BII Raises India Gender Investment Target to 30% as Women-Focused Capital Surges

British International Investment (BII) is stepping up its push to channel more capital toward women’s economic empowerment, raising its gender-focused investment ambition to 30% of new investments under its new five-year strategy.

The UK’s development finance institution announced the move on September 17 at the 2X Global Summit in Montréal, where development and multilateral finance institutions renewed their commitment to the 2X Challenge.

The announcement comes as the United Nations warns that global gender-equality targets remain significantly off track.

$360 Billion Annual Investment Gap

New UN data cited by the institutions behind the 2X Challenge estimates that 351 million women and girls could still be living in extreme poverty by 2030.

Closing the gender investment gap will require an additional $360 billion every year, according to the figures cited by BII. The institutions also say that narrowing these gaps could increase global GDP by more than 20%.

The 2X Challenge, launched in 2018, has already mobilized more than $33 billion toward investments designed to advance women’s economic empowerment.

Its renewed 2024–27 target is at least $20 billion, with a greater emphasis on bringing private investors into gender-focused investment.

The pool of dedicated gender-lens funds has also expanded dramatically, rising from $1.3 billion in 2017 to $7.9 billion, highlighting the growing investor interest in strategies focused on women.

BII Sets 30% Target Under New Strategy

BII’s new 2026–31 strategy raises the institution’s own target, with 30% of new investments in its core portfolio expected to qualify under the 2X Challenge.

The strategy focuses on three major areas: expanding women’s access to finance and digital services, supporting quality employment for women, and increasing women’s participation in climate and low-carbon industries.

India is already a major part of that effort.

Since 2018, BII says it 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.

Annual gender-finance commitments in India have risen sharply, from $67 million in 2018–19 to more than $324 million in 2025, according to BII.

New Toolkit Targets Investors and Fund Managers

At the Montréal summit, BII also launched a refreshed Gender and Inclusive Finance Toolkit, designed to help fund managers, investors and businesses incorporate a gender lens throughout the investment lifecycle.

The resource includes practical tools for different stages of the investment process, portfolio case studies and guidance for businesses seeking to build more inclusive operations.

BII says the toolkit draws directly on lessons from its India portfolio.

One example is its $9.5 million investment in a credit guarantee program managed by FinReach Solutions, a woman-founded company supporting micro and small enterprises in India. The program is expected to create a $20 million lending pool and reach around 6,000 MSEs, many of which are women-owned businesses.

BII has also backed IIDEA, a fund managed by 3one4 Capital that invests in early-stage technology and tech-enabled companies, focusing on women-led ventures and founders outside India’s biggest metropolitan centers.

Through its investment in CLR Facilities Services, BII aims to support employment for more than 12,000 women, with over half expected to transition into the formal workforce. The initiative also includes skilling centers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

Push Goes Beyond Funding

BII says its gender strategy extends beyond individual investments to tackling structural barriers within the investment ecosystem.

Its partnership with WinPE (Women in Private Equity) supports greater gender diversity across India’s private equity and venture capital sector, including through the Women on Boards program.

BII has also worked with Sagana and the Impact Investors Council on the Inclusive Capital Lab, a six-month program that brought together 21 fund managers from across India’s investment industry.

The program focused on practical ways to incorporate gender-smart investing into everyday investment decisions through peer learning, tools and real-world case studies.

Shilpa Kumar, Managing Director and Head of India at BII, said investing in women is central to building more inclusive and resilient economies and that the institution sees an opportunity to deepen gender-intentional investing as India continues its growth story.

Sarah Cooper, Director for Development, Climate, Science and Technology at the British High Commission, said the UK wants to expand opportunities for women as entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders while strengthening investment cooperation between the UK and India.

With gender-lens funds now reaching $7.9 billion globally and BII targeting 30% of new core investments for 2X qualification, the institution is positioning women-focused finance as a larger part of its next five-year investment strategy.