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Barclays was proud to work with Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) to issue its fourth Women’s Livelihood Bond™ for Climate (WLB4C).
The proceeds will directly support women-led and climate-focused enterprises in India, Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines, and are expected to benefit nearly 500,000 under-served women and girls in the developing markets.
This bond issuance helps to empower women and address climate-related challenges in developing markets. We are proud to be able to leverage our global distribution network to help bring the impact of IIX’s program to institutional and private banking investors across the world.Atul Jhavar, Head of APAC Sustainable Capital Markets, Barclays
The WLB4C funds empower women who are missing from the formal financial ecosystem, helping them to create businesses that sustain themselves, their communities and the environment. And, as part of IIX – an organisation focused on impact investment and sustainability – the beneficiaries have the opportunity to create a network of climate-friendly small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the areas of sustainable agriculture, clean energy, financial inclusion and SME lending, skills development, and sustainable apparel.
Barclays acted as joint placement agent on the bond, which helps IIX to accelerate its support of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The Global South cannot wait for rich nations to disburse financial aid to compensate for and mitigate the devastating damage caused by climate change. This is a death sentence to the very communities that fuel developing economies – especially women. When we first created the Women’s Livelihood Bond Series in 2017, we were creating a financial instrument that would change these systemic inequalities. With each new bond in the WLB Series, we’re building an entirely new asset class by and for the Global South that empowers developing countries with real results, rather than pledges and dialogues.Professor Durreen Shahnaz, IIX’s CEO and Founder
WLB4C is IIX’s fourth bond, and part of its US$150 million WLB Series that helps support sustainable livelihoods for over three million women across developing countries in the region. The bond issuance brought together a global coalition of public and private sector partners committed to creating gender equality in climate finance.
It is a humbling experience to see the impact of bringing our product expertise and investor relationships to benefit such an amazing cause.Avinash Thakur, Head of Debt Origination, Asia Pacific, Barclays
Investors were impressed with the success of IIX’s track record over the years, and were keen to support the offering. They believe in the work that IIX is helping to drive – which is relatively unique in its structure – because of its societal benefits and climate-friendly approach.
IIX is a pioneer in impact investing and the global leader in sustainability. The organisation has transformed the financial system in a manner where women, the environment, and underserved communities are given due prominence in the global markets. Over the past 12 years, their work has spanned 53 countries, unlocked over US$215 million of private sector capital to support more than 200 enterprises, avoided over 1.4 million tons of carbon, and impacted over 100 million lives.
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