British International Investment Targets 30% Gender Investment

British International Investment (BII) has raised its gender investment target to 30% under a new five-year strategy aimed at advancing women’s economic empowerment. This announcement was made at the 2X Global Summit in Montréal, where BII reaffirmed its commitment to the 2X Challenge alongside other development and multilateral finance institutions.

The institutions acknowledged that significant gaps remain in achieving gender equality, with new UN data indicating that 351 million women and girls may still live in extreme poverty by 2030. Closing these gaps will require an additional $360 billion annually, which could potentially increase global GDP by over 20%.

BII's strategy for 2026–31 aims for 30% of new investments in its core portfolio to qualify under the 2X Challenge, focusing on women's financial and digital inclusion, quality job support for women, and participation in climate and low-carbon industries. Amal-Lee Amin, managing director and head of Climate, Diversity and Advisory at BII, emphasized the critical nature of gender-lens investing for inclusive economic growth.