’s economic empowerment through investment.
At the Summit, BII launched a refreshed Gender and Inclusive Finance Toolkit, a practical resource designed to help fund managers, investors and businesses embed gender lens across the investment lifecycle. It brings together plug-and-play tools for different stages of investment process, case studies from BII’s portfolio, and an inclusive business section for portfolio companies.
The Toolkit draws on BII’s experience across its India portfolio, including a $9.5 million investment in a credit guarantee programme managed by FinReach Solutions, a woman-founded company supporting MSEs in India. The programme is expected to enable a $20 million lending pool, reaching around 6,000 MSEs, many of which are women-owned businesses. BII has backed IIDEA, a fund managed by 3one4 Capital that invests in early-stage technology and tech-enabled businesses, with a focus on women-led ventures and founders beyond India’s major metros. Also, through its investment in CLR Facilities Services, BII aims to support employment for over 12,000 women, with more than half expected to transition into the formal workforce, alongside the establishment of skilling centres in Tier 2 and 3 cities.
In addition to supporting individual investees, BII is focused on driving ecosystem-level shifts to address structural and discriminatory barriers that contribute to gender inequality. This includes its partnership with WinPE (Women in Private Equity), which supports greater gender diversity in the private equity and venture capital ecosystem in India through initiatives such as the Women on Boards programme. Another example is the Inclusive Capital Lab, a six-month programme delivered in partnership with Sagana and the Impact Investors Council. Recognising that lasting change requires strengthening the institutions that allocate capital, the programme brought together 21 fund managers from across India’s investment industry to explore practical approaches to embedding gender-smart investing into everyday investment decision making through peer learning, tools and real-world case studies.
Shilpa Kumar, Managing Director and Head of India, British International Investment, said: “Investing in women is central to building more inclusive and resilient economies in India. At BII, we have always focused on addressing the persistent barriers to women’s economic participation, while recognising the significant value their participation can create for businesses, markets and the wider economy. As we raise our investment ambition under the 2X Challenge, we see an opportunity to build on the progress made so far and deepen the role that gender-intentional investing can play in India’s growth story.
“Our refreshed Gender and Inclusive Finance Toolkit is an extension of this experience, bringing together the insights and lessons we have gained through our investments to help translate greater ambition into meaningful action.”
Sarah Cooper, Director for Development, Climate, Science and Technology, British High Commission, said: “The UK is proud to work with partners around the world to expand opportunities for women as entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders. The UK and India are learning from each other and sharing expertise to ensure women and girls can reach their full potential – including through the UK-India Free Trade Agreement’s Gender Chapter and our wider investment partnerships. We’re committed to working together to unlock talent, innovation and inclusive growth across both the UK and India.”
